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https://presidentwilson.org/files/original/2e96d80ebd17c021bcda27d095d804cc.pdf
4a3d09757acc67c11591646c5979f60c
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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World War I Letters
Subject
The topic of the resource
World War, 1914-1918
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Woodrow Wilson
Source
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Library of Congress, Woodrow Wilson Papers, 1786-1957
Description
An account of the resource
Letters from the White House to various individuals
Publisher
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Library of Congress
Contributor
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Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library
Format
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3 file drawers of scanned copies, 1517 pdfs
Language
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English
Type
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papers, digital documents
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1917-1918
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
MS100001
Text
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Text
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">TRANSLATION</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Issued by the German Government of its Communication</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">dated October 20, 1918,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Transmitted to the Secretary of State</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">by the Charge d’Affaires a.i. of Switzerland</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">on October 22, 1918.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">******</span></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In accepting the proposal for an evacuation of the occupied territories the German Government has started from the assumption that the procedure of this evacuation and of the conditions of the armistice should be left to the judgment of the military advisers and that the actual standard of power on both sides in the field has to form the basis for [</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">of</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">] arrangements safeguarding and guaranteeing this standard. The German Government suggests to the President to bring about an opportunity for fixing the details. It trusts that the President of the United States will approve of no demand which would [</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">(will)</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">] be irreconcilable with the honor of the German people and with opening a way to a peace of justice.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The German Government protests against the reproach of illegal and inhumane actions made against the German land and sea forces and thereby against the German people. For the covering of a retreat, destructions will always be necessary and are insofar permitted by international law. The German troops are under the strictest instructions to spare private property and to exercise care for the population to the best of their ability. Where transgressions occur in spite of these instructions the guilty are being punished.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The German Government further denies that the German Navy in sinking ships has ever purposely destroyed lifeboats with their passengers. The German Government proposes with regard to all these charges that the facts be cleared up by neutral commissions. In order to avoid anything that might hamper the work of peace, the German Government has caused orders to be despatched to all submarine commanders precluding the torpedoing of passenger ships, without, however, for technical reasons, being able to guarantee that these orders will reach every single submarine at sea before its return.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As the fundamental condition[</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">s</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">] for peace, the President characterizes the destruction of every arbitrary power that can separately, secretly and of its own single choice disturb the peace of the world. To this the German Government replies: Hitherto the representation of the people in the German Empire has not been endowed with an influence on the formation of the Government. The Constitution did not provide for a concurrence of the representation of the people in decision[</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">s</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">] on peace and war. These conditions have just now undergone a fundamental change. The [</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">A</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">] new government has been formed in complete accordance with the wishes of the representation of the people, based on the equal, universal, secret, direct franchise. The leaders of the great parties of the Reichstag are members of this government. In future no Government can take or continue in office without possessing the confidence of the majority of the Reichstag. The responsibility of the Chancellor of the Empire to the representation of the people is being legally developed and safeguarded. The first act of the new government has been to lay before the Reichstag a bill to alter the Constitution of the Empire so that the consent of the representation of the people is required for decisions on war and peace. The permanence of the new system is, however, guaranteed not only by constitutional safeguards, but also by the unshakable determination of the German people, whose vast majority stands behind these reforms and demands their energetic continuance.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The question of the President, with whom he and the Governments associated against Germany are dealing, is therefore answered in a clear and unequivocal manner by the statement that the offer of peace and an armistice has come from a government which, free from [</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">any</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">] arbitrary and irresponsible influence, is supported by the approval of the overwhelming majority of the German people.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Berlin.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">(Signed) SOLF</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">State Secretary of Foreign Affairs.</span></p>
Numeric
Date
19181020
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Letter
To
The name(s) and email address(es) of the person to whom the email was sent
Lansing, Robert, 1864-1928
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
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WWP25293
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1918 October 20
Title
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Translation Issued by the German Government
Creator
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Solf, W. H. (Wilhelm Heinrich), 1862-1936
Language
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English
Format
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pdf file
Source
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Library of Congress, Woodrow Wilson Papers
Publisher
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Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum
Contributor
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Danna Faulds
Provenance
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Document scan was taken from Library of Congress microfilm reel of the Wilson Papers. WWPL volunteers transcribed the text.
Subject
The topic of the resource
World War, 1914-1918--Armistices
Germany--Politics and government--1918-1933
Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924
Description
An account of the resource
The German people approve of the armistice.
Type
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Text
Relation
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WWP25290
WWP25291
WWP25292