Date and number

1919 Jan. 15 (6746)

Jan. 15 (242)

Jan. 15 (244)

Jan. 15

(246)

Jan. 17

Jan. 21

1918 Nov. 10 (11)

Nov. 17 (17)

Nov. 22

Nov. 23

(151)

FINANCIAL QUESTIONS—Continued

Subject

The Chargé in France (Bliss) to the Acting Secretary of State
(tel.)

For the Secretary of the Treasury from Crosby: Indications that Venizelos intends to appeal for further credits to maintain Greek Army on preceding year's level.

The Acting Secretary of State to the Commission to Negotiate
Peace (tel.)

For Lansing from Glass: Information that Strauss is being sent to Europe for a short stay.

The Acting Secretary of State to the Commission to Negotiate
Peace (tel.)

For the President from Glass: Information that action is
being taken in accordance with telegram No. 252, January 11.
The Acting Secretary of State to the Commission to Negotiate
Peace (tel.)

For Davis from Glass: Approval of appointment as Treasury representative on the council described in telegram No. 186 of January 7.

President Wilson to the Secretary of State

Approval of decision to follow General Bliss' advice in answering Mr. Crosby concerning Belgian Army.

The Secretary of State to the Special Commissioner of Finance in
Europe (Crosby)

Statement that the United States should not finance any
increase in any military establishment in Europe.

REPARATIONS

The Special Representative (House) to President Wilson (tel.)
Recommendation, in view of enormous claims which France
and Belgium will make on Germany, that U. S. engineers make
an approximate estimate for U. S. Government's guidance.
The Special Representative (House) to President Wilson (tel.)
Inquiry whether to proceed with estimate.

The Italian Ambassador (Macchi di Cellere) to the Secretary of
State

Observation that peace treaty should exempt property owned by Allied citizens in enemy countries from taxes for payment of war indemnities or should provide special indemnity for reimbursement of such taxes; desire to be informed of U. S. attitude.

(Footnote: Information to the Italian Chargé, December 24, that the question would receive attentive consideration.)

The Special Representative (House) to the Secretary of State (tel.)
For the President: Request to General Pershing, upon re-
ceipt of President's authorization to proceed, for detail of offi-
cer to undertake estimate; assignment of Brigadier General
C. H. McKinstry.

Page

569

569

569

570

571

571

575

575

575

576

REPARATIONS-Continued

Subject

Brigadier General C. H. McKinstry to the Special Representative
(House)

Recommendations regarding procedure to be followed in
estimating damage to industries in the invaded parts of Bel-
gium and France; preference for verification of Belgian and
French estimates rather than independent investigation.

The Chargé in Great Britain (Laughlin) to the Secretary of State
(tel.)

For Rathbone from Goodhue: Request for estimates of valuation of German Government and private property in the United States and U. S. Government and private property in Germany, total cost of war to the U. S. Government, and annual pre-war increase in U. S. national income.

Colonel E. M. House to Brigadier General C. H. McKinstry
Instructions to proceed with estimate, consulting with French
and Belgian officials as occasions require.

Mr. D. H. Miller to Colonel E. M. House (tel.)

Uncertainty of final attitude of British as to indemnities; desirability of asking British, French, and Italians for definite formulation of attitude on this and financial questions generally.

Mr. D. H. Miller to Colonel E. M. House (tel.)

Views of Keynes regarding question of indemnities.

The Diplomatic Liaison Officer With the Supreme War Council
(Frasier) to Brigadier General C. H. McKinstry

Letter from the French Foreign Minister to Colonel House,
December 5 (text printed), advising that General McKinstry
may communicate with the two French Ministers who are in
charge of evaluation of damages in invaded portions of France,
and stating that French investigation continues to show that
losses are greater than previously supposed.

The Acting Secretary of State to the Chargé in Great Britain
(Laughlin) (tel.)

For Crosby from Rathbone: Reply to Goodhue's inquiries
transmitted in telegram No. 4162 of November 30.

Memorandum by the Advisory Counsel of the American Mission
to the Inter-Allied Council on War Purchases and Finance
(Cravath)

Presentation of some of the principal problems to be con-
sidered in the forthcoming discussions on indemnities, including
a tentative program respecting indemnity to be paid by Ger-
many, and preliminary conclusion that wisest course would
be for Allies to err on the side of leniency and avoid subjecting
Germany to an army of occupation for several years and to a
crushing burden of external debt for a generation or more.

The Commission to Negotiate Peace to the Acting Secretary of
State (tel.)

From Lansing: Request for estimate of property of citizens
of the old Austrian Empire and the present German-Austria
de facto Government now held by the Alien Property Custodian;
desire for information as to procedure for disposing of such
property.

Page

576

580

581

582

582

582

583

584

605

Date and number

1918 Dec. 22

Dec. 28

1919 Jan. 1

Jan. 5

Jan. 6

Jan. 9 (211)

Dec. 30 Brigadier General C. H. McKinstry to the Chief of Engineers,
American Expeditionary Forces (Langfitt)

Report on the nature and status of the work in connection
with evaluation of war damages to France and Belgium.

Jan. 9

Jan. 11 (186)

Jan. 21 (344)

REPARATIONS Continued

Subject

General Tasker H. Bliss to Brigadier General C. H. McKinstry
Inability to furnish information, in reply to an inquiry from
General McKinstry, as to who is going to make an estimate of
what Germany can afford to pay; suggestion that matter be
discussed with Colonel House.

Memorandum by Dr. A. A. Young

Suggestion that U. S. policy with respect to indemnities be based on the principle that actual personal compensation is the purpose as well as the measure of the indemnity.

Brigadier General C. H. McKinstry to the Commission to Nego-
tiate Peace

Presentation of certain questions discussed with Colonel
House, and in general all questions relating to verification of
French and Belgian war damages, to the Commission for
determination.

Memorandum by General Tasker H. Bliss for the Commission to
Negotiate Peace

Recommendation that after certain groups of claims are formulated, American experts select a few claims for independent investigation and judge the approximate accuracy of the entire claim by the results.

The Chief of Staff, American Expeditionary Forces (McAndrews),
to the Chief of Engineers, A. E. F. (Langfitt)

Impossibility of furnishing the organization, equipment, and
authority for expenditure of A. E. F. funds called for in
General McKinstry's report of December 30, 1918; willingness,
however, to permit use of existing facilities.

The Commission to Negotiate Peace to the Acting Secretary of
State (tel.)

From Lansing: Desire of the Commission for a statement of
the claims of American citizens against Germany.

Memorandum by Mr. John Foster Dulles

Observations on the memorandum by Mr. Cravath, December 12, 1918.

The Acting Secretary of State to the Commission to Negotiate
Peace (tel.)

Information that Brazilian Government has instructed its
Minister at Paris to present itemized claim for indemnities from
Germany.

The Acting Secretary of State to the Commission to Negotiate
Peace (tel.)

Telegram from the Alien Property Custodian (text printed) to be sent in reply to Commission's telegram No. 40 of December 21, 1918, stating that the settlement of enemy debts in the United States as authorized by Congress is being continued, and outlining general principles for disposing of entire question of enemy debts and enemy property.

From Polk for the Secretary of State: Department's belief that in general the Alien Property Custodian's plan is a fair one.

FOOD RELIEF

Subject

Nov. 18 (45)

The Food Administrator (Hoover) to President Wilson

Desire that Colonel House be informed of Mr. Hoover's telegram to Mr. J. P. Cotton, Food Administration representative in London, and be advised that no arrangements for food relief for liberated populations should be undertaken until after Mr. Hoover's arrival in Paris.

Nov. 21

President Wilson to the Secretary of State
Instructions to carry out Mr. Hoover's request.

Nov. 12 The Swiss Minister (Sulzer) to the Secretary of State

The Special Representative (House) to the Secretary of State (tel.)

For the President: Suggestion that as soon as the armistice is signed the President propose immediate formation of an international relief organization, to be headed by Mr. Hoover and composed of two representatives each from the United States, England, France, Italy, and Germany, and that Germany be asked to place her merchant marine at the disposal of this organization until the final peace treaty is signed.

Nov. 12 The Secretary of State to the Swiss Minister (Sulzer)

Telegram from German Government asking whether U. S. Government will send food without delay if public order is maintained in Germany and equitable distribution of food is guaranteed (text printed).

Nov. 14 The Food Administrator (Hoover) to President Wilson

Communication for German Government stating that President Wilson is ready to consider favorably the supplying of food to Germany (text printed).

Nov. 14 The Food Administrator (Hoover) to President Wilson

Need of appropriation to provide working capital for food relief to liberated peoples and neutrals; belief that German food problem could be handled through such agencies as the Army and the Grain Corporation, with possibly the Presidential fund.

Telegraphic instructions to Mr. Cotton (text printed), in accord with President Wilson's suggestion, to convey to Food Administration officials, Colonel House, and Mr. Cravath, statement of U. S. policy regarding food relief for other than Allied nations. Information for British Minister of Blockade that organization for distributing U. S. food to liberated parts of Europe must await Mr. Hoover's arrival.

The Secretary of State to the Special Representative (House) (tel.)

Telegraphic request from Austrian Government that Allied Powers and United States intervene in order that shipments of coal be sent forward from Bohemia and Moravia to avert imminent coal famine in Vienna (text printed).

(Similar message to the Ambassador in France on November 20, with instructions to confer with Colonel House and take such steps with Czechoslovak National Council as might seem desirable.)

The Swiss Minister (Sulzer) to the Secretary of State

Telegraphic plea from German-Austrian Government that
U. S. and Allied Governments intervene with Czechoslovak
National Council to obtain permission for export and transpor-
tation of coal into German Austria (text printed).

Page

627

627

628

629

629

630

631

632

633

Date and number

1918 Nov. 21

Nov. 23 (150)

Nov. 27 (6450)

Nov. 27 (188)

Nov. 22 The Italian Ambassador (Macchi di Cellere) to the Secretary of

State

Nov. 27 (189)

Nov. 28

Nov. 28

Nov. 28 (2)

FOOD RELIEF-Continued

Subject

The Swiss Minister (Sulzer) to the Secretary of State

Telegram from German Government asking President Wilson's support of German request to the Y. M. C. A. for relief of German prisoners of war and interned civilians (text printed).

Desire to learn U. S. opinion on appeals from AustrianHungarian Government that Allies and United States (1) remove restrictions on neutral commerce and permit export of clothing and medical supplies from Switzerland to AustriaHungary, and (2) authorize their diplomatic missions at Berne to establish direct relations with Austrian-Hungarian Legation there for purpose of handling questions pertaining to the provisioning of Austria.

(Transmitted by the Department to the Commission to Negotiate Peace on December 19.)

The Minister in Roumania (Vopicka) to the Secretary of State
(tel.)

Inquiry if part of wheat shipment reportedly on the way to
Europe could be sent to Roumania, where it is absolutely
necessary.

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Sharp) (tel.)
Assumption that Ambassador and Colonel House will bring
all pertinent correspondence to Mr. Hoover's attention; infor-
mation that representations by Serbians and Montenegrins for
food supplies have become pressing.

The Special Representative (House) to the Secretary of State (tel.)
For the President: Information that Mr. Hoover has arrived
and that his plans are, with some alterations, in general as
stated in telegram No. 66 of November 8; desire to present to
Supreme War Council meeting at London on December 1 a
written communication (text printed) setting forth plan for
administration of relief under an American Director General.

The Special Representative (House) to the Secretary of State (tel.)
For the President: Preliminary expressions by British and
French financial and food officials with respect to proposed in-
ternational relief plan.

The Swiss Minister (Sulzer) to the Secretary of State

Communications from German Government (text printed) appealing for discussions between American and German plenipotentiaries at The Hague regarding food relief for Germany and asking that a German mission be permitted to come to the United States to present statement of food conditions in Germany.

President Wilson to the Secretary of State

Desire that Colonel House be authorized to propose his plan, on the understanding that Mr. Hoover agrees.

The Chairman of the United States Shipping Board (Hurley) to
the Secretary of State (tel.)

For the President: Objections to shipping features of relief
plan on ground that they amount to surrender of control of
American shipping to foreign bodies.

Page

634

635

635

636

636

639

640

641

642