Paris Peace Conf. 102.1/84a: Telegram
The Commission to Negotiate Peace to the Acting Secretary of State
775. D–52 for Rathbone14 [from Davis, Lamont, and Strauss]. While Strauss and Lamont were in transit, Davis cabled you regarding (1st) numbering cables, and (2nd) removal of all records to Paris and arrangements for getting needed information from London. See cables D–25 and D–5.15
Organization now consists of Davis, Lamont, Strauss, Jeremiah Smith, Loree,
Cook, Whitney and sufficient stenographers.16 Harris will
probably remain, but status not settled. Cables are coded by Ammission. Cook
has just arrived after having closed London office. He and Loree are dealing
with daily cables, but Loree is taking his family back to New York next week
and cannot, until his arrival there, tell if he can return. Davis, Lamont,
Strauss, with Smith as Counsel, will keep each other thoroughly posted and
consult on all matters daily. Work of Mission here is done through
Committees, American membership of which is settled by President, who has
appointed Davis on Committee for Reparation of Damages and Armistice
Committee. Strauss, besides other more temporary tasks assigned to him,
while in transit, was named on Finance Committee. Members of Committees can
designate alternates and we expect to conduct our affairs interchangeably,
Lamont to act on Armistice Committee, Davis on Reparation, Strauss on
Finance. Treasury [Page 506] point of view as
to advances and terms of obligations and generally of settlement of all
financial questions by Secretary of Treasury, is fully understood by all and
Davis has heretofore succeeded by insisting on this view in warding off
numerous requests for advances. Lamont has been laid up with influenza, but
is well now. Strauss has gone to most meetings with Davis, getting
acquainted with people and organization. These meetings have so multiplied
recently that there has been practically no time to draft cables posting you
generally, which we hope to find time for shortly. The Supreme War Council
has set up a Supreme Economic Council consisting of representatives of five
principal powers, on which President has named for United States, Davis,
Hoover, McCormick, Hurley, Baruch. Supreme Economic Council constituted
under following resolution of Supreme War Council:
Supreme Economic Council, like all other interallied bodies, can only act by unanimous consent. Financial questions to come before Economic Council are likely to be limited to relief questions, also methods in which Germany and Austria will pay for food or kindred questions. Davis will not of course act without your instructions in any cases except where your views or instructions have been communicated.
All Inter-Allied questions are becoming more and more Armistice questions or Peace Treaty questions, consequently present Inter-Allied bodies are referring more and more problems to Supreme War Council which has neither time nor organization to deal with them. Supreme Economic Council is therefore intended as a sort of Executive Committee of Supreme War Council to settle questions on which after discussion unanimous consent may be obtainable leaving, it is hoped, only a few clear-cut issues to be presented for decision.
We have taken every occasion to impress on all National representatives that we meet, the limits on power of the United States to [Page 507] make advances because of legislative limitations and also impossibility of placing unlimited Liberty Bonds and have urged them to induce their merchants and bankers to make private arrangements with American business men, encouraging them with our opinion that credit and investment markets in the United States if properly cultivated can probably deal with all needs for purchases in the United States. Davis, Lamont, Strauss.