New Britain herald., 1919-05-21
GERMANS DISCLA|M ALL BLAME FOR WAR Refuse to Admit Allies Have
 Right to Claim Indemnity PEOPLE NOT RESPONSIBLE

1V1 uU NV1 tAOA V1NOADII Von Brockdorff- -Rantzau Quotes Allies
 As Saying People of Germany Are Not Responsible for Faults of Gov ernment.
 1 Paris, May 21.-The peace confer 1 ence last night made public the text 1 of the German note regarding repa- rations and the reply made by Pre- mer Clemenceau as president of the conference.
 1 The German note reads: At Versailles, May 13, 1919, ITO His Excellency, M Clemenceau, President of the Peace Confernce: 'Sir: In the draft of the peace | treaty submitted to the German dele gates, Part VIII, concerning repara- tions, begins with Article 231, which reads as follows:
 The Allied and associated gov ernm ents affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and as- sociated governments and their na- tionals have been subjected as con- sequence of the war imposed upon l them by the aggression of Germany l and her allies
 Responsibility Is Denied. Now the obligation to make repa- l ration has been accepted by Germany l by virtue of the note from Secretary ] of State Lansing of November 5, 1 1918, independently of the question ] of responsibility for the war. The ] German delegation cannot admit that l there could arise out of a responsi- ; bility incurred by the former German , government in regard to the origin l of the world war any right for the :, Allied and associated powers to be 1 indemnied by Germany for losses 1 suffered during the war. l People Not to Blame. 1 ''The representatives of the Allied l and associated states have moreover 1 declared several times that the Ger l man people should not be held re- 1 sponsible for the faults committed by ] their governments. The German |! people did not will the war and would not have undertaken a war of aggres- sion. They have always remained /! convinced that this war was for them defensive war.
 Disclaim Causing War.
 ''The German delegates also do not 1 share the view of the Allied and as
 sociated governments in regard to the origin of the war They cannot con-
 sder the former German govern : vt, ioI, al or chiefly to blame for. the war. The 1 draft of the treaty of peace trans 1 mitted by you contains no facts in 1 support of this view, no proof on the l subject is furnished therein. The Ger l man delegates therefore, beg you to ! be so good as to communicate to them the report of the commission
 set up by the Allied and associated
 government for the purpose of es- tablishing the responsibilities of the
 authors of the war.
 Accept MT. President, the assur- ] ance of my high concern.
 l "(Signed),
 COUNT vON BROCKDORFF-
 RAINFALL"
 Clemenceau Hits Back.
 The text of the reply of Premier 1 CleH0nC6du IS udISu May AU, l01 LII 1 Is as follows:
 "Mr. Chairman: Tn your note of
 May 13 you state that Germany while l accepting in November, 1918 the obligation to make reparations did
 not understand such an acceptance 10
 mean that her responsibility is in-
 volved either for the war or for the
 acts of the former German govern
 ment and that it is only possible to
 conceive of such an obligation if it's
 origin and cause is the responsibility
 of the author of the damage. You
 add that the German people would
 never have undertaken a war of ag- 1 gressiOn.
 "Yet, in the note from Secretary ] Lansing of November 5, 1918 which you approve of and advise in favor of your contention, it is stated the obli-
 gation to make reparation arises out of 'Germany's aggression by land, sea l and air
 l AS the German government did not l at the time make any protest against
 this allegation, it thereby recognized I it as we'll founded. Therefore. Ger | many recognized in 1918, implicitly