Paris Peace Conf. 184.011/160

The Office of the Secretary General of the Commission to Negotiate Peace to the Commissioners Plenipotentiary

No. 250

Subject: Status of Coolidge mission.

Statement:

Mr. Grew has received a letter from Professor Coolidge in Vienna in which he suggests that his Mission be brought to a close when the terms of peace with Austria have definitely been decided upon. His reasons are:

(a)
The mission was sent out to do certain work in connection with the making of the treaty of peace; and that work is now about done;
(b)
Ministers have been appointed to Czecho-Slovakia and Poland, leaving Professor Coolidge without jurisdiction in those territories. He is having his last man leave Prague, and Lieutenant Foster can no longer work in Poland under Professor Coolidge;
(c)
No need for observers in Jugo-Slavia after question of boundaries is definitely decided;
(d)
The situation has changed, and food and economic questions are coming more to the front,—while the Coolidge Mission still has no direct political and diplomatic relations;
(e)
A well equipped French Mission has just arrived in Vienna, and is giving not only advice but warning to the Foreign Secretary. Professor Coolidge’s Mission is one of diminishing importance and dignity:
(f)
Very few members of the Coolidge Mission have not, at one time or another, expressed a desire to leave;
(g)
Professor Coolidge makes it clear that he does not mean to leave so long as his presence in Vienna may be regarded as really necessary or even highly useful to the Commission and the Government; but does not wish to stay indefinitely after his work has ceased until the Government sends a regular official to fill his place.

Captain Roosevelt also writes from Vienna strongly expressing his view that the work of the Coolidge Mission is over. He states that the time has come for the Mission to “play on the safe side” and leave; and bases his reason for this mainly on the fact that the people persist in thinking (although it is frequently denied) that the Mission is more than one merely to get information. He states that the people have great faith in the Mission, but “greater will be their disillusion when they discover that the Mission has stayed long, listened sympathetically, studied much and done nothing.”

Mr. Dulles does not see how it would at present be possible to get along without a Mission in Vienna, which he feels is essential until the Austrian and Hungarian representatives actually come to Paris. He [Page 525] feels that the State Department should endeavor to replace the temporary Missions sent out by the Commission by Consular officers prepared to stay permanently and to take out their exequaturs as soon as peace is signed. Although this is not entirely according to diplomatic precedent, he states that the French and British (generally more “hide-bound” than we) have taken the lead,—the French by sending such a man as Allizé to Vienna and the British by sending one of their former Consular representatives.

Recommendation:

It is recommended that steps be taken to replace the Coolidge Mission as soon as possible by appropriate Consular representatives who should, of course, not act as such until after the signing of peace.

Approval, disapproval, or comment

28 April, 1919.

At the meeting of the Commissioners this morning the above memorandum was read regarding the possible withdrawal of the Coolidge Mission from Vienna. The Commissioners do not see how it would be possible to withdraw the Mission at the present moment, nor until the representatives of Austria and Hungary had been summoned to meet the Allies. The possibility of taking steps to replace the Coolidge Mission by Consular representatives was carefully considered, and Mr. Lansing approved the suggestion that a telegram be sent to the Department of State pointing out the desirability of relieving Prof. Coolidge at the earliest possible moment and inquiring whether it would be possible to send a Consular officer to Vienna to act unofficially until the signature of Peace would make it possible for him to take out his exequatur. Mr. Lansing further approved the suggestion that the name of Mr. Coffin, former Consul General at Budapest should be suggested to the Department as a man who might be qualified to take the place of Prof. Coolidge.

Allen W. Dulles