New-York tribune., 1918-10-30
Allied Terms
Will Pull w ar
Lords Fangs
Strong Positions To BE
Occupied Would Render
Germany Helpless
By Carter Field


the heels Of the. formal delivery oil the
Austrian note to the State Department
to-day came press dispatches reporting
that Hungary had announced her lnde-
nendcnce Of the Austro Hungarian I'M
perial government and set up her own
government not only over Hungary
proncr. BUT the land Of the Czecho-
S,ovaks end the Jugo Savs as we'll.
rnorirics at The State Department as
10 how this procedure, should 1t turn
out 60 be accurate, would be viewed
ware answered with the significant
question::
"Have the Czecho- Slovaks and Jugo-
Slavs assented to unite with hungary
in this new government
Most of the peace discussion IN Ad-
minjstration circles, however, turned on
the forms Of the armisticc, which may
at anv time be sent to the United states
bv the Supreme War Council at Yer
saillcs. 1t is generally believed that
Tho Allies, in acknowledging the Ger
President Wilson, with the suggestion
that if they wish to discuss peace on
the conditions he has laid down the
question of an armstcc might be taken
up by the military advisers, Will reply
without commenting on the peace CON
ditions. 1t is thought they Will give III
their reply, the terms Of the armlst'ce
without anv reference to the final peace
conditions.
Defer Peace Terms
This view is held by those who be-
lieve that the Allies do not wish to en-
ter into any discussion of peace terms,
with the attendant dangers OF friction
between the Allies, until the military
situation is such that there can bo no
possibility of Germany taking advan
tage of such friction.
Those holding this view point out
that if the terms of the armistice are
as drastic as proposed by President
Wilson in his last note to Germany -
which would mean that Germany must
deliver herself into the hands of the
Allies during the armistice to such
an extent that she could not resume
hostiitics this danger of friction be
tween the Allies would disappear.
Friction may and probably will arise,
they say. but if Germany is really
made helpless first, either by real
military decision or by the terms Of
the armistice, the friction can be
smoothed out without Germany being
given an opportunity to profit by it.
TO Hold Rhine Forts
1t has already been told in dis
patches from abroad that the Supreme
War Council agreed some time ago on
certain armisticc terms, should the oc
casion ever arise. These included a
command of the Rhine Valley, afford
ed by the stipulation that Allied troops
must occupy Metz and Strassburg. Oc-
cupation of Coblenz, another of the
conditions, it was pointed out by an
officer of the General Staff to-day,
would afford not only another wedge
into Germany, providing an easy nva-
sion into the countrys heart, should
the armistice not terminate with sat
sfactory peace treaty, but also a sail
cnt piercing behind the great strate-
gic defence line of Germany, which is
not only naturally strong, but has been
made as nearly imprcgnable as German
military science and energy could
make it.
Coblenz also is an important railroad
centre, and its occupation by Allied
troops, this officer of the staff said
would make it impossible for a Ger
man army to operate through very
large section of Southwestern Ger
many
Grand Fleet Demanded
TO come anywhere near complying
with the Presidents stipulation that
Germany must be placed in such po-
sition by the armistce terms as not to
be cable to resume hosflites, a high
official of the Navy Department de
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