The Washington herald., 1921-03-02
German Damage Proposal
Turned Down Flat
By Allies.
MOVE BY MILITARY
SEEMS NECESSARY
Reparations Compromise
Stirs Only Scorn of E
Premiers.
Especial Cable Dispatch to
The washington Herald.) }
BY ARTHUR 8. DRAPER.

ny ARTHUR .. DRAPER
LONDON. March 1.-The Germans
laid before the allied premiers at
the opening Of their conference this
morning an offer to pay 3o,ooo.0oo.-
900 gold marks Cs7.5oo. .ooo.ooo) in
reparation for war damages. The
entente powers had demanded 1885,
900 200. 900 marks.
Premier Lloyd George. speaking
for the allies. fiatly rejected the
German offer. He spurned the pro-
posal as entirely unsatisfactory and
incommensurate to the damage
done. He told the Berlin delegates
that II they had nothing more to
offer they had better have stayed at
home.
Troops Ready.
Tonight the situation is grave
With allied soldiers mobilized along
the Rhine ready to invade deeper
into Germany at the first word from
London, the conference with the
on the verge of disruption Lloyd
George intimated to Premier BRAND.
OF France, in private conversations
tonight, that he would not listen
to further German proposals. To-
DAVIS refusal to meet the allied
terms as drawn up at Paris. the
British premier held, was maj ana
took the situation out of the hands
of negotiators.
Gulf Enlarged.
In conference circles tonight the
feeling prevailed that the gulf De-
tween the Germans and the allies
cannot be bridged now. Although II
would be premature to say hat the
situation has been turned over to
the military. that procedure as a
possibility seems nearer tonight
. Early his evening Lloyd George.
BRAND and Gen. Berthelon met at
10 poruiu< scresf fto71tcpzAl tkesre
My which the allies win maze to
the Germans tomorrow morning. 1t
Is understood that this answer will
advise the Germans that they must
accept the Paris terms within a
specified time or face the penalties
which the allied armies will inflict.
Military Route.
The advance of the allied armies
is expected to be direct on an east
ward line from Mayence through
Frankfort and up the Valley of the
Main into Bavaria. Present plans
may carry the troops to the Czecho-
Slovakian frontier, cutting Bavaria
OF from the north.
Lloyd George stipulated in his
conversation with BRAND that in
the military movements British
troops must not be involved on any
large scale. The land action will
be left largely in the hands of the
Frepch. according to Marshal Foch's
plan, while the British fleet will CO.
operate with demonstrations of the
German North Sea ports. The Ger
mans left the conference exceeding
ly depressed. DR.. simons even ap-
peared i'll.
At the hotel where the Berlin del
egates are quartered, one of them
told the Tribune correspondent to-
night that Germany smight submit
other proposals Isl the eAllies invited
them. but added that IL the Supreme
Council tomorrow continued to hold
the same opinion >ss Lloyd George
did today, the Germans would re-
turn to Berlin within two days.
There. he said, they would await
the next move Of the Allies.
The German proposals came to
Lloyd George as a distinct shock.
for he had felt confident that the
Berlin government would come pre-
pared to make a serious offer that
could be considered The British
Premier had expressed the belief
freely to BRAND and his other col
leagues that DR.. Simons would
bring reasonable suggestion.
Premier's Joke.
As Lloyd George and BRAND left
the council chamber at Lancaster
House, the British Premier turned
smilingiy to his colleague and re-
marked: I'm happy It is finished.
II we had continued listening, to
Simons another ten minutes we
would have been In debt to Ger
many"
The French tonight are delighted
with the situation. They believe
that DR.. Simon adopted the course
he did because he was powerless to
resist, the influences that had
brought pressure TO bear on him in
Berlin and not because he had any
hope that the allies would accept
the German proposals as apy basis
for compromise. The French ex-
pect that another German offer will
be made but predict that It will get
the same kind Of a reception in al
lied circles as the first.
The British delegates now thor
oughly doubt the sincerity 'of the
Germans and believe that they will
go back to Berlin without signing
the Paris terms.