The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-02
TREMBLING, ALMOST PAINTING,
 HEAD OF GERMANS
 PRESENTS LETTER
Credentials Exchanged Be tween German ahd French Peace Delegates at Yer
 sailles Yesterday
 Afternoon
By Associated Press

eTSdll1eS, May I.-lll d SCo- sion beginning at 3:10 o'clock this afternoon and lasting bare- ly ) minutes the German plenl- potentiaries of the peace con- gress presented their creden- tials.
 It was the first step in the peace ne- gotiations. The German credentials were presented to representatives of the allies and the United States.
 Pale and almost fainting from
 emotion, Count Von BfockdOrH-
 Rantxau, the German foreign sec
 retary, and head of the delegation.
 passed through what evidently was
 one of the bitterest moments of his
 life. He was barely able to sustain
 himself through the brief ceremony
 and reach the waiting automobile,
 which had brought him to the gath
 ering.
 of the Trianon hotel, previously used for the sessions of the supreme mili- tary council. Count Von Brockdorff- Rantzau, on entering, was accompanied by Herr Landsberg, Professor SchuecE- ing and two secretaries, and waiting for him the allied representatives were grouped around Jules Ca,nbon, the for mer French ambassador to Berlin, who is chairman of the committee
 Other members of the allied party included Henry White of the Unite ] States, Lord Harding of Great Britain and Ambassador Matsui of Japan.
 ALLIES OFFER CREDENTIALS
 M Cambon immediately Addressed Count Won BrfockdorT- -Rantzau, stat ing that he was chairman of the com mission entrusted by the allied powers to receive and examine the credentials of the delegates as the first step in a conference which, it was hoped, would lead to peace.
 Here are ours" continued M. Cam bon. extending as he spoke the formal credentials of the allied commission as plenipotentiaries to the congress
 Count Won Brock dorff- Rantzau sur rendered the German credentials with even less of a formal address. his emo- tion being too great to enable him to deliver an extended discourse.
 After these brief ceremonies the Germans turned and left the hall, walk ing a few steps to the cars in waiting. They were followed immediately by the allied representatives. The whole ceremony was over and the allied dele gates were proceedings back toward Paris by 3:20 o'clock. The allied dele gates then rode to the chauteau to in- spict the Hall of Mirrors, where the treaty vii be signed and eventually returned to the hotel for tea.
 ORIGINAL PLAN ABANDONED
 The setting for the preliminary meet ing was dull and unmpressive. The skies were overcast and there were occa- sional bursts of rain. This caused aban- donment of the original plan which con- tenplated having the German delegates walk from the Hotel des Reservoirs across the park to the Hotel Trianon. This would have followed the involun- tary precedent set by Louis Thiers the French delegate, in discussing peace with Bismarck in 1870. He, like the Germans, resided at the Hotel des Reservoirs, and made his way afoot to the little hotel occupied by Bismarck, then the world s center.
 Automobiles, instead, were provided to- day M. Cambon was the first of the mission to arrive in his car, accompanied by William Martin, chief of protocol of the foreign office. Lord Harding, ac- companied by Secretary Henry Notman; Ambassador Matsui, with his secretary, and Henry White, with Secretary Chris tian Herter, followed in quick succession and immediately entered the conference room to await the arrival of the Ger mans. The latter were delayed for a short time owing to the fact that insuf- cient instructions had been given to the French gendarmes controlling traffic along the route to the hotel.
 They halted the car to see the chauf- feur's permit.
 Count Won ,Brockdorff- Rantzau, at the entrance to the hotel raised his hat to group of photographers, correspond ents and officers who stood outside the building then passed directly to the con ference room. The arrangements for the ceremony provided for strict privacy, and the exclusion of all not immediately concerned from the precincts of the hotel.
 The French war office will issue later formal statement covering the proceed ings.