Cary T. Grayson Diary
Title
Cary T. Grayson Diary
Creator
Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938
Identifier
WWP17130
Date
1919 April 9
Source
Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Staunton, Virginia
Language
English
Text
The President stayed in bed until 10:00 o’clock this morning. He had breakfast in his bedroom, and at 11:00 o’clock he was ready for the meeting of the Council of Four. At the cnonclusion of the meeting the President told me that they had made progress.
The President had withstood the fatigue of the morning session better than yesterday, which showed that the improvement in his condition continued. I had been extremely fortunate in treating the President in having the complete and active cooperation of Mrs. Wilson, whose devotion to the President had enabled her to nurse him in a way that made unnecessary the securing of a professional nurse. She was a perfect angel. She was most attentive, her only thought being for the President’s comfort. Mrs. Wilson frequently attended Red Cross meetings, attended Y. M. C. A. functions, visited various places for crippled children, went to hospitals almost every afternoon. But she forsook all of this work and everything else, and gave all of her time to the President, remaining constantly at his side and cheering him and keeping his mind diverted from the fact that he was unable purely through physical reasons from continuing the work that he had started.
After the morning conference the President, Mrs. Wilson and I lunched together. The President showed a decided effect of fatigue the fatigue of the morning. He sent for me before he went to lunch and said: “I feel a little chilly and am tired, but I am extremely anxious to proceed with the afternoon conference. But I want your advice before doing so.” I told him he could go through with it if he was extremely careful and rested as much as possible before the conference.
Deviating from our usual rule not to discuss business at the table, the conversation during the lunch turned to an article in the morning’s London Daily Mail, which stated that 300 members of the British Parliament had united in an urgent joint telegram to the British Premier demanding a renewed assurance that he (Lloyd-George) had not departed from his pledge to the British Empire that he would present a complete war bill to Germany. The President said that Lloyd-George had told him it was his intention to send a curt reply to this joint telegram informing the British Parliament that if they persisted in their wild demand it would be better for them to send some one here who could handle the thing better than he could, as he was not in sympathy with this position. The President smilingly remarked that while Lloyd-George had told him that this was his intention, he (the President) had his “doots.”
After luncheon the President sat by the fire and read a paper dealing with the program that was to ce considered at the afternoon conference. When the time came for the conference he was somewhat rested and was able to sit in as usual.
As a result of the editorial prepared and sent by Mr. Grasty to the New York TIMES, the following message was today received from Secretary Tumulty: “Grasty has written a wonderful article; the President ought to keep close to him.” Mr. Tumulty was not aware of my conference with Mr. Grasty in connection with the editorial in question.
The Big Four session in the afternoon brought about the first written agreement between the conferees. It was the decision on the responsibilities and punishment of the authors of the war. It was agreed that while the Kaiser could not be placed upon trial on a charge of having directly caused the war, he was answerable to a charge of violation of the sanctity of treaties and international morality. The four members signed the report and it was to be submitted later to Japan for signature. This marked a real stepping-stone in the progress of the treaty making. The other members of the Big Four evinced a desire to wait and sign it when Japan’s representative would be present, but the President insisted that the matter should be disposed of immediately, which was done. The President passed the paper around the table himself, handing it first to Clemenceau to sign, then to Lloyd-George, to Orlando, and then he affixed his own signature. The method proposed for the trial of those responsible will be through the creation of a High Court composed of one representatives of each of the gi big five nations.
I attended Mrs. Wilson’s tea in the afternoon and about the time it was over the President sent for me and he and I went for a drive despite the fact that it was raining outside. We made the run through the Bois, and the President enjoyed it very much, the rain being a spring rain, the air being warm, and he being well wrapped up to prevent catching any additional cold.
During the drive the President said to me: “We made progress today, not through the match of wits, but simply through my hammering and forcing them to decisions. It appears to me that the GEORGE WASHINGTON incident has had a beneficial effect on the French. They wanted to know when I was going back and I told them in very plain language that the results would be the determining factor.”
Returning to the house we had dinner and then the President went to his study, where he worked at very important business, sitting before an open-fire.
It developed tonight that the President’s judgment on Lloyd-George’s “defiant” telegram, which the Premier had declared he would send, was in every way correct. The actual telegram sent was far from being forceful.
The President had withstood the fatigue of the morning session better than yesterday, which showed that the improvement in his condition continued. I had been extremely fortunate in treating the President in having the complete and active cooperation of Mrs. Wilson, whose devotion to the President had enabled her to nurse him in a way that made unnecessary the securing of a professional nurse. She was a perfect angel. She was most attentive, her only thought being for the President’s comfort. Mrs. Wilson frequently attended Red Cross meetings, attended Y. M. C. A. functions, visited various places for crippled children, went to hospitals almost every afternoon. But she forsook all of this work and everything else, and gave all of her time to the President, remaining constantly at his side and cheering him and keeping his mind diverted from the fact that he was unable purely through physical reasons from continuing the work that he had started.
After the morning conference the President, Mrs. Wilson and I lunched together. The President showed a decided effect of fatigue the fatigue of the morning. He sent for me before he went to lunch and said: “I feel a little chilly and am tired, but I am extremely anxious to proceed with the afternoon conference. But I want your advice before doing so.” I told him he could go through with it if he was extremely careful and rested as much as possible before the conference.
Deviating from our usual rule not to discuss business at the table, the conversation during the lunch turned to an article in the morning’s London Daily Mail, which stated that 300 members of the British Parliament had united in an urgent joint telegram to the British Premier demanding a renewed assurance that he (Lloyd-George) had not departed from his pledge to the British Empire that he would present a complete war bill to Germany. The President said that Lloyd-George had told him it was his intention to send a curt reply to this joint telegram informing the British Parliament that if they persisted in their wild demand it would be better for them to send some one here who could handle the thing better than he could, as he was not in sympathy with this position. The President smilingly remarked that while Lloyd-George had told him that this was his intention, he (the President) had his “doots.”
After luncheon the President sat by the fire and read a paper dealing with the program that was to ce considered at the afternoon conference. When the time came for the conference he was somewhat rested and was able to sit in as usual.
As a result of the editorial prepared and sent by Mr. Grasty to the New York TIMES, the following message was today received from Secretary Tumulty: “Grasty has written a wonderful article; the President ought to keep close to him.” Mr. Tumulty was not aware of my conference with Mr. Grasty in connection with the editorial in question.
The Big Four session in the afternoon brought about the first written agreement between the conferees. It was the decision on the responsibilities and punishment of the authors of the war. It was agreed that while the Kaiser could not be placed upon trial on a charge of having directly caused the war, he was answerable to a charge of violation of the sanctity of treaties and international morality. The four members signed the report and it was to be submitted later to Japan for signature. This marked a real stepping-stone in the progress of the treaty making. The other members of the Big Four evinced a desire to wait and sign it when Japan’s representative would be present, but the President insisted that the matter should be disposed of immediately, which was done. The President passed the paper around the table himself, handing it first to Clemenceau to sign, then to Lloyd-George, to Orlando, and then he affixed his own signature. The method proposed for the trial of those responsible will be through the creation of a High Court composed of one representatives of each of the gi big five nations.
I attended Mrs. Wilson’s tea in the afternoon and about the time it was over the President sent for me and he and I went for a drive despite the fact that it was raining outside. We made the run through the Bois, and the President enjoyed it very much, the rain being a spring rain, the air being warm, and he being well wrapped up to prevent catching any additional cold.
During the drive the President said to me: “We made progress today, not through the match of wits, but simply through my hammering and forcing them to decisions. It appears to me that the GEORGE WASHINGTON incident has had a beneficial effect on the French. They wanted to know when I was going back and I told them in very plain language that the results would be the determining factor.”
Returning to the house we had dinner and then the President went to his study, where he worked at very important business, sitting before an open-fire.
It developed tonight that the President’s judgment on Lloyd-George’s “defiant” telegram, which the Premier had declared he would send, was in every way correct. The actual telegram sent was far from being forceful.
Original Format
Diary
Files
Collection
Citation
Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938, “Cary T. Grayson Diary,” 1919 April 9, WWP17130, Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.