Nevertheless, the situation was urgent, and the President seems to have felt that his interposition could perhaps accomplish something which the German initiative could not. Colonel House in the last two years had made a number of trips to Europe as a sort of super-Ambassador to all the powers in the endeavor to find out what their Governments regarded as suitable terms of peace. Mr. Wilson's own interest lay first of all in the establishment of conditions that would reduce--or, as men would have said in 1916, prevent--the possibility of future wars. On May 27, 1916, he had delivered a speech before the League to Enforce Peace in which he favored the formation of an international association for the delay or prevention of wars and the preservation of the freedom of the seas. Later speeches contained doctrines most of which were eventually written into the League covenant, and were based on the central theory that all nations must act together to prevent the next war, as otherwise they would all be drawn into it. On Oct. 26 he had declared that "this is the last war the United States can ever keep out of." _The United States in the War_ _Declaration of war, April 6, 1917._ _American warships in European waters, May 4, 1917._ _First Liberty Loan offered, May 14, 1917._ _Selective Service act operative, May 18, 1917._ _First American troops in France, July 1, 1917._ _Fourteen Points speech, January 8, 1918._ _"Force to the utmost" speech, April 6, 1918._ _Americans in action at Cantigny, May 28, 1918._ _Chateau-Thierry, June 1-5, 1918._ _Marne-Aisne offensive, July 15-August, 1918._ _St. Mihiel offensive, September 12, 1918._ _Meuse-Argonne offensive, September 26-November 11, 1918._ _Austrian peace proposal, September 15, 1918._ _First German peace note, October 4, 1918._ _Armistice ending the war, November 11, 1918._