The New York herald., 1922-10-25
Lane LETTERS TELL
OF WILSON BLOCKING
WAR PREP AREDNESS
Reproached His Cabinet
and Didn't Want Either
Side to Win.
ONCE REBUKED M'ADOO
President Often Lost Pa
tience and Turned Bit
terly on Advisers.
TRIyIALITIES FOR THEM
Handled Grave Problems Alone
a..l n:I..sA SL Man, In
TRIyIALITIEs FOR THEM
Handled Grave Problems Alone
and Didn't Show Many I'm
portant Notes.

BosToN, Oct. "a ASSOCIATED Press).
"A series of history making letters.
describing in detail the American
war Cabinet and giving an intimate
picture of Woodrow Wilson as he ap-
peared while presiding over the secret
meetings of his official family, is
made public to-day. The letters. writ
ten by the late Franklin K. Lane,
Secretary of the Interior in the Cabi
net of President Wilson from 1913 to
1890, have been collected and edited
by his widow, Anne Wintermute
Lane, and have been published by
Houghton Mifflin Company. The vol
ume is just off the press.
The correspondence reveals among
other things how the President fire.
quently lost patience with the tre-
mendous problems confronting him,
and how at other times discourage
ment crowded him to such degree
that he was prompted to turn bitterly
upon his advisers when they failed to
agree with him.
The letters give description of Mr..
Wilson's attitude on preparedness be-
fore America entered the war; tell
how he regarded the proposal to arm
merchant ships, describe his opposi-
ton to anything approaching the
"code duelio" spirit at a time when
the. united.o States was neutral, and
then, when great questions were
pressing for decision, tell how he en-
couraged his Cabinet to talk of triviali-
ties while he went along on his own
course to solve the huge problems
facing his Administration.
Didn't Wish 10 See Either Side Win
"The President said he didn't wish
to see either side win, for both had
been equally indifferent to the rights
of neutrals% Mr.. Lane wrote to his
brother on February II. 1917. conf
mcnting on a particularly animated
Cabinet discussion.
On the subject of preparedness. even
a few months before the United
States entered the war, Mr.. Lane
quoted President Wilson as being mot
In sympathy" Writing again to his
brother February 16, 1917, Mr.. Lane
said:
At our dinner to the President
last night he said he was not in
sympathy with any great prepared
ness--that Europe would be mad
and money-poor by the end Of the
war.
The army and the navy are SO set
and stereotyped and standpat that
am almost hopeless as to moving
them to the wise, large and whole
some Job. They are governed by
red tape worse than any union. The
chief of staff fell asleep at our meet
ing to-day. Mars and Morpheus in
one.
Again to his brother. February 20,
Secretary Lane wrote:
On Friday we had one of the most
animated sessions Of the Cabinet
that l suppose ever has been held
under this or any other President.
It all arose out of a very innocent
question of mine as to whether II
was true that the wives of American
cohsuls on leaving Germany had been
stripped naked. given an acid bath
TO detect writing on their flesh and
subjected to other indignities.
Lansing answered that II was true.
Then asked Houston about the
bread riots in New York--this led TO
a discussion of the great problem
which we had all been afraid to
raise--why shouldn't we send our
ships out with guns and conveys?
Daniels said VIC must not convoy
that would be dangerous. (Think Of
Secretary of the Navy telling OF
dangcr.)
Secretary Lanes Supporters.
The President said the country
was not willing that we should take
any risks of war. said that got no
such sentiment out OF the country.
This the President took as a
suggestion that we should work up
q propaganda OF hstred against
Germany. or course said had
no such idea, bu. felt that In a
democracy the people were entitled
to know the facts. McAdoo. Hous-
ton and Rcdfield Joined me.
The President turned on them
bitterly, especially on McAdoo, and
reproachcd all Of us with appeal
Ing TO the spirit of tho code
ducllo." We couldn't get tho idea
out of his head that we were bent
on pushing the country into war.
Houston talked of rcsigning after
Continued on Page Nine.