The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1921-03-25
LANSING TELLS
INSIDE STORY
OF PEACE DEAL
Came Near to Open Break
with Wilson Over
Shantung. r...
WILSON IGNORED SENATE?
Former Secretary Says Presi-
dent Wanted to Put League -
in Immediate Operation.
WILSON IGNORED SENATE?

Boston, March 25.--RObert Lansing,
former secretary Of state and member
of the American Peace Commission,
will reveal in his forthcoming book
on "The Peace Negotiations" which
will be published by Houghton, Mifflin
Company, March, Is, how close he
came to resigning from the Commits
sion because of differences with Pres
ident Wilson over the Shantung de-
cision and his belief that many OF
tho terms of peace imposed on Ger
many were harsh, humiliatipg and
seemingly impossible Of performance.
The publishers Of this book, which
has been eagerly awaited by historians
and the public, have carefully guard
ed the text Of the manuscript but
they have permitted the general trend
Of Mr.. Lansing's argument to become
known. 1t Is expected that when the
text is printed many of the opinions
expressed by Mr.. Lansing will be con-
troverted by other writer's.
.a Sought to Ignore Senate.
President Wilson. according to Mr..
Lansing's belief, at one time during
the Peace Conference purpOsed to ne
gotiate a preliminary treaty which
would start the League Of Nations
functioning without laying the docu-
ment before the United States SEN
ate, and evidently was much perturb-
ed when his secretary of state told
him that the only way to change the
status from war to peace was by
ratified treaty or joint resolution
of Congress.
A profound conviction that immedi-
ate peace was the primary need of the
world, Mr.. Lansing implies, was all
that kept him from resigning from
the Peace Commission because Of
fundamental disagreements with the
president on principles. The former
secretary discloses that in 1916, short
ly before a meeting in Washington Of
the League to Enforce Peace at which
the president was to speak, Mr.. Lans.
ing wrote to Mr.. Wilson objecting to
the use of force to settle information.
al disputes. In this letter he pointed
to the menace to the Monroe Doctrine
contained in such a plan. E
Alarmed at the complications of
war and foreign entanglements In the
guarantee of territorial integrity and
political independence of members Of
the League, guarantee that finally
was embodied in Article x of the
Covenant, Mr.. Lansing says that at
Paris he tried to have substituted a
negative pledge that the members
would not infringe upon each others
territorial integrity or political indie
pendence. He became convinced that
Colonel Edward NJ. House, then Pres
ident Wilson's closest adviser, was
completely converted with regard to
this question.
Calls 1t Blackmail.
It is in relation to Shantung Mr..
Lansing discloses the sharpest differ
ences between himself and Pres. lent
Wilson. Mr.. Lansing gives as mis-
opinion that blackmail and bluff by
Japan impelled the president to agree
to surrender to that country such
rights in Shantung as before the war
were held by Germany and autOmati-
cally annulled when China declared
hostilities. In his opinion only secret
diplomacy made it possible for Japan
to threaten to leave the Peace Con-
ference unless it's demands were
granted, threat Mr.. Lansing believed
would not have been executed because
of the appreciation by Japan that the
benefits of a new and powerful world
position could be retained only by
membership in the League Of Nations,
That other members of the Ameri-
can Commission shared his view that
the Shantung decision as rendered by
the Council of Four was a fragrant
wrong and were prevented from re-
signing only by the critical conditions
in the world situation is clearly i'm
piled by Mr.. Lansing. He describes
the Indignation felt by himself and by
Henry White and General Tasker II.
Bliss and in this connection publishes
the letter written by General Bliss
to the president, in, which Mr.. Lans-
ing and Mr.. White concurred, stating
that. to support the Japanese claim
would be to abandon Chinese democ-
racy to domination of Japan's Prus-
sianized militarism.
Balance Of Power.
It was impossible, in Mr.. Lansing's
opinion, to make the League of Ma
tions' Covenant the greatest interna-
'tional compact ever written. as was
intended, in the II days given to
the drafting. This is established by
the document itself, he says. which
provides for an oligarchy of the Grea.
Powers and a continuance of the pol
icy of the balance of power against
which the president spoke in England
but which he in effect subscribed to
in approving the Covenant.
Relating the difficulties and ems
barrassments to which three of the
American Commissioners were sub
jected by failure of the president to
hold single conference with the
American Commission on the League
of Nations from it's first meeting un-
til its report was printed, Mr.. Lans-
ing SAYS the office force Of Colonel
House knew more about the proceed
ings than the three American Commits
sioners who were not~present. Addi.
tional difficulties were caused by lack
of an American program, the fourteen
points of the president being entire
ly insufficient for such a purpose. M.
Lansing found the president indispos-
o.. to consider the subject Of having a
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