Evening star., 1925-11-09
His Own Responsibility.


on his way back to Paris, which he did
not reach until March IA, said Mr..
White.
Il did not show him, upon his ar
rival there copies of my cablegram or
of the Senator's reply; nor did l men
ton the matter to him at that time
or at any other time during the re
nainder of his life: and nothing could
have been farther from my mind,
when l cabled Mr.. Lodge. than an
effort to get the Senate committed In
advance to an approval OF whatever
phraseology might be adopted by the
conference, for the covenant or the
league Of nations, as is clearly implied
in the book.
The object I had in view was pre-
cisely what Is stated in my cableBram,
that is, to obtain private Information
from an old friend as we'll as an aus
thoritative senatorial source, which
would enable me-not President 'Wil-
son-to make an effort TO cause the
phraseology of the covenant OF the
league when 1t should come up FOR
discussion in the committee or con-
ference appointed for that purpose,
TO be so shaped as to meet the views
of the Senate In so far as It might
be possible at that time to ascertain
them.
Would Simplify Matters.
= II felt sure, upon the Presidents re-
turn to Paris, no time would be lost
in beginning such a discussion, and
it seemed to be simpler and likely,
moreover, to save a great deal OF time
later on r the wording Of the cove
nant couM be brought into line With
the Senates views while under con-
sideration in committee. Otherwise,
IN,
event of the Senates ratification of
the treaty with reservations, to ap-
proach all the other signatory ma
tions separately for their approval of
the reservations in question: course
which would necessarily involve pro
tracted delay before the treaty could
go into effect.
'Tt never occurred to my mind un-
til the receipt OF Senator Lodges re-
ply that he or any one else Woufu
suspect me of entering into sort
of conspiracy with the President to
get the Senate. or even Senator Lodge
himself, committed in advance to an
approval which would be binding
upon that body of the phraseology
eventually adopted by the peace con-
ference for the covenant OF the
League Of Nations.
still less had l any idea that a
personal telegram OF that KIND would
cause so much CONSERVATION and con-
sultation on the part Of the leading
members of the Republican party-a
circumstance of which l have only
now become aware upon perusal of
the book.
Cables Sent Freely.
"a considerable amount Of stress
appears to have been laid upon the
fact that no cablegram-even from
one of the American commissioners
to the conference-would have been
allowed by. the French government
or by our own Department of State,
to reach it's destination unless 1t had
the approval Of the President. Such
was not the case. All of the com.
missioners were in the habit of send
ing cablegrams freely and I never
heard hint that such messages were
subject to censorship or check OF any
kind. A cable written by commits
sioner was coded by attaches of the
commission and sent Immediately
without question or delay for any
ones approval. Moreover, I fail to
understand how the French govern
ment could have known whether tele-
grams sent in the cipher of the State
Department-of which they had no
copy-had or had not the Presidents 8
approval.
II am informed by the Hon. Frank
T.. Polk, who has been Acting Secre-
tary of State during Mr.. Lansing $
absence in Paris, that he had never
heard OF this particular message until
I happened to mention it to him in
conversation in August, 1919. Ac-
cording to Senator Lodges theory, a
cablegram which was considered like
ly to have such far-reaching conse-
quences would have been submitted
to Mr. Polk as Acting Secretary and
prevented from reaching its destina-
tion unless he had been assured OF
President Wilson's approval thereof.
Mr.. Polk tells me that no supervision
was attempted or even thought Of by
him or any one else in the Depart.
ment Of State in connection with mes
sages sent by the commissioners
through the department; and that no
such supervision was ever suggested
by President Wilson"