Cary T. Grayson Diary
Title
Cary T. Grayson Diary
Creator
Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938
Identifier
WWP17103
Date
1919 March 13
Source
Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Staunton, Virginia
Language
English
Text
The President slept late today, realizing that he would be kept up late tonight, inasmuch as the steamer was not scheduled to reach Brest until sometime after seven o’clock. He had received wireless messages giving the program and every matter needing attention had been thoroughly cleaned up long before the French shores were sighted.
The President after lunch said to me: “Before I came to Washington I was an advocate and strong admirer of General Leonard Wood. Soon after my election to the Presidency several Congressmen called at Trenton to see me and to warn me against the intrigues of General Wood. After I was sworn into office I sent for General Hugh Scott, who was an old acquaintance and upon whom I felt I could rely. I asked him to give me his candid and personal opinion about General Wood. He told me that he thought he was the ablest officer in the Army, which I was glad to hear, especially because it substantiated my impressions of General Wood. I kept him for two years as Chief of Staff with an eye on trying him out. Much to my disappointment I found that he did not ring true. I always found him exceedingly able, but I first began to doubt his loyalty when he began to criticise severely Colonel Theodore Roosevelt to me. It had all the appearances of criticising him in order to gain favor with me. I still think that he is perhaps the most able of any man in the Army, but, unfortunately, he is full of intrigue and disloyal to his superiors. I think the suggestion which you made accounts for this change in his character, which was due to the operation performed on his skull for a depression of bone and a diseased area of bone adjoining the brain. This trouble was so near headquarters - the vital centers of the brain - that I can see how it would produce a change in character. I recommended to the Secretary of War that he be given an opportunity for active service abroad, and the matter was put up to General Pershing. General Pershing, however, strongly objected to having him, placing his objection on the ground that he would be disloyal and might try to undermine him and interfere with proper cooperation in the Army. You have always been a strong advocate and a great admirer of General Wood and I have had the same opinion and would have insisted on his assignment abroad but for the recommendations of General Pershing. After putting General Pershing in command, I felt that we ought to back him up in his selections.”
As the GEORGE WASHINGTON anchored off the sea-wall, the American transfer boat used by the port authorities hove in sight to starboard. The President was on Deck B with Mrs. Wilson and myself when the boat appeared. He went to his office on the port side to receive the committee of welcome. There were about 35 in the reception committee, which was headed by M. Pichon, and included Ambassador and Madame Jusserand, the Army and Navy Commanding Officers at Brest, with their staffs. A large bouquet of flowers was presented to Mrs. Wilson, and they were welcomed back to France by the French official representatives. While the transfer boat was lying alongside a little French launch with two men aboard caught fire and there was a little excitement for a moment until a destroyer lying astern came over, put the fire out and rescued the imperiled men.
Little time was lost in landing. By direction of the authorities the proposed program of a parade in automobiles through Brest was abandoned. The President entered the transfer boat and went directly ashore with his party, being landed at Pier 5, where a guard of honor of American doughboys had been lined up to receive him. The special train - the same which was used on our initial arrival - had been run down directly to a point in the rear of the landing dock, and after a few words of felicitation and welcome, the President proceeded to it, first, however, passing through the big Y. M. C. A. canteen here and inspecting it.
Colonel House had come down to Brest to see the President but waited for him on the pier. The train was scheduled to start for Paris at 11:00 o’clock, but the schedule was advanced more than half an hour, and the start made as soon as the baggage of the party had been put on board.
Leaving Brest the President and Colonel House went into conference and Colonel House told the President of the various developments, including the apparent desire on the part of the French authorities to have the League of Nations covenant side-tracked and a preliminary peace treaty signed which would include the complete disarmament of Germany, the creation of a Rhinish Republic, and would in effect do what the President had declared on a number of occasions he would not countenance absolutely denude Germany of everything she had and allow Bolshevism to spread throughout that country.
The run out of Brest was made through double lines of American troops, every precaution having been taken to safeguard the party. After the President had retired I talked over the developments since we had left Paris with some of the newspapermen and others who had come down on the train.
While en route from Brest to Paris the President told me that the French Ambassador had said to him that every one was in favor of the League of Nations, but, of course, there were a number of changes that would have to be made. The President said: “Hold on, Mr. Ambassador. I was at the meeting of this League of Nations, and every man there gave his opinion. They swapped their opinions, matched their minds against each other, and it was largely a game of give and take. There were a great many things that I wanted to put in there that I had to leave out. For instance, the Japanese wanted free immigration, and this was something to which others could not agree. This is the result of an agreement of all parties and it is the best agreement we could arrive at in the circumstances. It did not go as far as I would like - the covenant I drafted contained a number of things which were cut out - but I would rather accept this than nothing. If we had not accepted what we have here we would not have a League of Nations.”
The President after lunch said to me: “Before I came to Washington I was an advocate and strong admirer of General Leonard Wood. Soon after my election to the Presidency several Congressmen called at Trenton to see me and to warn me against the intrigues of General Wood. After I was sworn into office I sent for General Hugh Scott, who was an old acquaintance and upon whom I felt I could rely. I asked him to give me his candid and personal opinion about General Wood. He told me that he thought he was the ablest officer in the Army, which I was glad to hear, especially because it substantiated my impressions of General Wood. I kept him for two years as Chief of Staff with an eye on trying him out. Much to my disappointment I found that he did not ring true. I always found him exceedingly able, but I first began to doubt his loyalty when he began to criticise severely Colonel Theodore Roosevelt to me. It had all the appearances of criticising him in order to gain favor with me. I still think that he is perhaps the most able of any man in the Army, but, unfortunately, he is full of intrigue and disloyal to his superiors. I think the suggestion which you made accounts for this change in his character, which was due to the operation performed on his skull for a depression of bone and a diseased area of bone adjoining the brain. This trouble was so near headquarters - the vital centers of the brain - that I can see how it would produce a change in character. I recommended to the Secretary of War that he be given an opportunity for active service abroad, and the matter was put up to General Pershing. General Pershing, however, strongly objected to having him, placing his objection on the ground that he would be disloyal and might try to undermine him and interfere with proper cooperation in the Army. You have always been a strong advocate and a great admirer of General Wood and I have had the same opinion and would have insisted on his assignment abroad but for the recommendations of General Pershing. After putting General Pershing in command, I felt that we ought to back him up in his selections.”
As the GEORGE WASHINGTON anchored off the sea-wall, the American transfer boat used by the port authorities hove in sight to starboard. The President was on Deck B with Mrs. Wilson and myself when the boat appeared. He went to his office on the port side to receive the committee of welcome. There were about 35 in the reception committee, which was headed by M. Pichon, and included Ambassador and Madame Jusserand, the Army and Navy Commanding Officers at Brest, with their staffs. A large bouquet of flowers was presented to Mrs. Wilson, and they were welcomed back to France by the French official representatives. While the transfer boat was lying alongside a little French launch with two men aboard caught fire and there was a little excitement for a moment until a destroyer lying astern came over, put the fire out and rescued the imperiled men.
Little time was lost in landing. By direction of the authorities the proposed program of a parade in automobiles through Brest was abandoned. The President entered the transfer boat and went directly ashore with his party, being landed at Pier 5, where a guard of honor of American doughboys had been lined up to receive him. The special train - the same which was used on our initial arrival - had been run down directly to a point in the rear of the landing dock, and after a few words of felicitation and welcome, the President proceeded to it, first, however, passing through the big Y. M. C. A. canteen here and inspecting it.
Colonel House had come down to Brest to see the President but waited for him on the pier. The train was scheduled to start for Paris at 11:00 o’clock, but the schedule was advanced more than half an hour, and the start made as soon as the baggage of the party had been put on board.
Leaving Brest the President and Colonel House went into conference and Colonel House told the President of the various developments, including the apparent desire on the part of the French authorities to have the League of Nations covenant side-tracked and a preliminary peace treaty signed which would include the complete disarmament of Germany, the creation of a Rhinish Republic, and would in effect do what the President had declared on a number of occasions he would not countenance absolutely denude Germany of everything she had and allow Bolshevism to spread throughout that country.
The run out of Brest was made through double lines of American troops, every precaution having been taken to safeguard the party. After the President had retired I talked over the developments since we had left Paris with some of the newspapermen and others who had come down on the train.
While en route from Brest to Paris the President told me that the French Ambassador had said to him that every one was in favor of the League of Nations, but, of course, there were a number of changes that would have to be made. The President said: “Hold on, Mr. Ambassador. I was at the meeting of this League of Nations, and every man there gave his opinion. They swapped their opinions, matched their minds against each other, and it was largely a game of give and take. There were a great many things that I wanted to put in there that I had to leave out. For instance, the Japanese wanted free immigration, and this was something to which others could not agree. This is the result of an agreement of all parties and it is the best agreement we could arrive at in the circumstances. It did not go as far as I would like - the covenant I drafted contained a number of things which were cut out - but I would rather accept this than nothing. If we had not accepted what we have here we would not have a League of Nations.”
Original Format
Diary
Files
Collection
Citation
Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938, “Cary T. Grayson Diary,” 1919 March 13, WWP17103, Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.