Evening star., 1921-03-25
Book to ShOu
Fight Of
1913.
Says Wilson Purposed
Preliminary Treaty
At One Time.

Robert Lansing. former Secretary OF
State and member of the American peace
commission, will reveal, in his forth
coming book on "The Peace Nego-
tiations," which will be published by
the Houghton Miffiin Company March
25, how close he came to resignlns
from the commission because OF dlf-
ferenceS with President Wilson over
the Shantung decision and his belie1
that many of the terms of peace i'm
posed on Germany were harsh. hu-
initiating and seemingly Impossible
of performance.
The publishers of this book. which
has been eagerly awaited ny ms
torians and the public. have careiutiE
guarded the text of the manuscript:
but they have permitted the general
trend of Mr. Lansing's argument 10
become known.
President Wilson, according 70 Mr.
a.ansing's belief, at one time ourlns
the peace conference purposed 10
negotiate a preliminary treaty, "nich
would start the league OF nations
functioning without laying the Goc
ument before the United States SEN
ate. and evidently was much per
told him that the only way TO chanse E
the status from war to peace was
by a ratified treaty or joint reso-
luton of Congress.
A profound conviction that imme. .
diate peace was the primary need OF
fhe world. Mr.. Lansing implies, was
all that kept him from resisnlns
from the peace commission because
of fundamental disagreementS with
the President on principles. Inc ioi
mer Secretary discioses that IN lsho'
shortly before a meeting in WASH
ineton of the League to Enforce
peace. at which the President was
to speak. Mr.. Lansing wrote 70 Mr.
Wilson. objecting to the use OF iorIe
to settle international disputes. IN
This letter he pointed to the menace
TO the Monroe doctrine contained IN
such a plan.
House Was Converted.
Alarmed at the complications of
var and foreign entanglements IN
the guaranty of territorial integrity
and political independence OF Hen
bers of the league. a guaranty that
finally was embodied IN Articie
of the covenant. Mr. Lansing says
that at Paris he tried to have sub
etituted a negative pledge that the
members would not infringe upon
each others territorial integrity or
political independence. he became
then President Wilson's closest ad-
wiser. was completely converted with
regard to this question.
II is in relation to Shantung MI.
Lansing discloses the sharpest an
ferences between himself and Presi-
dent Wilson. Mr.. Lansing gives as
has opinion that blackmail and blum
nv Japan impelled the President to
agree to surrender to that country
auch rights in Shantung as before
the war were held by Germany ana
automatically annulled when China
declared hostilities. In his OPINION
oniv secret diplomacy made 1t pos
sibie for Japan to threaten to leave
the peace conference unless It's oe-
mands were granted, a threat Mr.
lansing believed would not nave
been executed because OF the az
nreciation by Japan that the benz
1ita of a new and powerful wofio
position could be retained only Dy
membership in the league OF natlons
That other members OF tne Amel
can commission shared his view tnat
TIE Shantung decision as rendered by
the council of four was a nagran'
long and were prevented from re-
is;eninr only by the critical conditions
IN the world situation is clearly im
niied by Mr. Lansing. He describes 3
fhe Indignation felt by himself ana
by Henry White and Gen. Iasker n
bliss. and in this connection puo-
fishes the letter written by Gen. Bliss
To the President. in which MI Ian
sing and Mr.. White concurred. stat
ing that to support the Japanese
claim would be to abandon -Chinese
democracy 70 domination OF japan
Trussjanized militarism.
n was impossible. in Mr. Lansing