Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-02-17
Differences MIN W/iZS0n
Causing Lansing to Resign
W/eve Of Long Staining

stance was that Secretary Lansing
had personally told him that if the
American people knew what was in
store for them under that document
they would never consent to the ratl-
ficatiOn of the peace treaty with the
League of Nations covenant. Mr..
Bullitt said further that Mr.. Lansing
had told him that if the dangers
lurking in the peace treaty for the
American people could be shown in
the United States senate. there
would never be approval of that doc
ument Furthermore, Mr.. Bullitt al
legged, the secretary of state averred
that Senator Lodge and Senator Knox
were capable of showing up these
things.
The secretary of state was further
quoted as declaring in effect that.
Senator Lodge could not be entirely
depended upon in this crisis because
he might play politics with the
treaty but that Senator Knox, the
former secretary of state, had the
ability, and no doubt would have the
| determination, to expose the imper-
fectjons in the peace treaty, and
would open the eyes of the American
people to the dangers confronting
them as a result of the Paris con-
ference and the agreement accepted
by the president of the United
States.
Break Long Expected
The failure of Secretary Lansing
to brand these statements of Mr.
Bullitt as false created the impress
sion at the time that there would
ioe a break between himself and the
president, and Lansing resigna-
ton" rumors were generally print
ed. Affairs rocked along, however,
and the Bullitt testimony, as well
as the secretary's revelations before
the senate committee that he, Mr..
Lansing, was not familiar with
many matters handled by the presi-
dent in Paris. eventually went
somewhat out of public memory.
With the publication of the Will
son-Lansing correspondence, begin
ming with the cabinet meeting angle
and swinging later into disclosures
that the two men have been drifting
apart officially for some time.
Washington observers are inclined
to revive their Impressions of the
period when Mr.. Bullitt was before
Tie senate COuillllleG anu Wu6ll hF
Lansing himself virtually admitted
that in Paris his relations with
the president were not as close as
might have been expected between d
president and his ranking cabinet Of
ficer at a world peace conference.
Long prior to the Paris peace
conference and the seeming grad
ual loss Of official contact between
Lansing there were under-sur
reports, but little commented upon
at the time, that as Secretary of
state Mr.. Lansing had little t. do
with the formation of important in
ternational policies of the admins
tratiOn. While diplomatic and for
eign relations are essentially under
jurisdiction of the president in the
final analysis, a secretary of state
is presumed to assist materially in
the preparation of, if he does not
write, the documents that go for
ward in his name.
Notes to Germany
1t was generally understood here
that when the submarine contro-
versy with Germany was causing
the interchange of various notes be- f.
notes, although signed Lansing, .
were actually written by the presH-
dent himself. In other words fol-
lowing the resignation of Mr..
Bryan the president in effect be-
came his own secretary of state I'm
the more important dealings with
foreign governments as war app
preached. 1t is true that Secretary
Lansing is accredited with having
made slight textual revisions in
these notes, putting them into ac-
cepted diplomatic form, but they
were in reality Wilson notes rather
than Lansing notes.
If this situation nettled the sec
rotary of state, it was not openly
disclosed. The situation was one
widely commented upon during this
crucial period, and it was generally
accepted that Mr.. Wilson was maxi
ing his own decisions and dispatch
ing his own diplomatic communica-
lions. using the state department
largely as the customary channel of
transmission.