The Washington times., 1920-06-23

THE PEACE CONFERENCE DAY BY
DAY. BY Charles T. Thompson. New
York: Brentsno's
One of the most important books
Published on the Peace Conference
is this day by day account of the
proceedings, written by Charles
r. Thompson. superintendent of the
Associated Press foreign service.
Mr.. Thompson evidently had ac-
cess to much that went on
behind closed doors. SO that
there is opportunity to weigh the
measure of the Presidents achieve
ments by what he sought to do,
and with a just estimate of the
difficulties he encountered.
Almost from the moment OF his
landing in France, the idealism of
the President clashed with the
cynical views of European diplo-
macy. In his speech of welcome, NJ
Poincare, President of France,
closed with these significant words:
Whatever precautions we may
take, nobody, alas, can assert that
we shall save humanity forever
from further wars"
But the President had already as
idea in responding to NJ. Poincare's
welcome. And just a little later
occurs this, indicative of the atti-
tude of Clemenceau. the French pre-
mier: "Clemenceau's sharp tongue
has been wagging quite freely
about Wilson's idealism, and the
President is aware of it. 1t was
Clemenceau who said of the Presi-
dents fourteen points, Even the
Bon Dieu got along with Ten Com
mandments.'
On of the first concerns Of the
President was to commit Lloyd
George to the League of Nations.
Says Mr.. Thompson:
"s At the Downing Street
conference the President carried
the day for making the league the
paramount question before the
Peace Conference, and he def
nitely committed the British Prime
Minister to support of the project.
But to what Lloyd George commit
ted the President in return for ac-
ceptance of the League, is another
question not yet disclosed"
The secret treaties, made between
the European powers previous to
and during the war, were the cause
of much disturbance in discussion
of the territorial adjustments. The
principal of these treaties were those
between England, France, Russia
and Italy, covering the division of
land lying on the east coast of the
Adriatic, and one between England
and France relative to Syria. Just
how far the President was familiar
with these secret treaties is not ap-
Presidents representative, must
have known OF them, for all efforts
failed to get the United States into
a position committing IT to recogni-
tion OF the secret treaty of London.
Along the line OF secret treaties,
here is a very significant paragraph
from Mr. Thompson:
"a curious phase has developed
in the understanding or secret
treaty between Great Britain and
Japan by which japan is to receive
all of the Pacific island groups lying
north OF the Equator. This gives
Japan the Marshal, Caroline, and
Marianne groups. They lie just
east OF the Philippines. and appear
to be designed by nature as n great
strategic arc stretching around the
Philippines. Just why the United
States should close its eyes to such
an acquisition Is not quite clear"
Mr., Thompson has much to say
in his book about the activities of
the Japanese delegates to the con-
ference. colonel House, in conver-
sation with the author. is quoted:
:" Tho Japanese were again
making an incessant campaign for
their equality amendment. They
had just been In to see him. and he
had sent them to Hughes. OF Aus.
tralia, saying that " they could
win over Hughes they could probs-
bly, succeed In their amendment, as
every body else was favorable now
that IL had been trimmed down to