Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-11-01
Nature Of an Armastsce
Maj.-Gen. Francis v. Greene in N. Y. Times

There IS a widespread, almost uilaiiiihous,
opinion that the matter of an armistice should
be referred to Marshal Foch, as allied command
er chief and it may help us to think clearly
on this point il we refresh our memories as to
the nature of an arnlistice or truce. These
words are spoken of in most dictionaries as
synonymous, but there is Distinction II not a
difference, between them. Every armlstce IS
truce, but not every truce is an armlstice One
is generic the other is specific. A truce is usu-
ally temporary, an armistice is almost always
ended by being merged into a permanent treaty
of peace. A truce may be arranged between
persons, natural or corporate, in time OF peace;
an armistice is suspension OF hostllities be-
tween armies at war, definitely arranged IN writ
ing between the commanders thereof. It one
army is prepared and has signifed its willing
ness to surrender, to give up its arms to change
its status from that Of combatants to prisoners
of war, then the commander in the field IS able
to deal with the matter without any instructions
from his government. Our own wars furnish
numerous examples Of this-Saratoga, York
town, Donelson Vicksburg Appomattox, San
tiago, Maintain each case the enemy had
agreed to surrender its arms and an armistce
of few hours or days was arranged in order
to work out the details But if a commanding
general undertakes to stipulate terms OF peace
in his armistice, or his terms of surrender, he
does so at his peril. The classic case is that OF
Shermans armistice with Johnston in 1865,
which was disavowed by his government and
he was instructed to demand that the enemy
surrender as prisoners of war, leaving the terms
of peace to be determined by the government,
r Similarly in Europe, the surrenders Of the
armies at Sedan, Metz, Plevna and Shpka were
simply military capitulatons, the details of
which had been arranged in armistices of brief
duration which contained no reference to the
terms of peace.
To refer the request for an armistice to Mar
shall Foch is no solution of the problem which
now confronts the rulers of the nations at war.
All he could do would be to send flag of truce
demanding surrender of the German forces
between Client and Belfort as prisoners Of war.
That it would be refused hardly admits of doubt.
Later on the allies may be in position to make
and enforce such demand, but at the present
time they are not in position to enforce it, and
it is doubtful if anything would be gained
something might be lost-by making futile
demand.
1t is nevertheless true that wars almost in
variably end in an armistice. But this takes
place Only when the terms of peace have been
agreed upon. Such agreement is an act OF the
sovereign or treaty-making power and not of
the military commander In our war with
Spain, when Spain was hopelessy beaten, it au-
thorized the French ambassador at Washington
to enter into written protocol with the Amer
lean secretary of state in which Spain definitely
agreed to relinquish its sovereignty over Cuba,
to cede Porto Rico to the United States and to
determine the future of the Philippines byla
treaty of peace to be negotiated in Paris. 1t
was only after the fundamentals of peace mad
thus been definitely agreed upon that the presi-
dent sent instructions. on August II, 1898, to
the military commanders to suspend hostties
by means of armistces. These continued until
the treaty of peace was ratified six months later.
When Turkey was at the mercy of Russia in JAN
uary, 1873, Turkish plenipotentiaries were sent
through the lines to meet Russian plenlpoten-
tiaries at Adrianople. 1t was only after they
had agreed upon terms of peace that an armls-
tice was ordered on January 81. This continued
until the defnitve treaty was signed on
March 3.
When France was defeated in 1870 its rep
resentatives endeavored from October to JAM
uary to obtain an armistice, but the Germans
refused to grant one until the essential features
of the treaty of peace had been agreed upon, on
January g. These included the captuaton of
Paris, the cession of territory and payment of
indemnity, and the same document contained
the armistice, which continued in effect until it
was automatically superseded by the treaty of
Frankfort on May 10, 1871.
Similar proceedings marked the termination
OF all the wars of the nineteenth century, towlt:
Plenipotentaries OF the sovereign or treaty
making powers agreed upon the fundamental
terms of peace, and after that had been done,
then the army commanders arranged the sus-
pension of hostilities by means of an armlstice.
A moments consideration will show that no
other course is feasible or possible now. The
allied rulers cannot if they would shirk their
responsibility and throw it upon Marshal Foch.
They must decide the issues for which men
have been giving their lives for more than four
years. and until these are decided the fighting
must go on. No armstee that Foch could
make-save the laying down of German arms
could fail to be of enormous benefit to our en-
emies and corresponding detriment to ourselves
and our allies. For during the armstice Ger
many would replenish it's stores of ammunition
No guarantees that Germany could give, not
even the occupation of its Rhine fortresses,
would compensate for the restoration of equality
in the matter OF ammunition and projectles
In each of its successive replies it strives to
create the impression that it has complied with
the terms laid down by its enemies, and it asks
that plenpotentiares be appointed to arrange
the details and that an armistice be entered into
pending the conclusion of their labors.
But the situation now is not what it was In
the wars terminating in 1871, 1873 and 1898.
There has been no agreement as to the funda-
mentals of peace. That must be made by the
chiefs of the state. 1t is beyond the power of
the army commander and the responsibility
cannot be thrust upon him. His business is to
win the victory and he is in process of accom-
pishing it, but until he has finally achieved this
any armistice, no matter how guaranteed, will
weaken his position rather than strengthen it.
The natural sequence is first victory second
an agreement as to the fundamentals of peace,
third an armistce and fourth and last dehni-
tive treaty. Any disarrangement Of this time
honored process will only defeat its purpose and
result in a greater loss of life.