The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-09-30
LORD CREY'S MEMOIRS SHED
new LIGHT ON OBSCURE PAGES
OF HISTORY OF WORLD CONFLICT
United States in 1917 Was
Impcriled by British Naval
ism and German Militar.
ism, Memoirs Relate

count GreyS volumes or memoirs
have just been given to the public
in Europe and America.
The Lords chronicle Of the inti-
mate details of the diplomatic nego-
tiations between Washington and
London which preceded the story of
America into the great conflict.
probably has primary interest on
this side Of the Atlantic. but his
volumes also are rich with diplomatic
early years Of the war. and who was
Britain's foreign minister during the
early years Of the war. and wha was
longer than any other man the for
cign minister of great World
Power.
In his memoirs, the Lord records
that in February, 1916, F.. NJ. House,
President Wilson's personal rep
rcsentativc on many unofficial di-
CI omatac negotiations in European
capitals. set down in collaboration
with him memorandum defining,
as definitely as was then possible.
the steps President Wilson would be
prepared to take and the terms of
peace which the president would
use the influence Of the United
States to secure. House, the Earl
writes. left copy Of the memoran-
dunn with him. while he returned to
Washington. and later cahled that
the text had been confirmed by
the President.
War Imminent.
The memorandum stated that
President Wilson was contemplate
ing throwing his weight into the
balance for war against Germany
in 1916.
Colonel House told me that
hearing from France and England.
to propose conference should be
summoned to put an end to the
war;" the memorandum states.
Should the Allies accept this pro-
posal, and should Germany refuse
it, the United States would prob
ably enter the war against Ger
many. Ia the Allies delayed &C
cepting the offer of President Will
son, and if. later on, the course Of
the war was so unfavorable to the m
that the intervention of the United
States should not be effective, the
United States would probably dis
interest themselves in Europe and
look to their own protection in
their own way"
Historical data is to be found in
recollections Of confidential conver-
sations with the late President by
those very few men with whom he
intimately discussed the war and
revealed the drift Of his mind. As
late as the winter of l9lB,-in fact
while he was on his way to the
Peace conference.-the disclosed to
one Of his confidants that for many
months before the Unitetd States
entered the war he was not sure
that the drastic application of the
British naval blockade would not so
shape public opinion in America as
to make it difficult to avoid an open
rupture with the Allies and Great
Britain in particular.
Wilson Uncertain
"For long time" President Will
son told this confidant, 81 was unable
to make up my mind whom we might
have to fight, after all. 1t was diff
ficult to determine which the Am
erican public regarded as worst
British navalsm or Prussian mill
tarism My decision finally turned
on this point, to wit: seized ships
and cargoes could be paid for in
money, leaving everybody salts
, fled. But the American lives which
! the Prussian government was sacri-
! ficing in it's submarine campaign
never could be paid for or restored
and in making choice Of two evils
l had to come to the conclusion that
Prussian militarism was the worse
From that, the war president turn.
ed to the frantic efforts the, Allied
powers had made to hasten the eff.
fective forces of the United States
to the battle line.
ut was after Coughs fifth army
had been annihilated before
| Amiens," said Mr.. Wilson, "and
the German armies were pouring
through the gap toward the Eng
lish channel. piercing the allied
resistance like the PROV of a
powerful ship pushing through
still water. They came to me
with tears in their eyes-these
ambassadors in Washington.
do not use this term figuratively
but literally. The tears actual
/ ly rolled down the cheeks of
these ambassadors as they told
me all was lost unless we hur-
ried our forces and won the war
for them. The British ambas-
sador in particular (the late Sir
Cecil Spring-Rice) threw out his
arms in a despairing gesture
and moaned:
"Tf you are coming at all.
Gods sake come quickly We
came," continued the President
to his confidante, "and now
they want to discuss who won
the war. I shall make this
plain to Lloyd George and Glenn
enceau.
America Won
"America won this war for them
but America doesn't necessarily
need to help them make an old fash
ioned peace. l already hear tina
they want to make an old worl
peace on the basis of balances o
power and then later attempt
peace to insure the peace of the worl
for the future. In other words, the
want to make q peace to suit thei
own selfish ends and then havin
done that rise from the table an
say Now, Gentlemen. we will dis
cusss this League of Nations busi
ness at some later time And ths
time Of course will never come. The
] will make guarantees for the peac
, of the future or they will make thei
. peace without America. And if "
make this peace, will so intertwin
the principle Of the League Of M
tions with its terms, that no man wi
be able to accept one without th
| other"