Cary T. Grayson Diary

Cary T. Grayson Diary

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

WWP17198

1919 June 16

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

English

The President immediately after breakfast got into touch with the members of the American Commission and urged them to expedite as much as possible the still outstanding features of the Austrian Peace proposals. He then called up the Drafting Committee and instructed them to get the draft of the Allied reply which was to be given to the Germans at noon up to the Big Four conference so that it could be gone over throughly by the Big Four. The President was much chagrined to find that the drafting committee was still working on the document, and that in their opinion it would require another day before it could be ready. The President read the riot act and declared emphatically that the promise had been made that this document should be given to the Germans today, and that this must absolutely be done. When the Big Four met the President said that it was absolutely essential that the German reply, including the covering note, be gone over before it was sent to the printers, and he said that this would not cause any delay because they could have a copy in manuscript ready to give to the Germans and the other copy could go to the printers. Clemenceau and Lloyd George seemed to think there was no necessity for the Big Four reviewing the revised text, but the President was adamant in this connection. He had not forgotten thae fact that when the original treaty was handed to the Germans at Versailles an effort was made on the part of the French to insert two clauses which had they gone through would have materially changed the actual sense of certain of the provisions. By direction of the President, the covering note which had been completed was brought up and read over and found to be exactly as originally drafted.

There were no luncheon guests and after lunch the President went for a motor ride, returning to meet with the Big Four. When the session was resumed it was found that The President’s admonition of the morning had borne fruit and the document was practically complete. The President “okeh’d” the draft as presented and copies were rushed to the printers, while Secretary-General Dutasta was instructed to arrange to proceed to Versailles at seven o’clock in the evening to present the entire document to the Brockdorff-Rantzau and the German delegates, who were there in waiting.

I went out to Longchamp to see the French Derby run despite the fact that it was Sunday. I had a boil on my neck and the President had suggested that possibly it might not be advisable for me to make the trip. Natrually, I took advantage of the opportunity to see the great race. night I had felt rather guilty but said nothing about where I had been. There was a good opening, however, when some one asked what the date was for the running of the Grand Prix. I replied: “I think .” The President turned to me and laughingly said: “You think! You know damn well when it will be run.” This naturally added to my feeling of semi-duplicity. Therefore, today, when Mrs. Wilson came up and laughingly levelling her finger at me said: “ I have something on you now” - I naturally thought she had learned that I had been to the races yesterday, so I said: “Well, don’t be too severe; I will throw myself on the mercy of the court; I am guilty.” The President and Mrs. Wilson drove me down to the Ritz, where I had a dinner engagement, and I told them about going to the races. The President listened and then began to laugh so heartily that he almost fell against the side of the automobile, and Mrs. Wilson joining in the laughter said: “Why, I knew nothing at all about your going to the races. What I had in mind was something entirely different.” It was another case of a guilty conscience being its own accuser.

Although the original summary to the Germans had provided for only five days within which they must make a reply and accept or reject the treaty, the French put over a typical trick in the presentation. Dutasta went out to Versailles alone. He was formerly French Ambassador to Constantinople and is a tried cog in the wheel of the French political machine which dominates things here now. When he handed the covering note and the treaty amendments to Brockdorff-Rantzau, the latter protested that five days was not sufficient for Germany to consider the question. Originally, it had been proposed that the Germans were to have a week to act upon this matter. Dutasta got in touch with Clemenceau and the latter, without consulting his colleagues, extended the time from five to seven days. This was entirely in violation of the understanding, but Clemenceau justified it on the ground that originally a week had been agreed to, and he thought that he had perfect authority to add the two days for the benefit of the Germans. The announcement that the time had been extended was made public by the French authorities before any information in connection with the matter was given to any of the associate members of the Big Four. Although they were highly displeased by this action, there was nothing left for them to do but publicly to approve it inasmuch as to have attempted to revert back to the original terms would have created a situation which the Germans could have been depended upon to take advantage of.

While the President was eating his dinner I read an article which appeared in the JOURNAL DES DEBATS. He remarked that it was a severe arraignment of Senator Lodge and the Republican Party. It was the first evidence on the part of any of the French newspapers that they were beginning to see that the opposition to the President in the United States was selfish and initiated entirely for partisan purposes. Heretofore the French papers have been printing everything that seemed detrimental to the President and the American Commission. The JOURNAL DES DEBATS is one of the most influential and conservative papers in France, and its denunciation of Senator Lodge’s attitude and the attitude of the Republicans in the Senate was likely to have and as a matter of fact did have a very serious effect in swinging public opinion back towards the position of the President so far as the French people were concerned.

Diary