The Washington times., 1919-09-18
ANSNGMUM
on BULLTT'S
TESTIMONY

HENDERSON HARBOR. N. Y, Sept.
IA-secretary Lansing, now the cen
sral figure in the peace. treaty fight. by
leasen Of the BuIlitt testimony before
the Foreign Relations Committee, is
r5ust hshin' ~, For the present at
east be intends to keep on .'fshin'. !"
What he may say or do later-be-
tween now and the time the treaty is
tauned or after its ratihcation-he
pas. NOT yet decided.
Lansing made this clear today as
le stood on the porch Of his cottage
beside the waters of Henderson Har-
Dor, headquarters OF his fishing trip.
dc. planned TO spend about ten days
n'ore here, and will net return to
Washington until that time, unless
conditions make his presence there
necessary, he said
To the suggestion that he should
say something in response to the
Buliitt testimony, as it made him the
central figure Ia the situation, the
Secretary added the phrase, and I
am just fishin'."
Threatened To Resign.
II was an open, secret in Paris at
one stage of the peace conference
that Lansing had threatened to re-
signs It was reported on apparent
~ good authority that ne had dis
eussed such a step with friends. The
situation, apparently. did not reach
the stage Of MS. resignation being
actually rendered, however, as the
Secretary today said he had not dis
cpssed the possibilities Of his resig-
nation with the President.
Lansing has not received a tran
script of the Bu1litt testimony. Until
he sees the transcript, he said, she
would make mo comment. To the sug-
Eestion of whether he shared the
feeling expressed ~ some Democratic
Senator's that Bullitt had violated his
(Lansing,s) confidence. the Secretary
reBlied:ss-.
4Is guess won't discuss Bullitt
ether."
In Paris il was generally noted and
a matter of comment, that Lansing
was obviously .irritated by the meth
pds Of Wilson, Lloyd George. Orlando
and Clemenceau in reaching decisions
regardless OF the recommendations
made by various experts and without
the knowledge OF the other members
Df the Commission.
In the case of the trial Of the
Kaiser. for instance. the AMERICAN
report from the committee on re-
sponsibflfties was strongly against
the trial. because of lack OF actual
legal evidence. It was conceded that
there was no doubt of the Kaiser's
moral guilt, but Lansing held that
there was no legal means OF bringing
him to trial.
Lansing Irrithfed.
In Paris. twas said in some quar-
ters that Lansing was irrftated by
the alleged methods Of planning The
ksiser's trial.
Lansing was chairman of the COM
5uittee on sponsibilities. yet when
Lloyd George announced that the
Kaiser would be tried in London.
newspaper reports of the announce
Tnept brought Lansing his first in
formation Of the decision.
THAT is just an example Of the way
things have been done from start to
finish" a friend of the Secretary's
remarked when French sources con-
frnfed the fact that President Wilson
and 4Ciemenceau had agreed to Lloyd
Georges proposal that London be des-
ignated as the place for the Raiser's
trial.
The Secretary would not discuss the
conference or treaty situation in any
of its phases today, however. and re-
iterated that he would not until he
had com p%ete Information Of -Bullitts
testimony.