From Isolation to Leadership, Revised: A Review of American Foreign PolicyLatané, John Holladay
History
From Isolation to Leadership, Revised: A Review of American Foreign Policy
Latané, John Holladay
United States -- Foreign relations
The terms of the Armistice were drawn up by the Interallied Council at
Versailles and completed by November 5. They were much more severe
than the public had expected them to be. Germany was required
immediately to evacuate Belgium, France, Alsace-Lorraine, and
Luxemburg; to withdraw her armies from the entire territory on the left
bank of the Rhine, and from Russia, Austria-Hungary, Rumania, and
Turkey; she was to surrender enormous quantities of heavy artillery and
airplanes, all her submarines, and most of her battleships, cruisers,
and destroyers. This was practically unconditional surrender.
Contrary to the general belief at the time, it is now known that Foch
and Haig considered these terms too severe and feared that Germany
would not accept them. They wanted an armistice that Germany would
accept. General Bliss, on the other hand, wanted to demand "the
complete disarmament and demobilization of the military and naval
forces of the enemy." In America there was much criticism of the
President for being willing to negotiate with Germany at all. "On to
Berlin" was a popular cry, and it was thought that the President was
preventing a complete military triumph. On October 10 Senator Lodge
declared in the Senate: "The Republican party stands for unconditional
surrender and complete victory, just as Grant stood. My own belief is
that the American people mean to have an unconditional surrender. They
mean to have a dictated, not a negotiated peace."
After reviewing the Armistice negotiations Andre Tardieu, a member of
the French Cabinet and delegate to the Peace Conference, says:
"What remains of the fiction, believed by so many, of an armistice
secretly determined upon by an American dictator; submitted to by the
European governments: imposed by their weakness upon the victorious
armies, despite the opposition of the generals? The Armistice was
discussed in the open light of day. President Wilson only consented to
communicate it to his associates on the triple condition that its
principle be approved by the military authorities and its clauses would
be drawn up by them; that it be imposed upon the enemy and not
discussed with him; that it be such as to prevent all resumption of
hostilities and assure the submission of the vanquished to the terms of
peace. So it was that the discussion went on with Berlin till October
23, and in Paris from that date till November 5. It was to the
Commander-in-Chief [Foch] that final decision was left not only on the
principle of the Armistice but upon its application. He it was who
drew up the text. And it was his draft that was adopted. The action
of the governments was limited to endorsing it and making it more
severe. That is the truth:--it is perhaps less picturesque but
certainly more in accord with common sense."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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