Cary T. Grayson Diary

Cary T. Grayson Diary

Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938

WWP17152

1919 May 1

Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Staunton, Virginia

English

This was a typical French May Day - every avenue of commerce being completely closed, and the city presenting a deserted appearance in the early hours. The President had breakfast at 8:30. By his orders no effort was made to operate the automobiles assigned directly to him. It was pouring rain outside, and this had the effect of keeping the workers, and especially the Socialists, indoors up until noon. The French Government, following its policy of caring nothing for the rights of the people, had ceoncentrated thousands of soldiers in the city, and, in addition, had drawn in gendarmes. All of the main thoroughfares were lined with troops, cavalry being used in great profusion. In the vicinity of the Crillon Hotel, where the American Peace Commission was quartered, the Republic guard and picked cavalry from the south of France were concentrated, while along the grand boulevard and through the Place de l’Opera mounted Colonials were gathered. Despite the rain the workers began to put in an appearance shortly before noon, and by two o’clock the streets were filled. The union leaders had planned to hold a meeting outside of the Crillon Hotel in the Place de la Concorde at three o’clock in the afternoon, and their processions began to head that way shortly before that hour. The crowd was an extremely good tempered one in the early stages, although the leaders chanted “A-bas Clemenceau, A-bas Clemenceau”, and when they tired of this would stop and cheer loudly, shouting “Vive Wilason.” This manner of the crowd was very displeasing to the military and the police authorities, who did not like the cry of “Down Clemenceau” and the cheering for the President. The result was that the cavalry charged the crowd as it tried to pass through the Rue Rivoli Royal to the Place de la Concorde, and from this time, three o’clock, on until dark serious clashes took place all over the city. Newspapermen who have had much experience with crowds and mobs were severe in their criticisms of the action of the authorities, saying that if the people had been allowed to carry on their demonstration it would have simply been one of rejoicing and instead of as it turned out to be one of bllodshed, in which one man was killed outright and more than 2,000 taken to the hospitals.

The President, Mrs. Wilson and I had lunch, and immediately after lunch the President and I went into the big parlor adjoining the dining-room. The President remarked: “I don’t like the way the colors of this furniture fight each other. The greens and the reds are all mixed up here and there is no harmony. Here is a big purple, high-backed covered chair, which is like the Purple Cow, strayed off to itself, and it is placed where the light shines on it too brightly. If you will give me a lift, we will move this next to the wall where the light from the window will give it a subdued effect. And here are two chairs, one green and the other red. This will never do. Let’s put the greens all together and the reds together.” The President then pointed out and said: “Over in the right-hand corner at our meetings the British gather; in the left hand corner the Americans; in the middle the French are seated. When we meet every day it would amuse you to see us walk to our respective corners just as if we were school children occupying our regular seats. Now, we will put all the reds over here in the American corner, next to the red sofa; the greens we will put over here for the Britishers; the odds and ends we will put here in the center for the French, and we will harmonize them as much as possible. The other chairs that do not harmonize we will put out in the edge where the experts can occupy them when they are called in before the Big Three.” The President had had a very busy morning with the Big Three discussing complicated questions, and after lunch he took a great deal of interest in arranging this furniture, seemingly to forget his exalted position. He was just like an ordinary human being. After we completed the job of re-arranging the furniture I could see such a marked improvement in the appearance of the room that I said to the President: “Mr. President, I think if you ever want a job after leaving the Presidency you would make a great success as an interior decorator.” The President smilingly replied: “I don’t mean to throw bouquets at myself but I do think that I have made a success of the arrangement of this furniture.”

I then said: “How about going out for a ride?” The President said: “This is here in France and every one in France is refraining from using their cars as much as possible. I want to fall in with the spirit of the day as much as possible and not use the cars except in case of absolute necessity. I have suggested to Mrs. Wilson that she do likewise.” The President continued: “I asked Mr. Clemenceau this morning if he thought it was safe to go around the city today. I had heard so many rumors that there was going to be a great deal of disturbances among the French population. Whereupon Mr. Clemenceau shrugged his shoulders, threww out his hands, and said: “It is perfectly safe for you to go because you are a great favorite among the working people of France.” He did not say this in a sarcastic way but he showed that he had a little feeling on the subject. It was plain that it did not please Clemenceau because the rank and file of the people did approve of me.”

At four o’clock the President went to the Quai d’Orsay for a meeting of the Big Three. They discussed the German cable question. Japan and England were anxious to gobble them up themselves and eventually have a monopoly over them. No final decision was reached.

The President returned home after the meeting, and at seven o’clock had dinner with Mrs. Wilson, Miss Benham and myself. Just as we were finishing dinner Miss Margaret arrived from one of her singing tours. The President spent most of his time after dinner asking her what she had been doing and how she had been getting along. Miss Margaret did most of the talking.

During the day I sent the following cablegram to Secretary Tumulty:

"The solution to the Kiaochau question is regarded here both generally and by special friends of China, like Charles R. Crane, as remarkably favorable and fortunate considering its rotten and complicated past and the tangle of secret treaties in which she was enmeshed and from which she had to be extricated. It is regarded as a wonderful victory for the President. The Japanese themselves admit that they have made far greater concessions than they had even dreamed would be required of them. The Chinese agree that they have had their interests safeguarded in every way and they appreciate that the League of Nations eventually will look after them."

Diary