Paris Peace Conf. 184.01102/266
Professor Philip M. Brown to Professor A. C. Coolidge 6
Subject: The Inter-allied Military Mission.
Sir: 1. I enclose herewith documents7 furnished me by Colonel Vix the head of the Inter-allied Military Mission namely (I.) a memorandum showing various affronts inflicted on the French Mission; (II.) a copy of the collective note addressed to the Soviet Republic in the form of a Protocole on the subject of the departure of the various Military Missions grouped as one Inter-allied Mission; and (III.) a copy of the declaration furnished the Government regarding the nature of the new line of demarcation.
2. Regarding the affronts to the French Mission, I would state that feeling here against the French has been running very high. This has been due to several causes. First it is evident that the French have not been exactly suaviter in modo. Secondly, the Hungarians greatly resented the sending of the Spahis; and thirdly the French unfortunately had to bear the brunt of a policy that the Hungarians bitterly resented. Colonel Vix and his staff were submitted to a most humiliating treatment. I saw irresponsible members of the Red Guard exercising a control in his own anteroom. I think Colonel Vix has shown an extraordinary self-control and sangfroid under excessively exasperating circumstances.
3. In regard to the departure of the Mission, the Government has been most disinclined to have the foreign Military officers leave. Although Colonel Vix expressed a desire to leave last Friday the 21st, the question of affording proper facilities has dragged on till the present moment. It was first agreed that the Inter-allied Mission should leave last night at 8 o’clock. At the last moment it was announced that the train could not be gotten ready, and that time must be allowed to get ready the necessary passports, etc., reasons which were only pretexts to conceal other ends. This morning the Mission was notified to be ready to leave at noon. I went to see them off at the train, and learned that they had been informed at the last moment they could not leave until 8 o’clock tonight “pour des raisons techniques”.
4. I cannot but feel that this procedure on the part of the new Government is not only unpardonable but most disquieting. It is possible that in the present state of disorganization and demoralization the [Page 423] Government does not quite know what to do in order to carry out its program. Furthermore, they do not yet feel sure as to their fate at the hands of the Entente. I have been told that they are afraid that the departure of the Military Mission will entirely discredit them in the eyes of the Entente. They claim that they wish to maintain diplomatic relations with the Entente. It may be that they have sinister ends in view. I cannot yet determine. I only know that there is little personal security for the Military Mission, and that they could not possibly tolerate this situation.
5. The British of course are very indignant over the seizure of two small submarine chasers and the forcible removal of the crews. The crews were at once sent back on board and the chasers came back to the moorings in front of this hotel. Apologies were offered for the incident, but it is naturally one that cannot easily be overlooked. These two boats have dropped down stream today at great risk of being fired on from the shore as happened the other day to two good sized British monitors when an officer was seriously wounded. The monitors withdrew immediately, and I hear they are safely within Entente jurisdiction. I have been informed that three lines of mines have been placed across the Danube below this city.
6. I would add that I could not allow any impression to exist that there was any lack of solidarity of aims and sentiments between the members of the Entente, and so without participating formally in the démarches of the Inter-allied Mission, I found ways of letting the Government know that personally I found the situation intolerable from the point of view of the members of this Mission. There has been a decided tendency here to make it appear that the French did not have the support of the Entente in the measures adopted here, particularly in the matter of the new line of demarcation. I have made it clear that we have nothing to do with Military Missions or political matters, but I could not allow anyone to imply in any way that there was any divergence of views between the Allies as to the decisions of the Conference at Paris. This would have been particularly reprehensible at this critical time if I permitted anyone to think that we Americans and the British and Italians as well were to be treated on a more favorable footing than the French whose lives have been actually in danger.
7. In regard to enclosure number III, I would state merely that this announcement published in yesterday’s papers to the effect that the new line of demarcation was not intended as a political frontier, has had an excellent effect on the public. It is a great pity that this statement was not originally included in the official notification.
Sincerely yours,