New-York tribune., 1919-08-31

at general headquarters to the For
eiFn Office. October l, reads:
General Ludendorff just said in the
presence of Colonel Heye and Lersner
that the peace offer must be
forwarded at once. TODAY
the army still holds out and our posi-
tlon IS dignifed. but he expects any
minute hat the enemy may pierce
our front and our offer would then ar
rive IN the least favorable moment
ne said he felt just like a gambler
'Hasard dspieler), and at any moment
one division or another may fail to
mold out"
Hoped for "Soldier's Luck"
An additional admission of Luden-
dorHs gambling temperament was
made IN conference at Headquarters
on October II
Var is not a problem in arithme
tic" Ludendorff is quoted as saving.
There are in w 7 a lumber of proba-
bllities and imps liabilities. What will
happen in the end nobody can tell.
IN war one must have soltiers luck
Perhaps Germany will some time re.
cover her soldiers luck"
Nor was Ludendorff the only gamb
ler. Won Hindcnburg believed, too. in
a little bluftns. AS late as on Novem-
Der 10 he sent a telegram to the War
Ministry, enumerating nine conditions
OF tne armistice. He concluded:
Should these conditions be rejected
the armlstice must be concluded any-
way. Against re lection of Clauses |. i.
D, 3, ., flaming protest must be
raised, with an appeal to Wilson,"
Ludendorff' S portrait is rounded off
by few additional glimpses given
'ater in the book. In the meetino of
October II, referred to above, he was
speaking Cf the army's need for beet
cattle:
I'VE must have the cattle" he said
mere 1t comes from is none of my
concern" DR.. Solf said that if Ger
man troops were withdrawn from the
Ukraine the Bolsheviki would food the
country. "They would cut off the heads
Of all rich people" he added Ludcn-
dorf SIMPLY remarked: Well have to
take that into the bargain"
little later, answering a question
as to discrimination between officers
and enlisted men in regard to food
Ludendorff said: an the trenches Of
hcers and men eat the same food. That
the staff has it's food prepared spc-
cially will be readily understood You
can't expect US to eat the same food
Awaited Neutral Mediation
The introduction of the White Book
summarizes the course Of events from
August II to the signing of the armis-
tice as follows:
In accordance with the decision of
the meeting of August Ia to await an
opportune moment, Chancellor Won
Hertling on September 3, in a session
of the Prussian Cabinet, declined to
issue a direct peace offer to the bel
ligerents. Up to September / 0 the Ger
man government adhered to neutral
the Austrian government from a direct
peace action.
On September 10 there came a
change. Won Hindenburg. although
still rejecting the idea Of direct ne
gotiation, came out for "the mediation
of a neutral power without delay" In
the meantime Bulgara's collapse, al
though not unexpected, aggravated
the tension. and on September 81 the
idea of a direct appeal to America ap-
pears in the documents for the first
time. On September 90 Won Hintze
then Foreign Secretary, wired to his
Berlin Office
"By order of his majesty and with
consent of the imperial Chancellor
beg you to communicate contidentially
to Vienna and Constantinople my pro-
posal to offer peace to President Will
son on the basis of his fourteen points
and to invite him to call peace con-
ference at Washington after concluding
an immediate armi stice."
Wanted New Cabinet to Act
Won Hintze- suggested that the pro-
posal should be submitted to President
Wilson by the new German Cabinet
then being formed. The same evening
dispatches went to Vienna and Con-
stantinople. and in the exchange of
messages that followed, mediation by
the Swiss government was agreed upon
1t was at this stage that the great
change came in the attitude Of the
military leaders. While the supreme
command first had declared emphati-
cally against peace overtures before
the consolidation of the military situa-
ton, and then merely enjoined eau
ton, it now stepped forward with an
urgent demand to issue the peace offer
Immediately because of the acute
peril of the military position" On
October 1 whole series of kilograms
and telephone messages to this effect
was received in Berlin from general
headquarters.
1t was, therefore, Ludendorff, the
same Ludendorff who only three
months before was so certain of the
annihilaton of the enemy, who now
advised the greatest hurry. Won Hin
denburg, on the other hand, sent word
to Vice Chancellor Payer that it would
be possible to wait until the following
morning if it we're certain that Prince
Max's Cabinet would be formed by
then; otherwise. the cffer must 60
forth at once. However, Prince Max
assuming the attitude just abandoned
by the military leaders. objected to
such precipitate action at moment
of military distress.
On the evening Of October 2 Ludcn.
dorff telephoned to Berlin the draft OF