Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-11-03
GERMANY MUST GET
BACK OF RHINE LINE
War Council Will Insist She Re-
tire Thirty Miles
Inland.
NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE LOOT
Will Also Demand Surrender of
U-Boats and Helgoland
Fortress.
NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE LOOT
BY Associated Press.

WASHiNGTON. November 1.-THE st-
pFeme wa" council at Versailles il wa :
( icarned to-day through diplomatic
( 'chhhncis. has under consideration. AS
the starting pom; IN framing terms . /:
''h ;trmistice. proposals that Germany
DC required to withdraw her armies
without their military supplies or the
i.ot being carried from France and
Eetsiuin, 70 zonc thirty miles 20 the
German side OF the Rhine and that the
entire Germany navy. Including sub
marines ara the HelsolaMd fortress. be
surrendered
1T is possible that tho conditions
when finally agreed upon. may not
emerge from the council in exactly this
degree but il Is believed they will be
no less potent for preserving the mill
tarN supremacy of the allies and at
,her lighting.
The same information coming
through the same sources. indicates
that the arin!st;cc terms. as finally
agreed upon. may be made known to
the world Monday or Tuesday. and that
acceptance in their entirety. or not at
an without opportunity for quibbline
OF trading.
From 4 military point OF view, the
ntopoEa, that the German armies be
d!sar,ned and retired thirty miles be-
Eond The Rhine is classcd only AS tam
tam9nnt TO an absolute surrender 1t
would not only throw open to the al
led and American armies many roads
70 Berlin Itself. but. with the surren-
DER oi railway rolling stock. deprive
thein o. means to retracc their steps
20 fight If they would.
ALLIES AIM TO DESTROY
INNER DEFENSE SYSTEM
There is some question among mil
.tary observers as 10 whether such com
plete terms are really necessary. I'm
doubtedly the object sought In propoS-
ing that the enemy retire thirty miles
ochihd the tHine is to destroy the Ger
man inner defense system. That sys-
tenn is supported by chain of for
treSses. without which the line would
be untenable. and some military cx-
per,s believe i may not be; necessary
render OF disniantling Of those forts,
The military disenssi6n develoD6 BY
the proposals brings q SUGGESTION that
i!stlie borders of gCiermany, from when
the armed forces of both sides might
be Withdrawn until peace treaties H.
French and Belgian frontiers are ex-
pected TO be reoccup:ed by the allied
armies. but it might develop that as
the German forces would be required TO
fall back. the German frontier prov
inces might be left unoccupied in :,
military sense.
here. however, that the terms will in
clude the surrender OF the Metz forti-
flcations and such OF the Rhinc fort
resses as Will yclcar the way for mill
tary invasion OF Germany TO an extent
making resistance futile.
President Wilson continued o-day- TO
keep IN close touch with the war coun-
ell at Versailles through his personal
representative. Colonel House. No one
IL Washington outside of the inner Off
c!al circle knows the exact extent of
Colonel Houses powers. but they are
believed 10 be Very large. They prob
ably DO not go 10 the extent OF author
izinG the conclusion of any binding
without approval OF the President.
l. has been. OF course, deemed mad 1
Visab!e TO disclose what is going on 1T
Versailles. certainly not while th. pro-
ceedinss are still under way and be-
fore the various views OF the delegates
have been crystalliZed into ultimate
terms 10 be offered TO Germany. Aside /.
from the danger from ln open discus
sion while questions are still unsettled
it is regarded as discourteouS between
nations for one OF the parties to the
TO make any disclosure until
an agreement has been reached. Ii Is
e-n unit! the terms have been presented
to Germany.
In some quarters there is a DISPOSE
zion TO turn to the Turkish armstice /,
as auordnS very likely precedent in :
its general principles TO the demands TO /.
be made upon Germany. though there :
would OF necessity be great variations !
in the details, owing to the different !
conditions.