The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-06-29
BY EDWARD w. LEWIS
rn,ted press STAFF Correspondent

UNITED Press STAN COffcSpOhueHt)
washington, June 29-(UP)-
From time-yellowed documents out
OF the dim archives OF the Amert-
can state department, there came
today q dramatic revelation OF
events on the western front OF the
World war, which sweep away
much of the "Armistice OF Novem-
Der Z, 1913"
The circumstances behind the
United Press report, which sent
the nation into q delirium of JOY
and turned its streets and squares
into bedlam, were revealed for the
first time today by the state de-
partment in an impressive volume
bearing the prosaic title, Papers
Relating to the Foreign Relations
of the United States" The United
Press was the author of one of
the most sensational episodes of the
great war. 1t was cable from Col.
Edward M. House, special repre-
sentative Of President Wilson in
Paris. 1t was addressed to Secre-
tary Of State Robert Lansing. In
| Washington, and timed p. m. of
November s. It read:
| S"65 !. Most of the officials
In Paris and practically every
non official person here believed
yesterday that the armistice had
been signed. Captain Jackson, a
naval attaohe at the embassy, sent
Admiral Wilson at Brest q wire to
that effect. Wilson showed the wire
to Roy Howard (then president Of
the United Press) at Brest and
sent an aide with him to the cable
censor SO that Howard would be
permitted to send through a dis
patch stating that the armistice
had been signed.
at is perfectly clear that the
United Press was not at fault In
this matter and that the fault, II
any, lies with Jackson or the
French official who started the
rumor. suggest that war and navy
departments instruct their repre-
sentativcs in Europe to discontinue
sending dispatches respecting mat
tiers peculiarly within our knowl-
edge without consulting u.s."
Two highly Illuminating. sig
niiicant facts are hence disclosed
In the state departments now pub
lie report" of the engrossing
drama Of the November days that
saw the end Of the World war.
1. The state department. through
LuG WdI department. 100 odNAoSA
that the armistice had been signed
on the earlier date, by Major Bar
clay Warburton, military attache In
Paris.
2. The report Of the signing orig
mated with the United Press
through a French official who in
formed the naval attache. This at
tache, in turn, advised Admiral
Wilson, commanding the American
fleet at Brest, and Admiral Wilson
released the news"
While this was transpiring. the
hastily formed German delegation
to negotiate the armistice were al
ready passing through the front
lines where guns had been officially
si1enced to mark their coming, to
debate the terms with Ferdinand
Foch, marshal of France. in the
blue and gold dining car that was
his official headquarters.
Back Of them, as described in
rnattcr.of-fact dispatches from
American diplomats, consuls and
foreign advisers, lay an empire In
chaos and imminent danger OF In
ternal explosion. There was rioting
In Kiel and the threat OF civil war.
Their armies, beaten, sullen. un-
| ECIADlCt NCI0 tCl6he va AOFoAS
Into the state department at
Washington poured a succession of
messages over closely guarded
cables.
The first important and revealing
one was 10 words long, cabled Nov.
s, from Robert Woods Bliss. Amer
lean charge d'affaires at the Hague.
1t read:
s.The charge in the Netherlands
To the secretary of state:
The Hague, Nov. 6, 1913.
''4362 Wolff dispatch( official
German news agency Berlin, states
German delegation to conclude
armistice and open peace negotia-
tions left this afternoon for the
west.
Bliss"
Between that hour and the night
of November came the grave mo-
ments that were to determine the
issue of peace or continued slaugh-
tr. 1t was a tense ~ hours, In
which official nerves were on edge.
At 1880, New York time. on the
evening of November s. the Ger
man government formally notified
the Allies that. its little group of
plenipotentiaries were ready to
| pEcSeut themselves WASAc'Si VII
demanded, ito bring a provisional
suspension of arms
The dispatch:
"The special representative (Coi.
Edward NJ. House)
ITO the secretary OF state:
Paris, Nov. z. 1913. IL p. m.
"5S. For the president:
tGerman government at 1880
last night (7:S0 p. m. Nov. 8. New
York time) transmitted the fol-
lowing radio to Marshal Toch:
German government have been
informed that Marshal Foch
has received full power to receive