TABLE OF CONTENTS. Credentials of W. C. Bullitt as American representative in.. Minutes of the meeting of the Council of Ten on January 16, 1919. Memorandum of Mr. Bullitt to Col. House on the withdrawal of American TREATY OF PEACE WITH GERMANY. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1919. UNITED STATES SENATE, Washington, D. C. The committee met, pursuant to the call of the chairman, at 10 o'clock a. m., in room 310, Senate Office Building, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge presiding. Present: Senators Lodge (chairman), Brandegee, Fall, Knox, Harding, and New. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Bullitt is to make a statement to the committee this morning. I think I ought to say that Mr. Bullitt was summoned on the 23d of August, I believe, and he was in the woods at that time, out of the reach of telegraph or telephone or mail, and only received the summons a few days ago. He came at once to Washington. That is the reason of the delay in his hearing. STATEMENT OF MR. WILLIAM C. BULLITT. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Bullitt, will you take the stand and give your full name, please, to the stenographer? Mr. BULLITT. William C. Bullitt. The CHAIRMAN. You are a native and a resident of Philadelphia, are you not? Mr. BULLITT. I am, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Prior to the war, what were you engaged in? Mr. BULLITT. Before the war I was employed by the Philadelphia Public Ledger. I had been a correspondent for them in various places, and I had been a member of the editorial staff in Philadelphia for a time. The CHAIRMAN. You went abroad for them as a correspondent? Mr. BULLITT. I did, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Before we went into the war? Mr. BULLITT. Before we went into the war I toured Germany, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Poland, and other places, studying conditions there, for the purposes of the Public Ledger The CHAIRMAN. After we entered the war, what did you do? You came back? Mr. BULLITT. Yes, sir; I came back. I was in the United States at that time. The CHAIRMAN. At that time? Mr. BULLITT. And I was asked to enter the Department of State, to work in the Division of Western European Affairs under Mr. Grew, in which my special province was to follow the political situation of Germany and Austria-Hungary, to prepare the confidential reports of the department on Germany, Austria, and Hungary—the weekly reports-and also such memoranda on conditions as the President and the Secretary and others might call for. The CHAIRMAN. And then you went to Paris as a member of the staff, after the armistice? Mr. BULLITT. Yes; I was an employee of the department at the time of the armistice, and I was ordered to Paris as a member of the staff of the commission. Senator KNOX. When did you first go to Paris, Mr. Bullitt? Mr. BULLITT. I sailed on the George Washington. I went over with the original trip of the President. Senator KNOX. And you were there continuously how long? Mr. BULLITT. I remained in Paris until-I can give you the exact date-I was ordered to go on a special mission to Berne about the first week of February. I can give you the exact date, if it is of any moment. Senator KNOx. No; it is not. Mr. BULLITT. I remained a week in Berne, then returned and remained in Paris until I was ordered to go to Russia. I left for Russia on the 22d of February. I was in Paris during the entire period until the 22d of February. Senator KNOX. You said you went over on the original trip of the President. Just to get these dates right, when did you reach Paris? Mr. BULLITT. I left New York on December 4 and, as I remember, we reached Paris on December 13. Senator KNOX. And you were there, then, until you went to Berne in February? Mr. BULLITT. In February. Senator KNOX. What was your personal relation to the peace conference and its work? Mr. BULLITT. When I first arrived I was asked to take charge of a confidential bulletin which was to be gotten out for the benefit of the commissioners each morning. It was to be read by them. That lasted a very short time, and as is usual with most things of the kind, we discovered that the commissioners did not care to spend the time reading it, and therefore it was decided to abolish this bulletin, and that instead I should receive all the intelligence reports of military intelligence, of the State Department, intelligence received through all the special dispatches of the ambassadors, etc., in fact, all the information that came in, and a section was created called the Current Intelligence Section. I was called the Chief of the Division of Current Intelligence Summaries. Senator KNOx. Then, as I understand, your function was to acquaint yourself with everything that was going on in connection with the conference, and disseminate the news to the different branches of the peace conference and the different bureaus? Mr. BULLITT. I was to report only to the commissioners. Senator KNOX. Well, but the essential thing is, was it your duty to get information? Mr. BULLITT. Yes; it was my duty to be in constant touch with everyone who was in the American delegation, and present information to the commissioners each morning. I had 20 minutes with each commissioner each morning. Senator KNOX. So that you were practically a clearing house of information for the members of the American mission? Mr. BULLITT. That is what I was supposed to be. I am afraid I did not Senator KNOX. To get down to something specific, were you cognizant I presume you were from what you say-of the negotiations in relation to the league of nations? Mr. BULLITT. I was, to a considerable extent. I had been greatly interested in it always, and when I reached Paris I had a number of conversations with, notably, Col. House, who was very much interested in it. I had also talked with the President, going over on the George Washington, about it. Senator KNOX. How many plans were there for a league of nations that came under your observation, and whose plans were they? Mr. BULLITT. There was, of course, Gen. Smuts's plan, with which everyone is familiar. Senator KNOX. Yes. Mr. BULLITT. I also saw Lord Robert Cecil's plan, the first draft of which, the preliminary draft of which, I happen to have a copy of. Senator KNOX. Have you that here? Mr. BULLITT. Yes, sir. Senator KNOX. Will you produce it, please? Mr. BULLITT. I will, sir [producing paper]. This is the first draft of Lord Robert Cecil's plan. This is, I believe, the first British proposition which was sent to the American commission. Senator KNOX. We will put that in the record, Mr. Chairman ? (The document referred to was marked by the stenographer "Bullitt Exhibit No. 1," and is here printed in full in the record, as follows:) BULLITT EXHIBIT No. 1. LEAGUE OF NATIONS. (Plan of Lord Robert Cecil.) ORGANIZATION. The general treaty setting up the league of nations will explicitly provide for regular conferences between the responsible representatives of the contracting powers. These conferences would review the general conditions of international relations and would naturally pay special attention to any difficulty which might seem to threaten the peace of the world. They would also receive and as occasion demanded discuss reports as to the work of any international administrative or investigating bodies working under the League. These conferences would constitute the pivot of the league. They would be meetings of statement responsible to their own sovereign parliaments, and any decisions taken would therefore, as in the case of the various allied conferences during the war, have to be unanimous. The following form of organization is suggested: 1. The conference.-Annual meeting of prime ministers and foreign secretaries of British Empire, United States, France, Italy, Japan and any other States recognized by them as great powers. Quadrennial meeting of representatives of all States included in the league. There should also be provision for the summoning of special conferences on the demand of any one of the great powers or, if there were danger of an outbreak of war, of any member of the league. (The composition of the league will be determined at the peace conference. Definitely untrustworthy and hostile States, e. g., Russia, should the Bolshevist government remain in power, should be excluded. Otherwise it is desirable not to be too rigid in scrutinizing qualifications, since the small powers will in any case not exercise any considerable influence.) |