763.72119/9124: Telegram
The Special Representative ( House ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:43 p.m.]
91. For the President. Hunter [ Hughes ], Australian Premier, in a letter to the Times of November 9, 1918, states that he has remained [Page 408] [in] London for the purpose of representing Australia in the settlement of the terms of peace.1 He says:
“The first intimation I received that the terms of peace had been discussed at Versailles, was conveyed in the document which I received which notified me that they had been definitely settled. Neither imperial war cabinet nor the individual representatives of the dominions, or at any rate of Australia were consulted in any way.”
To this the British Government press bureau in the same copy of Times replies:
“The terms of peace were exhaustively discussed by the war cabinet and communicated to the Australian Government before the conference at Versailles and nothing had been agreed upon at that conference inconsistent with the general conclusion of the war cabinet.”
There is no denial that the terms of peace have been effectively outlined.
Leading editorial of Times, November 9th, discusses the American elections, pointing out that their importance is psychological rather than concrete.
“They will not change the President’s policy but they will, to some extent, affect the atmosphere by removing certain misapprehensions and strengthen the ‘united front’ and will help to bring the President’s ideals into still closer touch with opinions in America and in all allied countries.”
- In regard to this letter, see also telegram from the consul general at London, Nov. 9, 1918, 12 a.m., Foreign Relations, 1918, supp. 1, vol. i, p. 490.↩