Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-03-13
Boomerang Books
VIII Aid in Deciding
Fate Of Germany

Paris, March 12.-There's a certain
part of the quarters of the Ameri-
can Commission to Negotiate Peace
which might be taken for a bit of
Germany, provided one were led
to it blindfolded and ones sight
were restored without explanation.
1t may be treason to tell about it,
but inasmuch as it is a most neces-
sary part of the work of the peace
commission and in plain view of the
public, it will perhaps be excusable
to describe it.
First of all there are six shelves,
on each of which there are approx
mately 20 books, of 120 volumes in
all. These books are German books,
written by Germans, printed in Ger
many, bound in Germany and sold
in Germany. But in reality they are
boomerangs, for their contents will
do much in assisting the American
peace commissioners to determine
the real business of the peace confer
ence, viz, whats going to be done
to Germany"
These books, let it be said, are
only a small part of the American
commissions library, but when it is
reckoned that here are German
books in possession of Americans,
and resting in a building which was
once the haunt of French royalty,
they take on an added interest. In
one respect they look like trophies
of war-big guns captured on the
battle6eld-which are shortly to be
turned against their original owners.
For these books have to do with
Gerfnany's economic wealth, her f.
nancial strength, her financial life,
her manufactures and industries,
and knowledge of all these things is
ecessary when it comes time to say
how much Germany will have to pay
for setting the world on fire for
more than four years.
Then there is a German who's
Who" This volume gives thumb
nail sketch of William Hohenzol-
lern and the respective members of
his family, and also includes tabloid
| biographies of all the rest of the
swashbuckling crew who figured,
back in 1914 that the road to Paris
was a delightful avenue, along
which they would utter a series of
cultural "Hochs," crowned by
symposium of sublime "Hochs"
when William, Rex Imperator, en-
tered the French capital in style.
Inasmuch as many of the members
of the sword-clanking outfit will
shortly be brought to trial, and their
biographies are up to date, it may
be, from a legal standpoint, for the
barrister representing the prosecu-
ton to ask, since he possesses the
true knowledge: where were you
on the night of August 2, 19l4!" 80
Aside from this, however, the
American commissions library is a
vital institution--open every day in
the week. including Sundays. and
doing business all the time.
Its collection of books and PAM
phlets reaches about 5000 titles and
includes those supplied by the intel
ligence section of the general staff,
as we'll as volumes loaned the COM
mission by the library of congress,
10 New York Public library, the
Universities of Harvard, Columbia,
Princeton, Yale and Cornell, and the
American Geographical society of
New York.
The library is a compendium OF
the worlds knowledge of places,
peoples, countries, governments and
customs, and its volumes are WE'LL
thumbed by the experts of the COM
mission, whose duty it is to impart
highly specialized knowledge to our
plenipotentiaries.
Each new ship from America sees
an addition to the library, for hum
dreds of little details arise each day
in the average deliberations of the
American plenipotentiaries which
need application and the kind of
application about which there can
be no mistake