Cary T. Grayson Diary
Title
Cary T. Grayson Diary
Creator
Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938
Identifier
WWP17188
Date
1919 June 6
Source
Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Staunton, Virginia
Language
English
Text
The President after brreakfast went for a short motor ride. The Council of Four at its morning session continued its discussion of the German counter-proposals. They also dCecided to admit the Turkish Delegates, who had asked permission to come to France for the purpose of hearing the terms of peace affecting the Turkish Empire. The Allies received today a reply from Admiral Koltchak to their note on the question of his intentions and whether if he were recognized as the dominant factor in Russian politics, he would agree to promise that there would be no military dictatorship and that a representative government would be created in that country. The Admiral declared that he would follow out the wishes of the Allies in every way if recognized, except that he could not summon back into being the Constitutional Assembly that was elected immediately after the revolution. His reason that this Assembly had created the Soviet Bolshevist government, and it could not be recognized in any way.
The President had a quiet luncheon. I was not with him, as Mr. Arthur James Balfour had invited me to attend a luncheon with him at his Paris home. Others present were Ambassador and Mrs. John W. Davis, Sir Eric Drummond, Secretary-General of the League of Nations, Sir Ian Malcolm, Mr. Balfour’s secretary. The meeting was not as interesting as my former meetings with Mr. Balfour. He got the “jump” on me by asking me to tell him some stories. He is very fond of stories, and he asked me to tell him about my experiences in Buckingham Palace, so I told him the Haig and Haig story. I also told him about the experiences of the Honorable Jesse Jones in his stocking feet before the open-fire in Buckingham Palace. He had been told these stories by others, and he asked me to repeat them. He had also heard of some negro stories that I had told, which he asked me to repeat. The conversation drifted to light topics. Mr. Balfour, in speaking of Paris, said how unlike it was to London in every respect. He said that one would think, owing to the dissimilarity of manners of cust and cs and customs that the two cities were many thousand miles apart. New York, he said, is more like Paris than London. The American cities that remind him most of London are Boston and Philadelphia. Boston, he said, is more like London than any city he knows. During the luncheon Mr. Balfour in referring to my stories said: “The President must enjoy your stories immensely.” He then added that the President had perhaps the most delightful sense of humor of any man he had ever known. “A delicious thing about his stories,” he said, “is that they are always so applicable.”
During the afternoon the Council of Four received the report of the Allied Economic Commission dealing with the question of reparations and providing that Germany should be given a representative on the commission that would fix the final figures that must be paid as indemnity, and also limiting the operation of that commission so that it would be compelled to make a report within a stated period of months; and also checked, so that it would not be able to expose German trade secrets that were purely of a domestic nature to their home governments.
After the meeting the President went for a ride out through the St. Cloud region, returning to have a quiet dinner, at which were present only the President and Mrs. Wilson, Miss Benham and myself. After dinner the President did some work in his study and also sent a telegram of congratulation to Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, head of the National Association for Women’s Suffrage, on the passage by the Senate of the Suffrage Constitutional Amendment.
The President had a quiet luncheon. I was not with him, as Mr. Arthur James Balfour had invited me to attend a luncheon with him at his Paris home. Others present were Ambassador and Mrs. John W. Davis, Sir Eric Drummond, Secretary-General of the League of Nations, Sir Ian Malcolm, Mr. Balfour’s secretary. The meeting was not as interesting as my former meetings with Mr. Balfour. He got the “jump” on me by asking me to tell him some stories. He is very fond of stories, and he asked me to tell him about my experiences in Buckingham Palace, so I told him the Haig and Haig story. I also told him about the experiences of the Honorable Jesse Jones in his stocking feet before the open-fire in Buckingham Palace. He had been told these stories by others, and he asked me to repeat them. He had also heard of some negro stories that I had told, which he asked me to repeat. The conversation drifted to light topics. Mr. Balfour, in speaking of Paris, said how unlike it was to London in every respect. He said that one would think, owing to the dissimilarity of manners of cust and cs and customs that the two cities were many thousand miles apart. New York, he said, is more like Paris than London. The American cities that remind him most of London are Boston and Philadelphia. Boston, he said, is more like London than any city he knows. During the luncheon Mr. Balfour in referring to my stories said: “The President must enjoy your stories immensely.” He then added that the President had perhaps the most delightful sense of humor of any man he had ever known. “A delicious thing about his stories,” he said, “is that they are always so applicable.”
During the afternoon the Council of Four received the report of the Allied Economic Commission dealing with the question of reparations and providing that Germany should be given a representative on the commission that would fix the final figures that must be paid as indemnity, and also limiting the operation of that commission so that it would be compelled to make a report within a stated period of months; and also checked, so that it would not be able to expose German trade secrets that were purely of a domestic nature to their home governments.
After the meeting the President went for a ride out through the St. Cloud region, returning to have a quiet dinner, at which were present only the President and Mrs. Wilson, Miss Benham and myself. After dinner the President did some work in his study and also sent a telegram of congratulation to Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, head of the National Association for Women’s Suffrage, on the passage by the Senate of the Suffrage Constitutional Amendment.
Original Format
Diary
Files
Collection
Citation
Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938, “Cary T. Grayson Diary,” 1919 June 6, WWP17188, Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.