New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-07-11
BY William L. Mcpherson
Asthor Of "A Short History Of the
Greet Wur."

y
IL Years in America" Charles
Scribners' Sons) is the most
important Of all the German wa,
books. It throws a food Of light into
the dark places Of American policy
prior to the breaking off Of diplo-
matte relations with Berlin in Feb
ruary, 1917. 1t corrects many false
impressions which Administration
prcpagandists have tried to create.
a curious historical legend is TAX
ing shape here. It concerns the quail
ity Of President Wilson's World War
leadership. 1t is somewhat grudgingly
conceded, Of course, that on the sur
face he labored earnestly to keep the
country out Of war and prevented
any adequate military preparation
on the part Of the United States.
This indisposition to arm to meet the
contingency Of war-even after a
demonstration like the torpedoing of
tho Lusitania--has been apologized
for by two such ardent eulogists of
the President as Professors Edgar E..
Robinson and Victor ]. West, Of
Leland Stanford Junior University,
joint authors Of "The Foreign Policy
of Woodrow Wilson, 1913-1917."
Why of Non-P Preparedness
They say: "It was impossible
for him, while trying to conduct
the case of the United States
against Germany in 1915 by diplo-
matte means, to have been all the
time preparing and strengthening
and mobilizing the military and
naval power Of the United States"
While continuing to conduct the
case of the United States against
Germany through 1916 the Presi-
dent did favor a nominal amount
OF military preparation, culminat-
ing in the passage of the pacifistic
Hay.army reorganization act. He
made brief tour of the country ad-
vccating preparedness. Then he
went back to Washington and sacri-
feed Secretary Garrison, a genuine
believer in preparedness, to placate
Hay and the other pacifst leaders
in Congress.
The Administrators indifference
to real military preparation con-
tinued up to the time of the passage
Of the CONSUMPTION act. 1t cannot
be explained away. Therefore, the
alternative theory is now being ad-
vanced that the Presidents leader
ship produced something more i'm
portant than military preparation
that it, made the country morally
ready for war. The California profess
sors say that it designedly deferred
actual warfare until the American
people could assure themselves that
they were really to fight for a great
worldwide and age-old human pur-
pose."
AS these Leland Stanford Junior
enthusiasts put the case: "1twas re-
suit Of that policy 1.-THE Wilson policy]
that the war, European quarrel
originating obscurely in petty dynas-
tic ambition, in greedy economic
rivalry and in base national hatred,
was transformed, by the entrance
of the United States, into a world
conflict, with the united forces of
democracy and international peace
ranged squarely against autocracy
and continued world struggle
This View Upheld
This view is echoed in a recent
review Of Bernstorff's book by Mr..
Walter Lippmann. He says of the
Presidents policy Of intervention, in
the fall and winter Of 1915, to Sc
cure "peace without victory" that
"it was contrived so that if it failed
to secure peace, it would be a moral
preparation for war;"
The President himself has even
contributed to the creation Of this
strange legend. In his famous inter
view with the members of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee on
August 10, 1919, this somewhat
cryptic colloquy with Senator Nc
Cumber occurred 1.-THE language Of
the stenographic report is not fol-
lowed strictly in the translation of
Bernstorff's German paraphrase of
It'll:
Senator McCumber - Would our
moral conviction of the unrighteous-
ness Of the German war have brought
us into this war if Germany had not
committed any acts against US, with
out the League Of Nations, as we had
no League Of Nations at that time?
The President hope it would
eventually, Senator. as things de-
vsloped.