Evening star., 1938-03-28

job. He was credited, however, with
selection of several members of tn,
cabinet.
| Three months before war broke out
Mr.. Wilson secretly sent Col. HOUSE
to Europe to endeavor to convince the
governments of Germany. Great Brit.
ain and France of the danger Of the
situation
| Studied Life Of Kaiser.
Col. House believed the Kaiser was
the one man. if any who could con
troll the destinies of Europe. and hi
was determined to make the greatest
efforts with him. Before he started
| for Europe. he read everything he
could find about the German Emperor
and talked with every person in thi.
country who knew him at all well.
| What the slim. mild-mannered gen.
| tleman from Texas said to the Potsdan
potentate was never disclosed, bu,
! Col House later indicated he was
| convinced the Kaiser was a less po-
| tent figure than some of his militia ry
! leaders
German. British and French states
| men declined to take seriously Col
Houses warning of the imminence OF
war Later he himself was amazed
at the rapidity with which it came.
This was the first of many trips
made by Col House as a special envoy
of President Wilson. Through him
the President kept intimately in
formed on the trend of events behind
the scenes in Europe.
When the armistice was proposed
Col House went to Versailles as the
personal representative of Mr.. Wilson
and there opened the series of con-
ferences with Lloyd George. Clemen-
ceau and other allied statesmen.
Later designated by the President as
one of the American delegates to the
peace conference. Col. House. because
of his close intimacy with Mr.. Will
son and his familiarity with the terms
OF the armistice, was to a large ex-
tent the medium of communicating
the American viewpoint.
hlOllOuSh "llS Nds vi lCSVuU
in person at Paris. much Of the details
of personal conference proceeded
through Col. House The peace con-
ference was the first occasion upon
which Col House worked with the
President in an official capacity.
There for the first time observers
noted slight break in the appar-
emily perfect confidence that had al
ways existed between them.
No Friction Noted 1T Paris.
There were no signs of friction.
however. when they parted at Paris
on June 20, 1919, never to meet again.
In August newspapers published a
story about personal breach between
Mr.. Wilson and Col. House. On
August rs. Col. House cabled the
President from London:
Our annual falling out seems to
have occurred. The foreign ONCE re-
ceived q cable the other day saying
we were no longer on good terms and
asking the prime minister and Balfour
be informed. am wondering where
this particular story originated
President Wilson cabled this reply:
Am deeply distressed by malicious
story about break between US and
thank you for message about 1t. Best
way is to treat it with silent contempt" :"
-Four days after sending his last
cable to Col. House. the President
left on tour in support Of the League
of Nations which ended in his coll
lapse. Warned by cable Of the Presi-
dents breakdown, Col. House plan
ned to return and to testify before
the Senate Foreign Relations Com
mittee in behalf Of the peace treaty.
He too fell i'll when he took ship and
was in state Of collapse when he
arrived in the United States.
The Senate was opposed to ratifying
the treaty without reservations. Thus
at the moment when the cause to
which each had devoted his main in
terest was at stake. both lay i'll. Mr..
Wilson in Washington and Col. House
in New York.
Believed Compromise Essential.
Col. House believed compromise was
necessary but he refrained at first
from pressing his contention owing
to the Presidents illness. On Novem-
Der "a he wrote the President urging
him to accept the reservations. The
letter was not answered. After Col.
House regained his health he was not
called down to Washington by the
sick man. Owing to the Presidents
condition. he would not 60 to see
him without a summons.
On three occasions after the defeat
OF the treaty in the Senate House re-
ceived notes from the President in
answer to messages of good wishes.
The President wrote: Thank YOU
for your letter. I appreciate your
thought of me-" But the letters were
signed sincerely and faithfully yours"
and not "affectionately" ~ they had
been for years.
Thus the friendship lapsed, never
to be renewed.
Col. House SHE'D from personal
publicity and declined public once.
His retiring nature combined with the
highly confidential character of the
business he transacted for the prea-
gent heightened the wall Of mystery