New-York tribune., 1921-12-27
W ilsOn's Steel
Box Brings Up
Novel Problem
Question as TO When Pub
lie Documents Are Per-
sonal Property of Off
cial Lacks Legal Status
Senators Are Interested
Wonder ii Publication of
Facts Kept Secret From
congress l. Proposed

congress IS proposed
From Yar 7ribuucs Washington Bareou
WASHINGTON, Dec %. When is a
public document the private and per
sonal property Of thc official who
chooses 60 make use OF it, This is
The question which has been raised by
tho prospective publication of the con
tents OF 'the steel box said to reveal
''private documents" Of " oodrow vii
son, collected when he was at Paris in
the high official capacity Of President
of tho United States and Acad of the
American delegation to the peace con
ference. and to include secret minutes
Of meetings OF The Big -Four and the
Council Of Ten.
What Washington is wondering is
Just how it comes about that secret
minutes of the meetings of the Big
-Four and the Council Of Ton. meetings
WHICH Mr.. Wilson attended in highly
official capacity, can be construed to
be private documents
Talk here concerns rather thc ethics
OF the matter and tho proprietes of
former President causing important
Official secrets to be publishcd---assum
ing, ot course, that they arc secrets
rather thar tho law Of the case. The
best informed officials hcrc say there
il no law which reaches to such a
transaction. 1t pointed out that in
the Grst placc, the President. as the
highest officer in the land, ii he should
choose to take papers from the White
House on the theory they arc private
could not be esstopped as a matter of
practical fact And after he had re-
moved the papers from tho White
House there would be little likelihood
that he would be asked to return them
Plain Speaking Is Predicted
Comment nero to-day is that f the
contents Of the Wilson "stecl box
when revealed actually do contain i'm.
portant hitherto secret information per
tanning to the Versailles Treaty ant
the League of Nations, there viii be
somo extremely plain speaking on th,
foor Of tho Senate and House. 1t is
recalled that i'm the early stages Of the
eign Relations Committee members
went 10 the White House and bad
long conference with Mr. Wilson, il
which. they assumed, Chat they were
being put into tho possession of Tho
available important inside information
Now the question is raised whether
vhen Mr Wilson was talking to the
Foreign Relations Committee and ais,
prrporting to put the country in ful
possession of the realities OF the cas'
At Paris he was giving up all Of tht
important Hum mating facts IN his pos
session or whether the steel box" il
the form o. "private and personal
papers, such as the secret minutes O.
the Big -Four. contained other dat,
+ which, il known. might have made
I great difference IN the treaty situation
in the eyes Of the Senate and the coun
cry.
In view Of the fact that MI Wilson
when he found himself facing defeat il
The league controversy. fought desper
atelv 10 sustain himself, the conclusion
Is leaned to here that the Importance
OF the contents Of the "stoel box j
vastly exaggerated and that the dis
closures VIII add nothing Of momen
tous nature To the sum Of human
knowledge
Puzzled by Dual Capacity
However. it is still not clearly per
ceived here how Mr. Wilson could hav
been in Paris at one and the same TIM
as President and head OF the American
delegation to the peace conference AM
also as private person. garnefln'
private and personal documents fer HI
own use later on
One official. who IS in i position t
know, said it had been the custom {
send TO each departm ent the oficia
papers relating TO that department.
that it had been The CUSTOM TO kee
only n limited file at tie White Hous,
and that every President had taken hi
own personal papers This seems t
leave it, in the last analysis, to tn
judgment Of the President to decid
what he win Ga ssify as persona
papers.
Members cf tAe Senate Foreign Rela
tions Committee ere much Interested l
Mr.. Wilson's so-called "person papers.
and are wondering what they relate
and to what extent the Foreign Rels
lions Senators we're left in the darl
They are inclined To withhold commel
until thcv see what is to be produced