Jan Christian Smuts Remarks about Woodrow Wilson
Title
Jan Christian Smuts Remarks about Woodrow Wilson
Creator
Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938
Identifier
WWP16643
Date
1930 January 14
Description
Cary T. Grayson records the visit of South African statesman General Jan Christian Smuts and his remarks about Woodrow Wilson.
Source
Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Staunton, Virginia
Language
English
Text
General Jan Christian Smuts at the Carlton Hotel at 11:30 am in my car and took him to the National Cathedral, where he went to place a wreath on President Wilson’s tomb.
There was no ceremony about it as General Smuts preferred to do it in a simple, unostentatious manner. At the Cathedral he was met by Canon Peter and Mr. Edwin N. Lewis, Secretary of the National Cathedral fund.
The General placed the wreath on the tomb and said “I place this wreath on the tomb of Woodrow Wilson, America’s greatest citizen and a benefactor to humanity.” He bowed his head in silence for a few seconds, then turned and walked away, and as he did so he looked back at the Tomb and the three flags over it - The American Flag, the Flag of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, and the Flag of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy - the same flags that were used for the President of the United States at the Peace Conference in Paris.
As we rode back in the car, General Smuts in speaking of President Wilson said “He was the greatest citizen America has ever had. His name has more international importance than that of Washington or Lincoln. During the War when he spoke his voice rang around the world such as no other man’s ever did. He was a man of great courage. Perhaps is may be said he had too much courage. While I admire him intensely, I think perhaps it would have been better if he hadn’t had so much courage but had been just a little more of a politician. Nevertheless, I shall always admire him and remember his great courage and his great intellectual ability, and the world will appreciate him more and more as the years go on.” Then he continued “Politics are much the same the world over, and I think that I can see that what happened here was the same old jelalousy that we all have to contend with at one time or another. The bigger the man the greater the jealousy.”
I said to him “Why do you call Wilson America’s greatest citizen?” He replied “When Washington and Lincoln spoke, they spoke to America, but when Wilson spoke, he spoke to the World.”
Then the General spoke of the number of weak men that President Wilson gathered around him. He said he was amazed when he read Colonel House’s book - it was so different from the facts as he knew them, and he said that he little dreamed that Colonel House as he knew him in Paris, was a man of such egotism. He added that of course House would not have dared to claim the credit for the things that he did about the League of Nations if Woodrow Wilson had been living. “Egotism, egotism,” he said. He spoke of Secretary Lansing’s book as “pathetic.” He said that President Wilson’s discredit was that big man as he was, he had collected people of that type about him. He said “The only recognition that those people in the Senate and elsewhere who opposed him will have in the years to come is that they it may be said that they barked at the heels of this great man. After a few moments he said “You know, President Hoover was very strong and enthusiastic about the League when I knew him in Paris.”
The General several times reiterated that it was like old times for he and myself to be together again because we had so many meetings in Paris and numererous were the occasions when I called on him with a message from President Wilson, asking for his advice and suggestions about certain matters. He said “You once gave me an invitation to visit the battlefields of Virginia of Robert E. Lee and Stoneweall Jackson, and I am sorry that in this short visit, I cannot arrange for it this time, but I am coming back especially for that purpose some day, and I’d like to devote a number of days to it. They are two Generals whom I feel I know very well.”
As we parted, he said “I am so happy to have had the opportunity to place that wreath on President Wilson’s tomb, and I am so thankful to you and think it was so appropriate for you to come with me. It all recalls to me the memories of the days we had together in Paris.”
There was no ceremony about it as General Smuts preferred to do it in a simple, unostentatious manner. At the Cathedral he was met by Canon Peter and Mr. Edwin N. Lewis, Secretary of the National Cathedral fund.
The General placed the wreath on the tomb and said “I place this wreath on the tomb of Woodrow Wilson, America’s greatest citizen and a benefactor to humanity.” He bowed his head in silence for a few seconds, then turned and walked away, and as he did so he looked back at the Tomb and the three flags over it - The American Flag, the Flag of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, and the Flag of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy - the same flags that were used for the President of the United States at the Peace Conference in Paris.
As we rode back in the car, General Smuts in speaking of President Wilson said “He was the greatest citizen America has ever had. His name has more international importance than that of Washington or Lincoln. During the War when he spoke his voice rang around the world such as no other man’s ever did. He was a man of great courage. Perhaps is may be said he had too much courage. While I admire him intensely, I think perhaps it would have been better if he hadn’t had so much courage but had been just a little more of a politician. Nevertheless, I shall always admire him and remember his great courage and his great intellectual ability, and the world will appreciate him more and more as the years go on.” Then he continued “Politics are much the same the world over, and I think that I can see that what happened here was the same old jelalousy that we all have to contend with at one time or another. The bigger the man the greater the jealousy.”
I said to him “Why do you call Wilson America’s greatest citizen?” He replied “When Washington and Lincoln spoke, they spoke to America, but when Wilson spoke, he spoke to the World.”
Then the General spoke of the number of weak men that President Wilson gathered around him. He said he was amazed when he read Colonel House’s book - it was so different from the facts as he knew them, and he said that he little dreamed that Colonel House as he knew him in Paris, was a man of such egotism. He added that of course House would not have dared to claim the credit for the things that he did about the League of Nations if Woodrow Wilson had been living. “Egotism, egotism,” he said. He spoke of Secretary Lansing’s book as “pathetic.” He said that President Wilson’s discredit was that big man as he was, he had collected people of that type about him. He said “The only recognition that those people in the Senate and elsewhere who opposed him will have in the years to come is that they it may be said that they barked at the heels of this great man. After a few moments he said “You know, President Hoover was very strong and enthusiastic about the League when I knew him in Paris.”
The General several times reiterated that it was like old times for he and myself to be together again because we had so many meetings in Paris and numererous were the occasions when I called on him with a message from President Wilson, asking for his advice and suggestions about certain matters. He said “You once gave me an invitation to visit the battlefields of Virginia of Robert E. Lee and Stoneweall Jackson, and I am sorry that in this short visit, I cannot arrange for it this time, but I am coming back especially for that purpose some day, and I’d like to devote a number of days to it. They are two Generals whom I feel I know very well.”
As we parted, he said “I am so happy to have had the opportunity to place that wreath on President Wilson’s tomb, and I am so thankful to you and think it was so appropriate for you to come with me. It all recalls to me the memories of the days we had together in Paris.”
Files
Collection
Citation
Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938, “Jan Christian Smuts Remarks about Woodrow Wilson,” 1930 January 14, WWP16643, Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.