Paris Peace Conf. 184/249: Telegram
The Commission to Negotiate Peace to the Secretary of State
5601. Strictly confidential from Polk for the Secretary of State only. Your telegram No. 3985 of December 6 has just been received. In order that I may make the situation entirely clear, I think I should let you know that I never had any idea that the Supreme Council should be continued for any other purposes than those which I indicated in my personal telegrams to you. All along I have been in favor of winding up the Supreme Council. It is my idea also that Ambassador Wallace should have no authority to act in any way except on direct instructions from the Department in each case and that all political questions of every nature should be taken up with the United States Government through the State Department. You agreed that in case of absolute necessity Ambassador Wallace might be designated to represent the United States in the negotiations of treaties with Roumania and Hungary. I thought it would be better if the powers could be given to understand before our departure that he was authorized to act for the United States. It was also entirely clear in my mind that his presence for this purpose should not be regarded as a continuation of American representation on the Supreme Council for any other purpose.
In regard to paragraph 3, I quite agree that the United States should not be signatory to the protocol although it would be within our right and it was never our intention that the United States delegation should be present at the signing of the protocol or at the first meeting of the League of Nations.
I think I have been successful in having the British modify the reparation clause on Scapa Flow by referring to the reparation committee for final decision the objection raised by Germany that the delivery of material would cripple it commercially. This ought to meet the German objections.
The last paragraph of the protocol has now been modified in such a way as to meet your views. The note in reply to the German note is also being further modified in a way of which I am sure you will approve.
[Page 700]In case the Germans refuse to sign the protocol it had already been understood that the United States could not be committed to any coercive measures of a military or economic character without specific orders from the President.
The point which I have been trying to make was that if Ambassador Wallace should receive some instructions before our departure, he would be in a position to represent the United States in connection with the Roumanian and Hungarian treaties without his having to wait in order to refer the matter to the Department which takes a long time. His power would amount to nothing, but the matter that has disturbed us is the question of appearances. Polk.