Colonel House to Woodrow Wilson

The announcement which we made on Sunday and which brought forth Tumulty's denial was not written by me and was badly put out from here. However, I approved it hurriedly. It was written as a paraphrase of your message and was given out in order to meet Lloyd George's insistent demand. Only the last paragraph should have been used as that would have told the story. I shall not let it happen again.

I had every newspaper and every Government official in London on my back yesterday because of it, and it prevented me from attending the conference at 10 Downing Street. However, the incident is now happily closed.Lloyd George and Reading dined with us last night, and I had a satisfactory conference with the Prime Minister. It is the first time I have been able to pin him down to something concrete. I am afraid to write details but I have careful memoranda to go over with you when I return.Lloyd George has promised to sit in Paris after the Inter-Allied Conference adjourns until the Supreme War Council come to definie conclusions as to military plans. When this is over I shall immediately sail for home, for it is of the utmost importance that I confer with you in order to let you have the situation on this side.

After the first sitting of the Supreme War Council, Lloyd George does not think another one dealing with important questions will be necessary for several months.

I had George delineate pretty carefully last night England's war aims, and he and I and Balfour sit again this afternoon to discuss the same situation. It will be impossible for me to go into a discussion of this in a letter, for there are certain phases of it explanatory of England's position which would not be safe to write.

We leave for Paris in the morning.