The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1919-02-06
AMERICA DID
NOT KNOW OF
TREATIES
By AMOS PINcHoT.


Washington, Jan. 31--The United
States apparently entered the war in
ignorance of the secret treaties ar
ranged by the Allies. which COW con-
stitute an obstacle to a permanent,
democratic peace.
There is every reason to believe
that neither President Wilson nor.
the State Department learned of the
secret treaties until months after war
was declared, in April. 1917. 1t is
also practically certain that when For
eign Secretary Balfour and Former
Premier vivani came here early in the
summer of 1917. as heads of the Brit
ish and French missions. they failed
to apprise this government of the ex-
istence of the treaties-for the reason
there was an understanding between
the British, French, Russian and ItaI-
ian governments that they should be
kept under cover
The text of the secret treaties was
smuggied into the United States by a
Russian sailor in January. 1918 Rus
sian residents of New York placed
them in the hands of the writer. Every
effort was made to give the treaties
publicity They were. in fact. pub
lished in one newspaper of limited cir
culation. but beyond that a general
press taboo seemed to have been
placed or them. Many attempts were
made to convince senators and con-
gressmen that 1t was their duty to put
the secret treaties into the Congress
sional Record. but they conteuded
either that it was impossible" or -un-
patriotic" Il is not believed that even
today a score of senators and con-
gressmen have read the secret treat
les in their entirety
Representatives of Allied countries
have been quoted as saying there are
no binding secret treaties. but only in
formal memoranda The British
Russian treaty. how
ever, is r. no means an informal
memoranda On the contrary. 1t is
binding contract sealed and delivered
in London. April 26. 1915. and gem
orally referred to the London pact
1t was signed by Grey for Great Brit
ain, Canon for France. Imperiali for
Italy and Benckendorf for Russia. 1t
is the contract setting forth the price
to be paid for Italy entering the war
with all the forces at her command"
The treaty has 1e articles. which
provide for vast territorial concessions
to be made to Italy under the immi-
nent treaty of peace" The word i'm
minent" was no doubt used because.
at that time. it was generally assumed
that Italy's Intervention would bring
a quick and favorable decision
This treaty is the source of at least
two seemingly irreconcilabIe conflicts
as to the peace settlement, which have
sprung up since Wilson arrived in
Europe First. as to the question
whether the settlement shall provide
for league of nations. or for a con-
tinuance of the old balance OF power
plan. which has proved so fertile a
war-breeder. And second. as to whether
Italy or new Jugo-Slav nation shall
control Dalmatia and the eastern coast
of the Adriatic-
History seemingly proves that
whenever a group of nations gets to-
gether with the purpose of massing
such a preponderance of force that
the rest of the world will be cowed
into peace, the result has been the
exact opposite. For instance. in
1882. under Bismarck's leadership.
Germany. Austria and Italy formed the
Triple Alliance, which created a conf
bination of power dominating Central
Europe from the Baltic to the Mediter-
ranean- In 1891. France and Russia
formed a dual alliance as counter
balance. Later. by the addition OF
Great Britain. this grew into the
Triple Entente. These alliances were
futile and resulted in war
Notwithstanding this. il the attitude
of Clemenceau ana Orlando and even
Lloyd George at times seems to call
for another alliance to establish an
other balance of power" the fact
is not altogether surprising for Arti-
Gle 9 of the treaty of April 20. 1915.
pledges the Allies to preserve the
balance of power in the Mediterranean
sea- The Mediterranean sea. with
its Gibraltar. its openings into the
Adriatic and the Black Sea and the
Balkans. its Suez Canal leading to
East Africa. Persia. India and China.
is the keynote not only of European
military strategy. but of the trade
routes to the whole OF the East. Thus.
the premiers of the Allied nations can
not fair to take issue with Mr.. VIII
sons league of nations plan when by
a signed and sealed contract. they are
pledged to maintain balance OF
power in the great sfrafecir district