The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-08-02
FORMER KAISER WANTED
PEACE IN OCTOBER, 1918
REVELATION OF GERMAN
WAR DIPLOMACY. =
White Book Says He Realized
People Were Unwilling to
Continue War.

Berlin, Thursday, July 31.-(A. p
! The former German emperor
statement on Oct. 81 1918, that he
! had reached an unalterable determl
nation to sue for a separate peace
within twenty-four hours and to de-
mand an immediate armistice is one
of the many interesting revelations
of German war diplomacy contained
in the white book" published al
| Weimar today. The book, which con-
tains official documents relating tc
! the negotiations from Aug. 13, 1918
| to the signing of the armistice Nov
| H. is issued by the government, 1t
is announced in the preface, because
the people wish to know the truth
The former emperors decision to
| seek peace Immediately, according to
documents in the white book. he con-
sidered necessary because he be-
lieved the people both unable and
unwilling to continue the war. The
! former German rulers conscience
was said to forbid him to permit fur
ther bloodshed.
More than month earlier, In Sep
| tember. according to the documents,
Gen. Ludendorff heard that Bulgaria
had offered to sign a separate peace.
In the official discussion of direct APP
peal to the United States it was agreed
that Washington should be the center
of the peace negotiations as a matter
of politeness. Austria was consulted
by telephone concerning the proposed
appeal On October l Field Marshal
Won Hindenburg telegraphed to Vice
Chancellor Friedrich Won Payer stating
that if Prince Max of Baden should
form a government he would agree to
the appeal for peace being delayed until
the next morning but he insisted that
the peace offer be sent Immediately
if there was any doubt about the for
nation of the Max government.
On the same day Gen. Groener re-
ported that Gen. Ludendorff had de-
clared that delay would be fatal, that
the formation of a new government
should not be awaited and that break
in the military line was possible at any
minute and that then any peace offer
obtained would be unfavorable. Gen.
Groener said it was his impression, Gen.
Ludendorff has lost his nerve COM
pletely.
Prince Max inquired il Won linden
burg were unable to hold the front. He
received an answer that the army stood
by it's demand for an immediate peace
offer
Prince Max still held the matter of,
peace was premature but other MEM
bers of the cabinet sided with Gen.
Ludendorff and maintained that the
military verdict must be adhered to be-
cause If the situation should be made
worse by President Wilson's answer
the army would seek to dodge respon-
sibilty.
Prince Max inquired of military head
quarters if they were aware that peace
action under the pressure of military
distress would mean the loss of German
colonies Alsace- Lorraine and part of
Poland. Won Hindenburg replied that
he insisted upon an immediate offer of
peace being made. Conflicts of opinion
continued between Berlin and the army
command according to the documents.
up to October 26. President Wilson's
second note on the peace terms, how
ever, brought a stormy protest from the
supreme army command which wanted
to break off negotiations Gen. Luden-
dorff looked at the matter more hope
fully.
Not as Bad as Described.
After President Wilson's third note
of October 80, Gems. Gallwitz and
Muera asked for a last opportunity to
show that Germany's position was not
as bad as il was described but their
attempts in this way to prevent Austria
making a separate peace failed. News
OF the Turkish armistice followed and,
since the allies agreed to President
Wilson'S fourteen points, the German
people regarded the war as ended. The
white book points out that wherever
an attempt to delay the armistice was
suspected troops rose in protest and all
difficulties between Berlin and the SUI
prene army command were dropped.