Republican farmer., 1920-04-30
FOCH'S REPLY TO
 GERMANS SHORT
First Hun Appeal Met With Laconic Answer From
 General.

1J1o, met W1Cn the IaCOh1C ISpIy, have no terms,'' from Marshal Foch to Erzberger and the other plenipoten- 1 tiaries, according to Raymond Re couly (Captain X), French bio l grapher of Foch and Joffre, in an ar | ticle entitled What Foch Really I Said,' which will be published in the May issue of Scribner's Magazine out today.
 ! Captain Recouly, describing the 1 historic scene of the morning of Nov. l II, when the generalissimo of the Allied forces, attended by a few mem 1 bers of his staff. signed the document i in a railway dining car in a forest ] near Rethonde, a town between Com l peigne and Soissons. declared "the 1 sight of butter seemed to fill the Ger
 man envoys with joy.''
 The radio from the Germans ask ing for "a cessation of hostihties in 1 the name of Humanity was received 1 by Foch shortly after midnight on l the 7th and at 1925 a. m. on the sth Foch sent back his answer: The
 German plenipotentiaries will have to go to the outpost on the main road from Maubeuge-la Capelle Gdise." From this point they were brought by delayed stages to Retlronde which
 they reached about o'clock in the
 morning. Two hours later they were
 in the presence of the commander of the conquering Allied armies. ''There was a cold sa1ute,'' says Captain Recoufy. ca bow in return; no presentations. The Germans took their places at the table in the dining car, where their names were written. and remained standing. The officers
 seemed embarrassed and upset. Not !, l &- care at all. They talked familiarly !, together; it was impossible to believe 7 that their country's fate was hanging
 in the balance, and they were there
 to sigh the most 'KolossaP capitula- ton the world had ever seen" I F'och's piercing eyes, gruff voice and curt manner were impressive. ITO whom have I the honor of speak . ing?" he asked. The Germans re-
 piled. What is the object of your t visit ?'' he asked. Then followed this l dialogue:
 n ''Erzberger: We have come to in- ? quire into the terms of an armistice ,, to be concluded on land. on sea and | in the air.
 'tFoch: have no terms to submit
 to you.''
 Count Oberndorf, the diplomatist ir l. the German party, interceded: "It the Marshal prefers, we may say that
 we are here to learn the condition: e on which the Allies would be willing
 to grant us an armistice.'
 ''Foch: I have no ternns''
 ErZoerger, drawing forth a greasy paper: President Wilson has in
 formed our government that Marsha
 Foch has been invested with thu
 power of submitting the Allies condi tions to the German plenipotentiar 70 ies.'
 'Foch: win let you know the Alhes .r conditions when you have asked fol
 an armistice. Do you ask for al
 armistice ?''
 "Jar' exclaimed Oberndorf an, . Erzberger together.
 "Foch: In that case I will read vol
 the terms drawn up by the AIrie' 7 governments.'' He sat down and tn reading began. It lasted an hour, fo A the document had to be translated
 The Germans pleading for an i'm l mediate suspension of hostilities an S. for time to permit the Berlin govern st ment to examine the terms. Agai e Foch spoke:
 d 'I am but the mouthpiece of tn d Allied governments. It is those gov T. ernments that have drawn up tn II conditions of the armistice linitin 7e the delay to 72 hours duration. I'd have, therefore, no power to suspen Is hoetilities without their authoriza
 tion-"
 le The Germans at once dispatched ye messenge- to Spa, with credential i- and the request that his journey b i facilitated When the messenge ,e reached the German outposts, it 1s related, the troops were so demor r+ a1ized that they fired upon his whit of flag. Promiscuous volley firing cor ,I- tinued and the emissary was una'bl to reach his destination until the ne1 III day Meanwhile the German envoy Q had notified Foch of their difficult o and Foch agreed to permit them t
 i send a German officer to Berlin b '- air. A plane was equipped and read Ve for the flight when word was re l. ceived that the messenger had reacf
 ed Berlin.
 Captain Recouly declares the arm
 istice was signed because Foch an
 his staff was convinced Germany ws
 already in the throes of a revolution The armistice envoys painted a ''blac V picture" of conditions. While u \ German government was anaIyzir
 the terms the plenipotentiar1es r,
 1nained near Foch in the forest O. Rethonde. They were permitted 1i- leave their train and, guarded l % armed soldiers, exercised in the ope -ie air. On the afternoon of the lot to Foch informed Erzberger, the head of the delegation, that hostilities wou en be resumed at Il A. M the next da he At o'clock on the night of Noven % Der 10th the following radio messa' he was intercepted by the French:
 a German Government to Germs m plenipotentiaries: The plenipote
 tiaries are authorized to sign u als armistice. (Signed) The Chance ill Tor of the Empire Three cipher' to figures at the end of the messai we proved it's authenticity. More ths aid twelve hours of deliberation and d ort bate over the harsh terms followe an F'och granted some concessions al nd refused the others.
 Subsequently, the wearied F'renc Ss- English and Germans appended the re- signatures to the document, and, Of pre- arrangement, six hours aft er- the signing, or Il A. M, of the nor Ing ing of the 11th, operations ceds ale alone all tho fronts Four years