100 Years Ago Today

[Sailor Steve]

Wednesday, November 19, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 11:00

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


1. The Council has before it a report from the Committee on New States, and a draft treaty annexed thereto.

M Kammerer reads and comments upon the report. He adds that the only point on which the members of the Committee do not agree is who should sign the treaty. The majority is of the opinion that as the Principal Powers had imposed Article 56 upon Bulgaria, they should all sign this document, but the minority, that is to say the American Delegation, has made reservations on that point.

Mr Polk says he will put it up to his Government but he doubts that the United States Government will sign this Treaty; his feeling is that it will say “no”, as it had done in the case of the Treaty with the New States.

M Kammerer asks whether the other Powers should sign in case America will not, and thinks that has already happened in the Treaty with Austria.

Sir Eyre Crowe states that the precedent points the other way; when America refused to sign, it had been decided that the other Allied Powers should also refrain from signing, this occasioning a delay which had prevented the Treaty being presented for signature to the smaller Powers.

Mr Polk says he sees the force of Sir Eyre Crowe’s argument and will refer this question to his Government.

S de Martino thinks that the Great Powers cannot refuse to take their part of the responsibility for the settlement of Balkan affairs. The question of immigration is one of the most important, and one which might permit grave abuses. As they all know, racial rivalries are very frequent between those countries. He thinks they will be abstaining from a duty which befalls them as a moral obligation if they did not take an effective part in the execution of these clauses with Bulgaria by affixing their signatures thereto.

M Matsui says he has not yet received an answer from his Government on the subject. He believes it will be impossible for Japan to sign if one of the other Powers does not, but it is his opinion that all the Powers should sign.

M Kammerer said there remains a second point, namely, should the Treaty be submitted to the Bulgarian Delegation? It has already been sent to the Greeks and approved by M Venizelos. He adds that the American Delegation feels they are morally obliged to submit the text of this Treaty to the Bulgarians; the majority does not feel it as a moral obligation, but think it might be opportune to do so.

Mr Dulles asks whether the Treaty could not become effective even if only Greece and Bulgaria were the signatories. It would be up to Greece and Bulgaria to carry their agreement into effect under the aegis of the League of Nations.

Sir Eyre Crowe says he sees no objections to submitting it to the Bulgarians and if it is found that they and the Greeks are prepared to sign it, perhaps by that time the other Powers would be ready too.

M Kammerer asks whether a delay of two days could be given Bulgaria for accepting this text?

(This is agreed to.)

(It is decided:

(1) To submit to the Bulgarian Delegation the Treaty between Greece and Bulgaria with regard to reciprocal immigration;

(2) That two days’ time be given to the Bulgarian Delegation to consider this text;

(3) That the question whether the Principal Allied and Associated Powers should sign this Treaty will be considered later.)

(It is further decided that Mr Polk should refer to Washington the question of the signature of this Treaty by the United States.)


2. The Council has before it a note from the Committee on New States.

M Kammerer reads and comments upon the report. He adds that on October 12th when the Supreme Council had notified the Romanian Government that they must sign the Minorities Treaty it was added that the Supreme Council would examine any modifications of text presented by the Romanians provided that the general principles were not altered; but the Roumanian Government has been notified that it must sign the Minorities Treaty before the Bulgarian Treaty. The period granted to Romania has almost expired. He asks whether a communication should be sent to the Romanian Delegation asking them to submit observations without delay?

Sir Eyre Crowe pointed out that the situation was less complicated than it appeared unless the Romanians should happen to create difficulties. The Council has presented its ultimatum. The period expires on the following Sunday. Romania will have to accept the principle of the Minorities Treaty but might suggest modifications for the Council’s discussion, provided these modifications are confined to such articles as concerned. Romania, for example, articles 10, 11, and 12. They understand that the Romanian objections referred more specially to general principles, and obviously the Romanians would have to abandon these objections on account of the ultimatum sent them. He understands that no great value attaches to articles 10, 11, and 12 either by the Romanians or by the Council and the Council would therefore be ready to grant concessions if not to abandon the articles. It will be necessary to come to an agreement with Romania within 24 hours.

Mr Polk says he would not like to commit his Government to accept these modifications at this time but he thinks they probably can agree to some compromise when he receives an answer from Washington.

S de Martino agreed with Sir Eyre Crowe and adds that in order to facilitate the signature of the Treaty by the Romanians, a declaration might be made to them such as the one which had been made to the Serb-Croat-Slovene Delegation. That declaration stated that the Principal Allied and Associated Powers did not have in mind to confer special privileges to any Minority, but only to prevent racial conflicts by giving the Minorities an equitable protection, and that they were ready to give the same assurance to any State which will sign the Treaty for the Protection of Minorities.

M Kammerer says there is no objection to such a declaration being made to the Romanians, but he asks whether this should be done at once or whether it would be advisable to await such a request from the Romanians.

M Clemenceau says he thinks it would be wiser to await the reply of the Romanians to the Council’s ultimatum.

(It is decided:

(1) That no answer is called for by the Romanian note relating to the Minorities Treaty, and that no further action be taken until an answer has been received from the Romanian Government to the note of November 15th;

(2) That if that answer is in the affirmative the Romanian Delegation should be required immediately to put their observations before the Committee on New States;

(3) That the Committee on New States should within twenty-four hours present a report to the Supreme Council on those observations; it being understood that the Minorities Treaty cannot be modified in its general principles, but only in respect of such articles, e.g. 10, 11 and 12, as purely concerned Romania.)


3. The Council has before it a telegram from the Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, dated November 12th.

M Kammerer reads and comments upon the telegram. He says that this request tends to replace the local troops in those territories by Allied troops. He thinks this will not be an enviable position for the Allies to be in between the Bolshevists and the Baltic States, and that it will imply a sort of agreement between the Allies and the Bolshevists.

M Clemenceau says that he feels perfectly sure that it is the unanimous opinion of the Council that such a request should not be granted.

(It is decided not to grant the request of the Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs for the establishment of a neutral zone between the Baltic States and Russia under the control of a third State, to be appointed by the Conference.


4. The Council has before it a letter from the Secretary General of the Polish Delegation, requesting That the Arrangement Regarding Galicia Be Communicated to Them.

M Berthelot reads and comments upon the letter. He adds that the Council has already decided on November 11th to hear the Polish Delegates without communicating the report to them. He will ask the Polish Delegates to appear before the Council at the following meeting.


5. General Le Rond says that the question of transferring the sovereignty over the territories subject to a plebiscite has to be settled between the Commissions of the Allies and the German delegates, who have just arrived. The different plebiscite commissions have been organized since November 10th, but they have had great difficulty in getting their personnel; some of the members are still in Rome, others in London, trying to get it together. That is one reason why the discussion with the German delegates has not started.

The questions to be discussed with the Germans arise from the application of the Treaty:

First, there is the question of administration of the plebiscite areas. There is no difficulty about that as it passes automatically to the Principal Allied and Associated Powers.

Second, there is the economic organization which presented difficulties. As those economic services are administered mainly from Berlin, the relations between Berlin and those territories cannot be suspended. It is necessary to provide for some liaison between the several Commissions and the Central Government at Berlin. The best solution would be to invite the Berlin Government to send an official belonging to the German Central Administration who would act as a sort of liaison officer between the Government and each of the Commissions. This official would have to be accepted by the Commission and must not belong to the province where he is to go, so that the local population should not be under the impression that the German Government is still keeping a hold over them. This official will be at the disposal of the Commission for all matters which concern railways, postal, telegraph and mining questions, etc.

Third, there are also financial questions. Under the Treaty, all expenses are to be charged against local revenues; this should be interpreted to mean future as well as present revenues. The present local revenues will be insufficient to cover the charges set against them; in Upper Silesia for instance, the charge for military occupation alone would amount to fifteen million francs a month. In consequence, several solutions can be devised: a local loan guaranteed by resources of the territory, and which of course, will be borne ultimately by the Power to whom the territory would be attributed. Such a solution can be contemplated only in case of occupation for a long period, as in the case of Upper Silesia. The expenses to be incurred can be divided in three classes:

First, expenses of administration by local officials. This is merely a continuation of the previous regime; therefore, it is natural that the Germans would have to find the funds.

Secondly, the cost of maintaining forces of occupation, It will be difficult to ask the Germans to bear that expense; they would be justified in objecting and serious difficulties might be encountered. Another solution is to be found, and it will be necessary for the Principal Allied and Associated Powers to advance these funds, either by bearing the expense each of their own forces of occupation, or by establishing a common fund.

Third, the cost of maintaining the Commissions. This cost will be a much lighter charge, and funds can be advanced in two ways either by the Principal Allied and Associated Powers, or by Poland. This latter method would be an equitable one and might well be accepted by Poland, as she had asked for the plebiscites.

He wishes to point out that those expenses would only be made as advances, and that the whole amount would be refunded by the Powers to whom attribution of the territories would be made after plebiscite.

Sir Eyre Crowe says it is difficult to solve that question without the advice of financial experts. The argument, however, does not take into account cases like Danzig and Memel. Neither Poland nor Germany are concerned there. The matter would have to be referred to his Government.

General Le Rond thinks that the point relating to the liaison between the Central German Government and the Commissions could be settled at once.

S de Martino says he does not think this question is on the agenda, and he is not ready to discuss it; as it is a financial matter he will have to refer it to his Government.

Sir Eyre Crowe thinks the point just referred to can be accepted at once.

M Clemenceau asks General Le Rond to prepare a report suggesting a solution to the financial questions.

General Le Rond replies that financial representatives should be appointed by each of the Powers to discuss this question.

Mr Polk says that as the United States Senate has not ratified the Treaty, the United States cannot be represented.

(After some further discussion, it is decided:

(1) That in the course of negotiations with the German Delegates appointed to sign the protocol the German Government should be asked to appoint to each Government Commission an official who, having been accepted by the Commission, would act as an intermediary between the Central German Government and the Commissions;

(2) That financial representatives be appointed by each Power to prepare, together with General Le Rond, a report on the financial questions relative to the organization of plebiscite areas and to the occupation of Danzig and Memel.

Mr Polk makes the reservation that the United States Government cannot be represented on this Commission as the Treaty with Germany has not yet been ratified by the Senate.


6. General Payot says that Marshal Foch’s staff had examined the question of transportation of troops and supplies with the representatives of the Allied armies and had drafted a memorandum which could be transmitted to the German Delegates who would have 48 hours to examine the proposal. If the Germans accept this the question will be settled; otherwise the Allied Delegates might see the German Delegates and come to an agreement with them. He points out that in the memorandum to be submitted to the Germans, the question who would pay those expenses arises and as he had not known what the Council’s decision would be, a non-committal formula had been adopted.

Sir Eyre Crowe says there can be no doubt whatsoever that the cost of transportation of troops and of supplies is included in the costs of occupation and therefore should be borne by the States to whom attribution of territories would be made.

General Payot remarks that the cost of the transportation of troops alone will amount to approximately 5,000,000 marks.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that, in order not to give the Germans the impression that all costs were being imposed on them, it should be made clear in the memorandum to be submitted to the Germans that the costs of transportation were to be borne by the States to whom attribution of said territories will ultimately be made.

(It is decided:

(1) That a memorandum should be submitted to the German Delegates regarding the transportation of troops and supplies in the plebiscite areas;

(2) That the cost of transportation of troops and supplies in the plebiscite areas should be a charge against the States to whom attribution of these territories would be made and that a phrase to that effect would be put in the memorandum to be submitted to the Germans;

(3) That a delay of 48 hours be given them for examination.)

(The meeting then adjourns.)

[Jimbuna]

20th November 1919

Bucharest: Allied supreme council tells Rumania to sign the Peace Treaty or be dropped from the Allies.

USS CALIFORNIA (BB44) Launching Ceremony, Mrs Barbara Zane, ship's sponsor, crashing the christening bottle on the side of the ship.
https://i.postimg.cc/y83TX2MB/nxp3-Otv-JGFM-u9vjhers0r666r0-DWj-Tt-QR6vo6-JJ9-A.jpg (https://postimg.cc/WdjrsYpf)

[Sailor Steve]

Thursday, November 20, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:00

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


1. Sir Eyre Crowe calls the Council’s attention to the importance of definitely settling the conditions of Peace to be submitted to the Hungarians. The latest news from Budapest indicates that a coalition Government is in process of formation. He has just received two telegrams from Sir George Clerk which contained favorable news. A final, definite draft should be ready for submission by the time the Hungarians are in a position to send negotiators to Paris. But to arrive at such a final draft certain questions which are still undecided will have to be settled. The most important one relates to the expenses caused by Romanian occupation of Hungary and the means of meeting the same. If that point is now brought up for discussion it might take months to settle it. He thinks it would be well to study the suggestion of the American legal experts that a clause should be inserted in the Treaty with Hungary giving the Reparation Commission power to settle that whole question in view of existing circumstances. The Drafting Committee might be asked to come at once to an agreement with the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission in order to draft such a clause. Another question to be settled related to the cession of Fiume; a formula to that effect would have to be found which could be inserted in the Treaty of Peace with Hungary. He thinks that the Drafting Committee could likewise be charged with that task.

M Berthelot observes that as soon as the two points mentioned by Sir Eyre Crowe had been settled the Hungarian Treaty would be entirely ready for submission to the Hungarian Delegates.

(It is decided:

(1) That the Drafting Committee, in agreement with the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission, should prepare a draft article to be inserted in the Treaty with Hungary giving the Reparation Commission full power to settle the questions raised by the expenses of Romanian occupation of Hungary;

(2) That the Drafting Committee be charged with the preparation of a draft clause to be inserted in the Treaty with Hungary relating to the cession of Fiume by Hungary.


2. The Council has before it a report of the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission relating to the demands of the Serb-Croat-Slovene Delegation on the subject of the distribution of Austro-Hungarian mercantile tonnage.

M Loucheur reads and comments upon that report. He is glad to be able to state that the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission, at a meeting attended by Italian and Yugoslav Representatives, has reached a unanimous decision. The formula agreed upon seems to him a good one. With respect to vessels of less than 2,000 tons the owners are to be left a free choice of flag in accordance with their nationality. It is understood that further agreement will be reached with respect to vessels of greater tonnage and that the Yugoslav Delegates will be heard at the moment of reaching such an agreement.

S de Martino wishes to emphasize the importance of this solution which had been made possible as a result of a spontaneous agreement between Italy and Yugoslavia. He is glad to note that M Loucheur himself had brought up that point.

M Loucheur replies that he appreciated the conciliatory attitude of the Italian Delegates on that point. He likewise felt called upon to note that Mr Trumbitch had likewise abated his original claims.

S de Martino wishes to bring up a related point on which he has come to an agreement with the Yugoslav Delegate, namely; that the delivery of Austro-Hungarian Mercantile tonnage in the Adriatic should take place within the period laid down by Part VIII, Annex 3, paragraph 2, of the Treaty of Peace with Austria, that is to say, within two months after the coming into force of the Treaty.

M Loucheur sees no objection in principle to the arrangement proposed by S De Martino; he desires, however, further time to examine the question more closely.

(It is decided:

(1) To approve the recommendations of the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission relative to the distribution of Austro-Hungarian mercantile tonnage;

(2) That S De Martino’s suggestion, relative to the period within which such distribution should be made, be referred to the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission.)


3. The Council has before it a report of the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission relative to the provisional distribution of rolling stock between states forming part of the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

M Loucheur pointed out that the situation with respect to the rolling stock in the States forming part of the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy is very serious. The majority of the States concerned had kept the rolling stock which they had at the termination of hostilities, and refused to let said rolling stock circulate beyond their respective boundaries. The result is that railway traffic is almost entirely stopped. To remedy this condition it seems necessary to establish at Vienna a Commission charged with effecting arrangements with a view to reciprocal exchange of cars, without prejudice to established or alleged ownership of said rolling stock. A Commission charged with deciding questions of ownership of this rolling stock does indeed exist but it seems essential to create a new Commission, charged with taking the necessary provisional measures, and which should be composed of representatives of each interested Government. This Commission is in principle favorable to the British proposition, but some objections having been raised by the American and Italian Delegations this proposition will have to again be examined by the sub-commission specially charged with questions concerning Austria. As the question is a very urgent one he asks that, if that sub-commission should reach a unanimous conclusion favorable to the British proposition - which will probably be reached that very day - he be authorized to take, in the name of the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission, the measures necessitated by the adoption of the British proposition. If on the contrary, a unanimous solution is not reached, the question will be resubmitted to the Council.

(It is decided:

(1) That the question of the nomination of a Commission to sit at Vienna for the distribution of rolling stock between the States forming a part of the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy be referred to the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission which, if its sub-commission specially charged with Austrian questions should reach a unanimous decision in favor of said nomination, should take the measures necessary to carry such decision into effect;

(2) That if the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission or its sub-commission should not reach a unanimous decision, the question should again come before the Council at an early meeting.)


4. The Council has before it a report of the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission on the terms of a loan of $100,000,000 by way of payment for the provisioning of Austria during the next six months.

M Loucheur says that the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission had examined the unanimous report submitted to it by the sub-commission sitting at Vienna. That sub-commission recommended as essential a loan to Austria of $100,000,000 to cover the supply of food-stuffs and coal of which Austria would have need during the next six months. The action contemplated was of a very important character and evidently necessitated a careful study on the part of the Governments interested. Moreover a loan, however large, will not suffice to smooth away all difficulties. It is not only money that was needed, cars and food are especially necessary. He had recently had a conversation with Dr Benes. Apparently everything needed in the way of sugar, coal and shoes can be found in Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia has shown a willingness to join the consortium to be created with the object of restoring the economic life of Austria. On the other hand, it was essential to supply Vienna with grain. Grain is already scarce in Vienna and within three weeks it will be completely lacking. The Serbian portion of the Banat alone seemed in a position to furnish the necessary grain. He expects to see Mr Trumbitch very soon and, if the Council does not object, to bring some pressure to bear on him to hasten the despatch to Austria of the grain which Yugoslavia had contracted to deliver and of which it had not yet delivered half. He himself thinks that it becomes a question of a direct loan from Serbia to Austria and he will likewise confer with Mr Trumbitch on that point. The Allied and Associated Powers in his opinion should only concern themselves with additional loans. Each Government will of course have to determine the extent of the financial aid which it was ready to give to the work of the rebuilding of Austria. He has not yet been able to see the French Minister of Finance on that point. He points out that the Government of the United States has several times declared that it could not participate in the loan question. The United States points out that as they had made large advances to the Allies it is incumbent upon the latter to make the financial arrangements which they judged essential with the States of Central Europe.

Mr White observes that the Government of the United States has already several times defined its position on that question. In order to summarize the question without unduly taking up the Council’s time, he wishes simply to read the following memorandum:

“Paris, November 19, 1919.

The United States Government understands that this note from the Organization Committee of the Reparation Commission must be passed on to the governments or the treasuries of the several Allied and Associated Powers.

The American Delegation desires to point out that the point of view of the United States was brought to the attention of the O. C. R. C. by a note presented at the Plenary Meeting of Friday, September 17, 1919, and by numerous notes and memoranda presented to the O. C. R. C. and its several sub-committees from time to time since then. All these notes and memoranda have been distributed among the various Delegations.

It is requested that the various governments or treasuries consider carefully the various American notes and memoranda in reaching a decision.

The American Delegation refers particularly to the American memoranda presented at the meeting of the Organization Committee of the Reparation Commission on November 6, 1919 (17th Meeting) and the Extraordinary Plenary Meeting of November 11, 1919.”

S de Martino says that in short it is a question of making an important loan to Austria. It seemed to him that it was not for the Council, but for the respective Governments, to reach a decision on that question.

M Loucheur says that it is only a question of the Council submitting a plan for the approval of the respective Governments.

Sir Eyre Crowe points out that the situation is as follows: The Council has before it a unanimous report of the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission. He had transmitted the same to his Government. It does not seem to him that M Loucheur’s views correspond entirely with the plan of action which was to reach an agreement between the various Governments as soon as possible. He feels obliged to state, moreover, that he has been informed from London that Great Britain cannot consent to make a loan if America does not make one. He has received two telegrams from Vienna which showed the situation to be desperate. The first telegram, dated November 19th, says that within a week flour would be completely lacking at Vienna unless immediate measures are taken, and that snow-falls threaten to interrupt traffic between Vienna and Trieste, which will have disastrous consequences. The Communist Party intends to take advantage of the threatened famine to create disorders, and as the Government is greatly weakened serious consequences are to be expected. A second telegram dated the same day states that the railroad from Trieste is still open thus permitting the immediate dispatch of flour to Vienna. The telegram adds that strikes are imminent in Vienna, and also in the Province of Styria. The result of this is that the situation is most alarming and that some action must be taken within a week. He is informed that negotiations have taken place between Great Britain and Italy with a view of sending to Vienna a part of the grain then at Trieste, which would be paid for by the remainder of a loan of $2,000,000. It seemed to him that the grain can be shipped to Vienna without awaiting a final settlement of the question of credits.

S de Martino says that he will recommend favorably to his Government Sir Eyre Crowe’s suggestion. He wishes also to point out that Italy has already sent a large quantity of food to Austria.

M Loucheur agrees fully with Sir Eyre Crowe. He thinks it absolutely essential that the grain then at Trieste be immediately sent to Vienna. Moreover, he will see the Minister of Finance. He thinks it important to submit immediately to the respective Governments the report of the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission then before the Council. Modifications, which a closer study of the question might seem to render necessary, can later on be suggested.

S de Martino calls the Council’s attention to the first paragraph of the conclusions of the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission. It is there stated that the Austrian Government should forthwith prohibit by law the sale, transfer or disposal, outside of Austria or to other than Austrian nationals, of any assets of the country, either publicly or privately owned. That provision seemed to him unduly restrictive; its effect would be to prohibit all commerce with foreigners. The measures proposed should, he thinks, only affect public property, or at the very most, real property belonging to individuals.

M Loucheur says that the paragraph criticized by S De Martino will be studied anew; that, however, should not hinder the submission to the various Governments of the report in its present form. He wishes to point out that said first paragraph, among other points, is aimed at the question of works of art, which had given rise to certain difficulties.

S de Martino replied that, in conformity with the Treaty of Saint Germain, his Government is conducting pourparlers on that subject with the Austrian Government.

Mr Matsui fears that the geographic situation of Japan will make it difficult for his Government to render effective aid in a matter of such great urgency. However, he will not fail to telegraph his Government.

(It is decided:

(1) That the report of the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission on the terms of a loan of one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) by way of payment for the provisioning of Austria during the next six month be submitted by the various Delegations for the examination of their respective Governments;

(2) That the first paragraph of the conclusions of the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission, beginning with the words, “First: Require the Austrian Government forthwith …” be examined again by the said Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission.)


5. M Loucheur, before leaving the room, wishes to call the Council’s attention to the serious results, from the point of view of the execution of the Treaty, of the delay in the exchange of ratifications. The Germans have to make a series of deliveries the details whereof had to be settled before December 31st. With respect to coal, for instance, under the terms of the Treaty the Germans have to furnish fifteen hundred thousand tons per month; as the Treaty is not yet in force they have furnished only five hundred and ten thousand tons the preceding month and it is probable that their November deliveries will be even smaller. On the other hand, with respect to personal property, the Allied and Associated Powers are unable to consummate any of the necessary arrangements. It will be easy to cite examples showing how serious a matter was the delay in the deposit of ratifications.

M Berthelot says that the date of exchange of ratifications cannot be fixed before Germany has made known its intentions with respect to signing the Protocol. Moreover, the organization of the Plebiscite Commissions will have to be completed. Everyone is unanimous in wishing that the Treaty enter into force as soon as possible, but certain questions have to be settled first. Among them might be mentioned the negotiations between Poland and Germany, whose transfer to Paris had been requested by Poland.

M Loucheur thinks certainly that before the exchange of ratifications the Germans should be made to sign the Protocol relative to violations of Armistice clauses. But, it does not seem to him that the question of Germano-Polish negotiations is germane to the putting into force of the Treaty. With respect to the Commissions, he thinks that the Allied and Associated Powers can dictate their decisions to the Germans and that long negotiations will consequently be unnecessary. In any event, he wishes to insist that the putting into force of the Treaty should not be indefinitely postponed. The Allied and Associated Powers are running the risk of being foreclosed with respect to certain of their demands. The Germans should at once be notified of a date on which the Treaty will be put into force. If they create difficulties the responsibility for delay will at least lie at their door. Moreover, the Allied and Associated Powers possess the means of bringing effective pressure to bear upon the Germans. The latter can be prevented from disposing of their foreign securities which they had great need of selling in order to procure foodstuffs.

General Le Rond calls the Council’s attention to the difficulties experienced by the Commissions in recruiting the necessary personnel. The British Treasury has not yet given an answer on the question of allowances to members of Commissions. That delay makes recruiting very difficult. A Commission has been established to examine into the financial organization of plebiscite zones and it is necessary that an agreement on that point be reached before the negotiations with the German Delegates can advantageously be begun.

M Pichon proposes to settle upon December 1st as the date of exchange of ratifications.

Sir Eyre Crowe adds that the Germans must be notified of that date and told that they would accordingly have to sign the Protocol before December 1st.

(It is decided:

(1) That the first of December be fixed as the date for the deposit of ratifications;

(2) That the Secretary General of the Conference notify the German Delegation of the foregoing decision, and inform it at the same time that the Protocol relating to the non-fulfillment by Germany of certain Armistice Clauses must be signed by the German Delegates before that date.


(At this point Mr Patek and Mr Grabski entered the room).


6. M Pichon asks the Polish Delegates to be good enough to give the Council their views on the status of Eastern Galicia.

Mr Patek replies that they would be glad if they could first obtain the new draft which had been submitted to the Council.

M Pichon explains that the Council wishes to know their feeling on the general question.

Mr Patek says that Mr Paderewski and Mr Dmowski have already had occasion to speak to the Council on the status of Galicia. He wishes to add several general words on the proposal under discussion, as well as on the impression which its adoption would certainly create in Poland. Until the present time, Eastern Galicia had formed an integral part of Poland. Even during the partition Eastern Galicia had not been separated from the Polish provinces annexed to Austria. At the present time Poland is being offered a mandate for a territory which had never ceased to belong to it. Poland had indeed been told that the terms of this mandate were especially favorable; nevertheless, it means separating Eastern Galicia from Poland. When Spisz and Orava were under consideration it was a question of territories belonging to Hungary which had not formed a part of the former Kingdom of Poland. Furthermore, the Poles had had to reach an agreement with the Czechoslovaks. But in Eastern Galicia they have no opponents. In fact, opposition cannot be predicated of the Ukraine, which has no real existence, nor of Russia, which has no concern with Eastern Galicia. Therefore, if Eastern Galicia is no longer to be directly attached to Poland, the unanimous impression in his country would be that the Allies were taking away a province which belonged to Poland, and which was claimed by no other Government. Three days from that time Lemberg would celebrate the anniversary of its liberation from the Ukrainian yoke. Is he then to be told that a city in whose defense all classes of the population had freely shed their blood, was no longer on Polish soil? On the very day when celebrations will be held in honor of those who had heroically fallen in the streets of Lemberg, will it be announced in Paris that they had fallen on soil foreign to Poland? The Polish Army is at that very time opposing the Bolsheviks. Is it not to be feared that that Army will become demoralized if it suddenly learns that the city for which it had fought, that the territory which it had freed, are no longer to be considered as belonging to Poland. If the Polish troops get the impression that their leaders have deceived them when telling them a year ago that they were fighting in defense of Polish territory, it is to be feared that they will again believe themselves deceived when they are told that the Bolsheviks are the enemy to be fought. The objection indeed was made to the Polish argument that the population of Eastern Galicia is mixed and that hatred existed between Ruthenians and Poles. His reply is that in Eastern Galicia the proportion of mixed marriages was more than 35%. How can one speak of hatred under these conditions? The conclusion is inevitable that selfish intrigues of neighboring countries and Austrian, and especially German money, which had sown seeds of discord in Eastern Galicia, are responsible for the bloody conflicts of recent times. It has been proven that Ruthenian agitators prior to the war had received money from German sources. That question had been brought up in the Reichstag and in the Parliament at Vienna, and no denial had been made of the specific facts adduced at that time. He recalls that the Germans had played a prominent part in the conflict which ravaged Eastern Galicia, and that in many cases, Ukrainian troops had been commanded by German officers. At the time when he spoke all conflict had ceased and calm had returned in Eastern Galicia. The representatives of the western nations found it difficult to appreciate the conditions existing in countries possessing less culture than theirs. The Ukrainian and Polish peasants had fought without being too clear as to the reasons therefor. While he speaks they are once more working shoulder to shoulder and living in perfect harmony. He also wishes to present geographical considerations of great weight. Free access to the sea is a necessity for Poland. It does indeed reach the sea at Danzig but only by a narrow corridor which is constantly threatened by Germany. It is essential for Poland to obtain access to the Black Sea through Romania, and possession of Eastern Galicia is vital from that point of view. He wishes to add a word on the internal situation. The Diet at Warsaw had unanimously voted that there could be no Poland without Eastern Galicia. It is far from his intention to wish to use Poland’s internal situation as a threat but the Allied and Associated Powers must understand that the unanimous opinion of the Polish people has to be considered. Mr Paderewski had been obliged to declare in parliament that he would not sign a Treaty which would take Eastern Galicia from Poland. If the solution of a mandate is imposed upon Poland, Paderewski’s cabinet will have to resign; the Polish army, ill fed, ill clothed, engaged in a severe struggle against the Bolshevists, would be threatened with demoralization. The Polish people, finally, will not understand how its Allies could have taken from it Galicia which had always formed part of Poland and which no one was claiming. It was important that the Council should realize the gravity of the situation in Poland; on one side Bolshevism, on the other, German revolution. In the interior a threatened famine. The Polish army is strong and Poland counts on it as an element of order. If the Army becomes demoralized Poland’s situation will become most serious and it will be threatened with extinction. That would be a catastrophe which would certainly have an effect on the situation of the western Powers. The only solution is to allow Eastern Galicia to become an autonomous province of Poland, subject if necessary, to an effective international control. Any other solution will entail consequences for Poland which were greatly to be dreaded.

Mr Grabski desires to add a few words to what Mr Patek had said in order to show the Council the serious economic results for Eastern Galicia of any solution which would not make it an integral part of Poland. The situation in Eastern Galicia was in no way comparable to that of other regions which had suffered damages by the war. By virtue of the Treaty the Allied and Associated Powers are entitled to reparation for damages caused by the war, provided that they had taken part in the struggle on the side of the Entente. The Countries which during the whole war had been part of Austro-Hungary, which was the case of Eastern Galicia, had no legal right to any reparation. Eastern Galicia, however, was one of the regions which had suffered the most. It had been devastated successively by the Russians, Austrians and Ukrainians. If to these devastations, estimated at 22,000,000,000 crowns, were added the loss resulting from the depreciation of Austrian currency, the economic situation in Eastern Galicia would be seen to be desperate. Out of 2,500,000 hectares of agricultural land, 2,000,000 hectares were not under cultivation. If left to its own resources Eastern Galicia would be unable to bear the burden placed upon it. It had a vital need of the help of all Poland. Poland had not waited for Eastern Galicia to be given it to come to the help of its inhabitants which it justly considered brothers. Although Poland itself lacked rye and wheat and had had to solicit the help of the United States she had not hesitated to share her meager resources with Eastern Galicia. If the solution of a Mandate prevails, separate liabilities will have to be established which Eastern Galicia cannot meet. France, which so admirably understands the duty of national solidarity towards its devastated regions must understand that Galicia can only exist with the support of the remainder of Poland. Galicia’s resources in petroleum will not suffice to amortize the numerous sums which would have to be advanced if its economic rehabilitation were to be made possible. The situation of Eastern Galicia had been compared with that of Austria, but it had been forgotten that there are still large fortunes in Austria and that Austria had not been devastated by the war. Any solution which would paralyze Poland in the work of rehabilitation she had undertaken in Galicia would be disastrous to the economic future of that province.

Mr Patek says that the Poles had been told that there was little difference between a long term mandate given to Poland over Galicia and an annexation pure and simple of that province to Poland. In reality the difference was considerable, especially if account were taken of the fact that four plebiscites had already been imposed upon Poland, which had not failed to have a depressing effect on Polish public opinion. In conclusion he wishes to point out that Poland is not asking her Allies to give her anything at all; she is only asking not to be deprived of the territory which she considers belongs to her as of right.

(At this point Mr Grabski and Mr Patek leave the room.)

M Pichon asks whether any member of the Council thinks that the views just expressed by the Polish Delegates necessitated a change in the conclusions already reached by the Council.

S de Martino is struck by Mr Patek’s observations on the necessity of a territorial connection between Poland and Romania through Eastern Galicia. He does not propose, however, to reopen the discussion.

M Laroche reads and comments upon the report of the Committee on Polish Affairs dated November 20th. The Commission had been unanimous on all the articles considered, except on the second paragraph of article 2, where the majority of the Commission had proposed to insert after the words, “The Council of the League of Nations”, the words, “deciding by a majority of votes”.

M Pichon points out that according to the covenant of the League of Nations the general rule is that a decision should be by unanimous vote, but that when it is a question of the status of certain territories in analogous circumstances - like that of the Sarre - a majority of votes sufficed.

Sir Eyre Crowe wishes to point out that he had had some difficulty in inducing his Government to make the concessions which had finally rendered a unanimous agreement possible. If the question has to be reopened he cannot be responsible for the consequences. That is why he prefers to abide by the text proposed by the British Delegation which, moreover, corresponds to that which had been adopted at a meeting of the Council.

M Laroche says that there might be serious disadvantages if the opposition of a single power can render impossible the adoption of a measure agreed upon by all the other Powers represented in the Council of the League of Nations.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that as the other Delegations are favorable to a mandate of unspecified duration, he cannot see why they should feel the adoption of the principle of a unanimous vote to be dangerous.

M Pichon remarks that possibly in 25 years Germany would be represented on the Council of the League of Nations. He asks if it would not be dangerous to give Germany the possibility of preventing the unanimous will of the Allied and Associated Powers from taking effect.

Sir Eyre Crowe repeats that he is most reluctant to reopen that question. Moreover he points out that an agreement had been reached by the Council on the text presented by the British Delegation. It was on the Commission’s own initiative that the question had again come before the Council at a time when it had a right to consider it finally settled.

Mr White says that he cannot agree with Sir Eyre Crowe’s arguments. He feels that it is after all a question which concerns Poland rather than Great Britain.

Sir Eyre Crowe inquires if it was not the American Delegation itself which had insisted that the question of a mandate should receive a permanent rather than a provisional settlement.

Mr White says that he was informed by his experts that this interpretation of the attitude of the American Delegation was not exact.

M. Laroche explained that the text referred back to the Commission by the Supreme Council is open to revision. The jurists had brought up the question of the procedure to be followed by the Council of the League of Nations. Moreover, it should be noted that there was a great difference between a mandate of unlimited duration and a mandate perpetually renewed. If the Poles had been offered a mandate of unlimited duration their objections would have probably been much weaker. The attitude of the British Delegation did not seem to him entirely logical. That Delegation had insisted that the mandate be open for revision at the end of 10 years, it should, therefore, not favor a solution which would make any modification in the existing situation very difficult.

Sir Eyre Crowe thinks that the arguments advanced by Mr Laroche runs counter to the resolution previously adopted by the Council.

M Pichon says that he favors the point of view of the majority of the Commission but in order to arrive at an agreement he is ready to support the text proposed by Sir Eyre Crowe.

Mr White states that he is obliged to maintain his point of view and he asked M Pichon to call upon Dr Bowman who had some additional information to give.

Dr Bowman thinks that it would be well to define clearly the American Delegation’s point of view, which does not seem to have been entirely understood. The statements of the American Delegates on the Commission of Polish Affairs show that they had desired a mandate of unlimited duration. On the other hand the British Delegation wishes the mandate to be open for revision at the end of 10 years. By way of compromise a term of 25 years is agreed upon, and this had been accepted by the Council. When the question had come back to the Commission a further question had arisen as to the procedure to be followed by the Council of the League of Nations. That was an entirely different question from the previous one, and one on which no agreement had as yet been reached. If a unanimous vote is necessary, a single nation, possibly Germany, could prevent the opinion of all the Allies from taking effect. If what is aimed at is to reserve the possibility of taking Galicia from Poland, in the event of the latter committing abuses, it is necessary to provide for a decision to be reached by a majority vote. That would constitute a sufficient guarantee. On the contrary, if a unanimous vote is required, that would mean practically giving Poland a free hand. The idea of a majority vote is perfectly consistent with the idea previously expressed when asking that the mandate should be of unlimited duration. In both cases it had been desired to ensure to the League of Nations an effective control over the mandatory power. The original proposition of the American representative on the Commission on Polish Affairs was that at any time the Council of the League of Nations, deciding by a majority vote, could revise the mandate.

M Pichon said that Dr Bowman’s arguments only strengthen the opinion he had already expressed, but in consideration of the attitude of the British Delegation, which had already made numerous concessions, he remains inclined to support Sir Eyre Crowe’s proposition.

S de Martino says that he was likewise disposed to support Sir Eyre Crowe’s proposition, always provided that a unanimous agreement could be reached on that very day. Personally he remains convinced that the solution of the majority of the Commission was preferable and he retained his freedom of action if the United States maintained its point of view.

Mr White asks if the question could not again be referred to the Commission, which should try to reach an agreement.

Sir Eyre Crowe observes that that would mean reopening the whole question.

M Laroche points out that the Commission has already tried in vain to reach an agreement and he does not believe that a further discussion would succeed.

Mr White asks to have until the following day to think the matter over. He feels that the question under discussion involves the very principle of the solution to be reached, and that that principle might become of vital importance. It would have seemed to him more natural for an agreement to be reached in favor of the majority point of view, rather than that the majority should abandon its original point of view to agree with the ideas of a single Delegation. A very dangerous situation would be created if Germany might become a possible arbitrator of the decisions of the Allied and Associated Powers in such a grave question.

M Pichon says that for practical reasons, in view of the necessity of reaching a conclusion, and of the fact that the attitude of the British Government does not seem likely to be modified, he hopes that the Council could agree on the following day on the text proposed by the British Delegation.

(The discussion of this question is adjourned until the following meeting).


7. At the request of Mr White this question is adjourned as well as the question relative to the request of the Polish Delegation that the negotiations between Poland and Germany on questions relative to the execution of the Treaty of Versailles be transferred to Paris.

(The meeting then adjourns.)

[Jimbuna]

21st November 1919

[November 21, 1919] To the Ash Heap!, The Evening World, cartoon.
https://i.postimg.cc/WbK7TxpC/upniupwb4zz31.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Friday, November 21, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


1. M Cambon says that the British and American Delegations will make known their views on the text of Article II of the Eastern Galician Treaty.

Mr White summarizes the American point of view. He adds that he thinks it advisable to do so as at the preceding meeting the impression seems to have been conveyed that the American position on the question is illogical.

Sir Eyre Crowe repeats that he cannot change his attitude, and if the Council decides otherwise he will have to refer the question to his Government.

M Cambon says it is important to come to a decision on this vital matter and that he hopes the Council will give its decision at that meeting. As the Council has adopted Sir Eyre Crowe’s views, he will ask Mr White whether he cannot modify his conclusions.

Mr White then reads an alternative text which he suggests be inserted in place of the present second paragraph of Article II of the Eastern Galicia Treaty: “At the expiration of twenty-five years the Principal Allied and Associated Powers, or the Council of the League of Nations, to whom the Powers may delegate their rights under this Treaty, shall have full power to maintain, revise or change the status of the present Treaty”. He thinks this text will meet the objection that the requirement of unanimous decision of the Council of the League of Nations might render impossible a state favorable to Poland through the ultimate opposition of Russia in Eastern Galicia; and further that a second objection would be made, namely, which might arise from the provision forcing upon the entire League of Nations the responsibilities of a Treaty concluded by the Five Principal Allied and Associated Powers.

M Cambon asks whether this proposed new text meets with the approval of the Council.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that the modified text still raises debatable questions and that he would have to present it for the approval of his Government. At the end of twenty-five years it still gave to Poland no voice on the final decision of its affairs.

Mr White remarks that he still fears that a Power hostile to Poland might change the status of Eastern Galicia.

M Berthelot says there is a very sharp difference between the two points of view. To effect conciliation he thinks that the Council might accept the principle of Sir Eyre Crowe’s proposal by leaving it to the League of Nations to decide in twenty-five years the procedure which it will apply.

M Cambon says that, in other words, the Council might state at this time that the League of Nations will examine in twenty-five years’ time the question of Eastern Galicia, leaving it to the Council of the League of Nations to decide whether it will take its decision by a unanimous or a majority vote.

M Laroche states that if the procedure to be followed is not specified, it is certain that, taking into account the provisions of the Covenant, the Council will have to decide by a unanimous vote, and yet twenty-five years later the Covenant might have been changed and the procedure applied at that time might be different.

M Cambon asked Mr White whether, taking into account Sir Eyre Crowe’s firm stand on the question, he does not feel like accepting the point of view of the majority.

Mr White says he withdraws his objection provided his attitude is recorded in the minutes so that in twenty-five years Poland should not consider America responsible.

(It is decided:

(1) To accept the text of the Eastern Galicia Treaty as presented by the Committee on Polish Affairs;

(2) That paragraph 2 of Article II should read as follows:

“At the expiration of the period of Twenty-five years the Council of the League of Nations shall have full powers to maintain, revise, or modify the statute as defined by the present Treaty.”)


2. The Council has before it a note from the Committee on Greek Affairs.

M Cambon reads and comments upon the draft telegram. He proposes the Council should address it to the Inter-Allied High Commissioners at Constantion in Smyrna.

Sir Eyre Crowe suggests the following modifications: The first paragraph from second line beginning “Greek claims” should read, “to examine the questions relative to the Greek Administration of Smyrna raised by your telegram referred to above.” In second paragraph, in place of “the suggestions to be presented to the Supreme Council” read “those questions and to present its recommendations to the Supreme Council”. For the phrase in lines 3 and 4, “which those conflicts have made clear” read, “which have brought about the situation indicated by your telegram.” In third paragraph, second line omit “if necessary”. At the end of last paragraph add, “your information and after hearing the Greek High Commissioner at Constantinople upon the whole question”.

Mr White in turn suggests that, at the end of the first sentence of paragraph 3 there be added: “and to submit therewith your observations and if necessary your recommendations”.

(It is decided to send to the Inter-Allied High Commissioners at Constantinople, the draft telegram after modifications suggested by Sir Eyre Crowe and Mr White, as follows:

“Reference your telegram 2045.2 The Supreme Council has entrusted the Commission on Greek Claims to examine those questions relative to the Greek Administration in Smyrna raised by your telegram referred to above.

In order to study those questions and present its recommendations to the Supreme Council, the Commission would like to know with certainty the concrete facts of every kind which could be considered to have brought about the situation indicated in your telegram, especially in the matters of criminal and civil jurisdiction, customs, postal and press censorship, administration of the port, etc.

You are consequently requested to collate without delay and in agreement with the Allied High Commissioners the information furnished by your representatives at Smyrna on the concrete facts specified above, and to submit therewith your observations and if necessary your recommendations. You will be good enough to communicate these to Paris as early as possible by means of a telegram drafted in agreement with your colleagues and indicating as far as possible the sources of your information, after having heard the Greek High Commissioner at Constantinople upon the whole question.”)


3. M Berthelot says M Dutasta and himself had seen on the previous day the two German Delegates Herr Von Simson and Baron Von Lersner. The interview bore on the note sent to the German Government as well as the protocol annexed thereto. Herr von Simson spoke practically all the time and Baron von Lersner did not take active part in the conversation. Mr Berthelot had emphasized to Herr von Simson that he spoke in a personal and not in an official capacity. Herr von Simson first raised the question of participation by America in the Commissions on the execution of the Treaty. He had replied that it had been decided that America would not be represented finally on any of these Commissions until the Senate had ratified the Treaty, and that this decision had been accepted by all the Allies who agreed that the American seats on these Commissions, though they remain vacant, will be reserved. Communication by M Berthelot of His and M Dutasta’s Interview With the German Delegates.

Herr von Simson then raised questions of detail; first, Memel: He wished to know what would be the situation of that city and under what conditions it would be occupied by the Allies. He had replied that this was a subject which only interested the Allies, and that in any case, the situation of Memel would be settled in such a way as not to impose too severe charges on the city, and also the Allies considered that Memel would be incorporated in a new State.

Herr von Simson did not insist and next raised the question of the Sarre. To his questions he had replied, without feeling obliged to give him a full statement. He had told him that President Wilson had agreed to call the first meeting of the Council of the League of Nations, although the Senate had not yet ratified the Treaty; he had thought it inadvisable to inform him that the Council would settle only the question of delimitation of the Sarre and that the question of sovereignty over that territory would remain in abeyance.

Herr von Simson had then referred to the occupation of Allenstein and Marienwerder. He had indicated that articles 95 and 97 of the Treaty did not consider the question in the same manner for the two Provinces; for Marienwerder the question of the possibility of occupation had been raised, which was not the case with Allenstein. That observation had embarrassed him somewhat and he had answered that his personal opinion was that it seemed possible to occupy both territories and that in any event, the Principal Allied and Associated Powers did not intend to impose too heavy a burden on those territories. When the German Delegates met the Allied Commissioners, observations could be made by the Germans and information would be given on those points. Incidentally he had informed him that a general meeting of the Allied and German Delegates would be held the following Monday, and that the Allies considered that only questions of principle should be raised and the discussion be as succinct as possible in the interest of Germany herself. Herr von Simson had agreed on the last point.

Herr von Simson had then raised the question of the Protocol: He said he did not understand the classification adopted by the Allies to distinguish between the Armistice Clauses partially fulfilled, unfulfilled, and violated. He had not understood why the Protocol referred only to the Clauses whose execution was not provided for in the Treaty of Peace. In spite of three successive explanations, Herr von Simson professed not to understand. M Berthelot had assured Herr von Simson that the Protocol specified only certain “violations, among others;” the Allies did not intend to raise the others.

The question of the Baltic Provinces preoccupied greatly the German Delegates: Herr von Simson had asked him whether, if the evacuation was not completed at the time the Treaty came into force, the Allies would continue the blockade. He had replied that the Allies did consider the question with a broad-minded spirit, and that if they had had recourse to a blockade, that was only because satisfaction had not been obtained. In proportion as the Allies recognized loyal and honest efforts on the part of Germany to expedite the evacuation, the blockade, he thought, would be relaxed.

M Berthelot asks whether in that statement he had properly interpreted the spirit of the Supreme Council.

(The Council agrees that he had.)

M Berthelot continues that Herr von Simson had discussed the Scapa Flow sinking. M Dutasta and himself had informed him that they were not qualified to discuss the question, but that a written answer should be made by the Germans. Thereupon Herr von Simson had stated that the attitude of the German Government had been quite correct and that the sinking of the German Fleet was due to a misinterpretation of facts, namely, that Admiral von Reuter had not been notified in due time of the renewal of the Armistice. He had given him to understand that whatever interpretation Admiral von Reuter put upon the incident, the Fleet at Scapa Flow had represented a German asset. That asset had disappeared and the responsibility of the German Government remained undiminished. As Herr von Simson considered that the responsibility of the Allies was involved, he had informed him that the Allies had examined from the technical and political points of view the question of interning the German Fleet in a neutral port; that the experts had explained that such a solution was impossible, as no neutral port had facilities to receive the German Fleet. On the other hand neutral Governments had been disinclined to have this responsibility placed upon them; no Allied Power had wanted to retain the German Fleet, least of all the British. He had asked whether it was Herr von Simson’s wish that he should say to the Supreme Council that the German Government denied responsibility for the Scapa Flow incident. Herr Von Simson refused to commit the German Government to that and said that a written explanation would be forthcoming.

After a brief reference to the submarines destroyed in the North Sea and on the Spanish coast, Herr von Simson had raised the vital question, from the German point of view, of the handing over of guilty individuals. He had stated that it was materially and morally impossible for the German Government to comply with that demand. To that statement M Berthelot had replied that he was not qualified to discuss the execution of the Peace Treaty, but that if his personal opinion were asked for, he would say that the whole question had been examined by the Allies with the greatest care and that they had made every effort to see it from the German point of view. He had asked Herr von Simson whether he admitted that crimes had been perpetrated and that the guilty individuals should be punished. Herr von Simson agreed as far as to say that the guilty parties should be brought to judgment, but only before German tribunals; to which he had replied that the situation in that case would be yet more difficult for the German Government. Herr von Simson claimed that America, while admitting the principle that the guilty individuals should be handed over, did not insist on their being actually delivered up. M Berthelot replied that he did not know the correctness of the statement, but that Herr von Simson certainly ought to realize that populations which had suffered directly from the war could not have the same feeling on that question as those that had not. There were crimes which families could not forget and, speaking to him as man to man, he had asked him whether if the German Government considered its duty in a loyal spirit, it would not find the difficulties less than it had at first believed. The Allies would not be implacable and if they recognized that a sincere effort was being made to hand over the guilty individuals, they might not insist on the extreme fulfillment of this clause; he had asked whether Herr von Simson did not think that there would be found German individuals, courageous and patriotic enough to surrender themselves voluntarily. Herr von Simson did not think so and M Berthelot had replied that such would not be the case in the Allied countries.

He had finally explained to Herr Von Simson that the Council had fixed the deposit of ratifications for December 1st but this would only be possible if Germany did not create any difficulty. Germany had had the protocol for the last three weeks and if Germany had observations to make she should do so immediately; the German Government should not forget that the execution of the Treaty would mean the repatriation of her prisoners.

The Council expresses thanks to M Berthelot for his very valuable summary.


4. Mr White states that the Labor Conference at Washington, which had been unofficial up to that time, wishes to know, as it intends to adjourn on November 29th, whether the deposit of ratifications was set for December 1st; in that case the Conference would hold over until the 2nd or 3rd of December to pass official resolutions to confirm the work previously covered unofficially.

M Cambon replies that December 1st had been set and that the fact could be officially communicated to the Labor Conference.


5. The Council has before it a report of the Special Economic Commission.

M Serruys reads and comments upon the report. He says the Economic Commission is unanimous but not in agreement with the Drafting Committee. The Drafting Committee wishes to insert in article 232 bis in the Hungarian Treaty the following paragraph, “The Greek Orthodox Communities established at Budapest and other cities of Hungary as well as religious or other foundations are particularly included in the companies and associations referred to in this article.” If this paragraph were inserted an ambiguity would be caused as the word “Orthodox” had a political meaning broader than the religious one, and he did not think that it came within the province of the Economic Commission to decide this point.

M Fromageot admits that the argument of the Economic Commission had some weight, but the Drafting Committee does not think an ambiguity existed as the article referred to Allied subjects. He thinks it will be sufficient, however in order to prevent any such ambiguity, to add to the paragraph read by M Serruys the following phrase: “when subjects of Allied or Associated Powers are interested in those Communities or foundations”.

(It is decided that the third paragraph of article 232 bis of the Hungarian Treaty be modified as follows:

“The Greek Orthodox Communities established at Budapest and other cities of Hungary as well as religious or other foundations are particularly included in the companies and associations referred to in this article, when subjects of Allied or Associated Powers are interested in those Communities or foundations.”)


6. The Council has before it Draft Answer to the Danish Request Regarding the Liquidation of Property of Schieswigers Residing Abroad.

M Serruys reads and comments upon these documents. He adds that in the question concerning liquidation of enemy property there had never been unanimity between the Allied and Associated Powers. Article 297 of the Versailles Treaty speaks explicitly of the power and not of the obligation to liquidate. As a matter of fact England has already liquidated German property, France on the contrary had confined itself to sequestration, and as there had never been a common policy it might well be dangerous to give the impression that a common theory and common arrangements are now obtaining. It was exactly to avoid that inconvenience that the Economic Commission had proposed a noncommittal text. The Drafting Committee, on the other hand, in the draft it proposed (Number 4) is less noncommittal, and the Economic Commission sees great disadvantage in leaving the impression that a unanimous policy had been agreed upon by the Allies. The first sentence of the second paragraph as drafted by the Drafting Committee is too vague; it will be necessary to specify that the Allies should not undertake new measures of liquidation since at that moment measures were actually being executed in England, which could not be stopped. On the contrary the second sentence of the second paragraph did not go far enough; it anticipates only restitution of the proceeds of liquidation whereas in certain cases it is the liquidated property that will be handed over.

M Fromageot says that the Drafting Committee has considered that matter from a purely practical point of view. As he had explained at a previous meeting of the Supreme Council, he had been mainly concerned with the difficult situation in which the Schleswigers were placed. Besides, the Drafting Committee’s reply was merely a draft letter to the Minister of Denmark, not a legal document.

M Cambon says that the Council is not prepared to enter into questions of technical details. It would be well for the experts to come to an agreement and submit the agreed text to the Council at a future meeting.

(It is decided that the special Economic Commission and the Drafting Committee should prepare a draft letter to be written to the Danish Minister, and that the draft agreed upon be presented to the Council at a future meeting.)


7. The Council has before it a note of the Drafting Committee relative to the Request of the Dutch Government for Permission To Export From Germany Certain War Material for Its colonies.

M Fromageot reads and comments upon the note. He says it was for the Council to decide whether it should maintain the terms of the Treaty and the legal position already adopted by the Council.

(It was decided that a letter be sent to the Dutch Minister at Paris advising him that the Supreme Council maintains that no departure can be made from its rule vetoing the export of war materiel from Germany.

8. The Council has before it the proposed Treaty, the report from the Spitzbergen Commission, and the addition to the draft reply to the Norwegian Minister. M Laroche reads and comments upon the report.

(After a short discussion.

It is decided:

(1) To approve the proposed Treaty presented by the Spitzbergen Commission;

(2) To approve the report of the Spitzbergen Commission, including the annexed letters;

(3) To accept the addition to the draft reply to the Norwegian Minister, proposed by the Drafting Committee.)

(The meeting then adjourns).

[Jimbuna]

22nd November 1919

Ship Losses:

Myron (United States) The lumber hooker foundered in Lake Superior off Whitefish Point with the loss of 17 of her 18 crew. Only the captain survived.
Ady (Belgium) The schooner, carrying a cargo of copra, caught fire off Jamaica and was abandoned.

[Sailor Steve]

Saturday, November 22, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no meetings today.

[Jimbuna]

23rd November 1919

French troops and tanks participate in a parade in Metz, marking the one-year anniversary of the city’s return to France.
https://i.postimg.cc/9FMQVgz3/EKDJ7lp-X0-AE7gsf.png (https://postimages.org/)

A Caproni biplane flies under the Brooklyn Bridge.
https://i.postimg.cc/wjRxRth0/h-OCi0-JUl-Ty-Rg2-Dt4-Vdc-NBu-Qds-Sx-Vku-QCjn3-NCKm-Oajw.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Sunday, November 23, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no meetings today.

[Jimbuna]

24th November 1919

A German chimney sweep using skis to get around.
https://i.postimg.cc/DZ0rZnSK/EKEOy-QVWo-AAxc-AX.png (https://postimages.org/)

Fighting the White Plague - Several hundred modern young crusaders—Philadelphia school children—form a living tuberculosis double cross.
https://i.postimg.cc/SRzc6dLT/7fwxblp26i041.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Monday, November 24, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


1. The Council has before it two letters from Baron von Lersner to the Secretary-General of the Peace Conference dated November 21st and 23rd, 1919.

M Berthelot reads the first letter as well as the draft reply prepared by the French Delegation. He says it is evident that there is no sense in starting a discussion on the return of prisoners of war at a moment when that repatriation was to take place within eight days. Since the draft reply had been prepared they had received the second letter from Baron von Lersner which the Council had before it. The German attitude was all the more inexplicable since in the interview he had had with M Dutasta and M Berthelot, Baron von Lersner had asked him for the date of the first meeting of his Delegates with the Allied Commissioners; von Lersner had put a number of questions to him concerning the procedure to be followed and had expressed a desire to receive on Saturday evening the agenda of that meeting. That agenda had been sent him at the appointed hour. The attitude of Germany seemed to be determined by the delay that had occurred in the American ratification of the Treaty as well as by the Lodge motion tending to the restoration of the state of peace between the United States and Germany; Germany evidently hoped that a misunderstanding would arise between the Allies. M Berthelot feels that it would be important to acquaint Washington with this tendency. The reply they had given on the question of the handing over of guilty individuals might have also an influence on the German decision. Von Lersner had made him understand that if the Entente maintained its demands, no German could wish to hasten by a single day the ratification of a treaty which, according to him, would plunge Germany in chaos.

M Cambon asks whether the draft letter which had just been read by M Berthelot was approved by the Council.

Sir Eyre Crowe thinks it would be advisable to add a few words concerning the departure of the German Commissioners.

M Berthelot agrees. The draft had been prepared before the second letter had been received. A post-script might be added.

Sir Eyre Crowe says it should be stated in that post-script that the departure of the German technical Delegates led one to think that the Berlin Government did not intend to ratify; also that it would be advisable to ask the German Government categorically yes or no, whether it meant to sign the protocol.

S de Martino said he thinks it would be unwise to look as if they had any doubt about the final putting into force of the Treaty.

(After further discussion, the text of the post-script is adopted.)

Sir Eyre Crowe thinks that it is important that the note should be sent without delay, and further that it should be published for the sake of the moral effect it would produce on German public opinion.

M Berthelot says they could send the letter as soon as the President - who ought to sign it - returns, that is to say, this night.

Mr White thinks that it would be wise in that case to delay the publication for 24 hours.

M Cambon says the note will then be published the following evening.

(It was decided:

(1) To approve the draft reply to the President of the German Delegation, together with the post-script;

(2) That said reply be transmitted to Baron von Lersner as soon as possible;

(3) That it be published on the evening of November 25th.


2. The Council has before it a report dated November 21st, 1919, concerning the Financial Arrangements in the Plebiscite Territories and Occupied Territories of Danzig and Memel.

General Le Rond reads and comments upon the report of the Commission. He adds that with regard to the application of the Treaty, the report had the approval of the legal experts. He would discuss separately, first the question of the Plebiscite Territories, secondly the question of Danzig and Memel.

Plebiscite Territories: The report had made no proposal except so far as concerned the normal administration expenses of the territories, and the supplementary expenses resulting from Inter-Allied government. As far as the military occupation was concerned, the Delegates had been of the opinion that it should be referred to their Governments.

According to the articles of the Treaty, expenses, whether they arose from administration or military occupation, should be in fine a charge on local revenues, present as well as future, but it is already certain that the existing local revenues would be insufficient to cover those expenses; they would, therefore, have to be met by advances, and it is to these that the report refers. Those advances which would properly be a charge on local revenues would have to be reimbursed later by the States to which the Principal Allied and Associated Powers would attribute the territories after plebiscite. That point being once settled it remains to determine the sources from which those advances can be drawn. That being the question for immediate solution, and the question of military occupation expenses being reserved, the Commission asks the Council to approve its conclusions numbered 1 and 2.

Mr White says he has no observations to make on points 1 and 2, but he wishes on the question of military occupation expenses to read the following note which defines the American point of view.

General Le Rond says that the American note refers to a question of form. It is quite clear that the expenses of occupation are a charge on local revenues, but those local revenues for the time being are insufficient. They are burdening the countries where a plebiscite is to take place with expenses which were beyond their temporary power to bear. Hence the necessity of making advances. The Commission has not dealt with the means of raising those advances so far as the military occupation expenses are concerned but no fundamental doubt on the question was possible.

Sir Eyre Crowe says he agrees with the conclusions of the report and with the note that Mr White had just read.

S de Martino says that in a word it comes down to obtaining the consent of Germany in the first instance upon the question of repayment of the costs of occupation of Marienwerder and Allenstein for which nothing had been provided in the Treaty.

General Le Rond says S De Martino is speaking of the costs of occupation; he has to repeat that there is no possible doubt that the costs of occupation are a charge on the occupied territories and that the only question under discussion is a matter of deciding ways and means; how are they to obtain the necessary funds at the moment?

S de Martino says that he does not see why a distinction is made between the question of costs of occupation and that of other costs.

General Le Rond says he will reply to S De Martino by sheltering himself behind the authority of the legal experts. They had been of the opinion that the Allies did not have the legal right to make the German State, considered as a whole, pay costs which, according to the terms of the Treaty, fell upon local revenues. The Commission as a matter of fact, had not dealt with the question and had been of the opinion that it should be referred to the different Governments.

S de Martino says that considering the importance of the question, and notwithstanding that the Commission itself had left it in suspense, he believes it his duty to make a formal reservation on behalf of his Government.

Mr Matsui says the question does not arise for Japan as it did not send troops of occupation, but they agree with the Commission as far as the interpretation of the Treaty is concerned.

General Cavallero says that with regard to the costs of military occupation, it would be well to make a distinction between the question of advances which is referred to the examination of the various Governments concerned, and the question of repayment of those advances, which should be settled by an interpretation of the Treaty. In the case of Upper Silesia there is no doubt that the expenses will be borne by the local revenues in the future as well as the present. In the case of Marienwerder, on the other hand, the repayment of the costs of occupation is not provided for; possibly it was an omission, at any rate it is a point to be defined. In the case of Allenstein the occupation itself is not provided for, and still less the repayment of the costs of occupation.

Sir Eyre Crowe asks what is the intention of the Italian Delegate in declaring that the matter has to be defined. Does he mean that a new Treaty has to be concluded with Germany or simply that the Supreme Council has to take a new decision? If he means a decision of the Supreme Council he (Sir Eyre Crowe) will remark that the Council has already decided that all the costs will be a charge on the interested territories. They had already given their interpretation. What more can be done?

M Berthelot says that in his interview with Herr von Simson he had indicated that that question was precisely of the same type as those which are to be settled between the German delegates and the Allied Commissioners. Herr von Simson had accepted this. He, M Berthelot, had added that the Council had decided to have Allied troops occupy Marienwerder, and that the costs of occupation should be a charge on the local revenues. Herr von Simson had made no objection to this.

M Cambon says that this is a question of application of the Treaty, upon which it is for the Allied Commissioners and the German Delegates to come to an agreement.

General Le Rond said the solution would be arrived at quite naturally when the Allied and Associated Powers attribute the territories submitted to a plebiscite. In the Treaties which would then be concluded between the Allies and the States to whom attribution would be made, nothing prevents the stipulation that costs of every kind should be a charge upon those States in exact proportion as the territories in question would be attributed to them.

M Cambon states that the Council agrees on the conclusions numbered 1 and 2, point 3 remaining to be settled between the Governments.

S de Martino says the question of advances brings up the question of exchange, which is particularly important for the Italians. They propose that the advance to be effected for troops, no matter to what nation they belong, should be made in marks. It is not apparent why, in a country where the legal currency was the mark, allowances should be paid with another currency; all the more so inasmuch as the mark is also the legal currency in Poland. The pound sterling might serve as a basis, the rate of exchange being subject to revision on the first of each month. In that case, and to avoid considerable purchases of marks for certain countries, the Allies should agree among themselves so that the necessary amount of marks should be furnished by the Allied States who held the most.

General Le Rond says S De Martino’s remarks bring up two points: On the first point, the case is quite in accord with S De Martino. Having been forced to choose a firm basis for the calculation of the rate of the allowances, it had taken the pound; but as a matter of fact, it was the gold dollar, a fixed standard, which should be the basis of calculation. It goes without saying that the payments will be made in currency of the country, that is to say, in marks. In the second point, the question of exchange is not in the province of the Commission, but S De Martino’s remark deserves consideration.

Mr White says he will note S De Martino’s proposal.

Sir Eyre Crowe says he agrees with the proposals presented by General Le Rond. They can, for the moment only take note of S De Martino’s proposal.

General Le Rond says there remains the question of Danzig and Memel.

As for Danzig, the British Government has already declared it is ready to make the advance of necessary funds to the administrative official who will represent the Principal Allied and Associated Powers. It is clear, as for Memel, that they ought to adopt the same solution as for plebiscite territories, namely, that all the costs of administration and of occupation be a charge on the State to which Memel will be attributed by the Principal Allied and Associated Powers.

Mr White remarks that they have just spoken of a representative of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers at Danzig. Should not the appointment of that official be approved by the Supreme Council?

Sir Eyre Crowe says the Supreme Council has already approved the nomination.

(It was decided:

(1) To approve the conclusions of the report on the financial regime of the plebiscite territories and occupied territories of Danzig and Memel;

(2) That the costs of normal administration of said territories, as well as supplementary costs of administration resulting from the Inter-Allied government, should be ultimately placed by the Principal Allied and Associated Powers upon the States to whom those territories would be attributed by Treaty.


3. The Council has before it a note of the Sub-Committee on the Execution of the Treaty of Peace, dated November 15th.

General Le Rond reads and comments upon the note of the Sub-Commission. He adds that the Italian Delegation has just communicated to him a proposal tending to modify the disposition of the scales of allowances, so as to distinguish in the allowances of presidents and commissioners, what is the representation allowance, properly so-called, the total allowance remaining the same.

Sir Eyre Crowe says he has had great difficulty in persuading his Government to accept the figures proposed by the Sub-Committee; he really thinks them extravagant. He has already found the figures provided for the Delimitation Commissions too high. His Government was surprised that personnel could not be found at lower salaries. He would, however, as a compromise, and so as to hasten the entry into force of the Treaty, accept the proposed figures.

M Berthelot said that those figures seem high because it is forgotten that, while military personnel had their pay in addition, civil officials had not. They had, on the other hand, taken as basis for calculation of the allowances the amount allotted by the British Government to its High Commissioner on the Rhineland High Commission.

General Le Rond says that salaries, properly so-called, will remain for the Governments to bear, but only in the event that the latter think they should be paid. It should not be forgotten that a certain number of officials employed as members of Commissions do not have any Government salary.

Sir Eyre Crowe says he thinks it had been decided that it was only the allowances according to function that were to be a charge upon the occupied territories.

General Le Rond said that the decision had been that the local revenues should pay the allowances fixed, and that, if he might say so, they need not take salaries into account, the government appointing any particular official being free to pay him if it so desired.

M Berthelot says that the case of military officials - a special one - should be placed on one side. On the other hand, the principle might be advanced that all officials be paid exclusively by the territory, the administration of which they belonged to. Officials who came for a country’s welfare should be paid from the resources of that country. The case is similar to that of “counselors” whom certain oriental or Far Eastern powers asked western nations to send them.

General Le Rond says the rate of allowances had been fixed in uniform fashion for all officials of a similar category, no matter what their salary might be in their own country.

Mr White says he has not had time to discuss the question with his experts and must for the time being reserve his decision.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that the explanation furnished by M Berthelot and by General Le Rond changed the aspect of the question: It would obviously be much easier for his Government to accept that proposal which came nearer the point of view it had always supported. It was, then, understood that the rate of payment being thus reckoned, the Council considers that officials who receive these payments should have no further claim.

S de Martino says he wishes to know why a distinction had been drawn between allowances provided in the cases of Allenstein and Marienwerder and those provided for in the case of Upper Silesia?

M Berthelot says that a decision has already been given which explains itself through the relative importance of territories to be administered and also through the duties which the officials would have to assume thereby.

S de Martino says it should be borne in mind, however, that the shorter the occupation the heavier relatively would be the expenses that members of the Commissions would have to incur.

General Le Rond says another consideration should not be neglected, however: An official who would be sent for instance, to Allenstein knew that he was only going there for a few months. In the case of Upper Silesia, on the contrary, they were quite uncertain, as the occupation might last anywhere from 8 to 20 months; therefore, to recruit the necessary personnel higher payments would have to be made.

Sir Eyre Crowe agrees with General Le Rond: It is certain that a man who leaves a position for 18 months will have greater difficulty in having it kept for him than the man who only left his position for a few months.

S de Martino asks whether the question of allowances for troops of occupation could not be settled immediately?

General Weygand says it seems to them there is no reason to adopt on that subject a different ruling from that which had been followed for the troops of occupation of the Rhine. Each Government is free to fix for its troops the allowances which it thought advisable.

General Cavallero says that the situation of troops which will occupy for instance, Upper Silesia cannot be compared to that of French troops on the Rhine. There would be very great practical difficulties. It seems impossible to the Italian Command not to fix a higher allowance for battalions which would be sent to Allenstein than to troops which occupied the armistice zone. It seemed very difficult to the Italians, for all kinds of reasons, to fix the rate of supplementary allowances to be given without previous agreement with the other General Staffs.

General Weygand replies that the French Government and the other interested Governments, with the exception of the Italian, had been of the opinion that it was for each of them to settle the rate which it thought advisable. They had not wished to fix a uniform rate. He feels no hesitation in saying that the French troops sent into Upper Silesia will receive slightly higher allowances than the troops on the Rhine.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that the question had already been the subject of discussion in the Supreme Council a long time before, but had not then been settled.

General Cavallero says that uniform allowances had been agreed upon for personnel of Commissions of Control, no matter what the army of origin. If, however, in zones of occupation the allowances varied according to the army a very disagreeable situation might arise for soldiers in receipt of the lower allowances. The line officers, who will receive a much smaller amount than officers, members of a Commission, will find themselves in a painful situation. They might at least agree to fix tables roughly analogous.

General Weygand says the case of isolated officers or non-commissioned officers could not be compared to that of commissioned or non-commissioned officers living with their formations. The latter has every kind of facility which isolated officers cannot find. On the other hand officers of each nationality will live, each one in the sector allotted to his troops; there will be, therefore, no occasion for officers of the different armies to compare their respective positions. Had it not for that matter been thus all through the war?

General Cavallero says they are not at war any longer and the situation is a rather different one. He wishes to point out that officers will probably sit on Commissions, whose situation would be clearly more attractive than that of their comrades of the line although their position might not be much more important.

M Cambon thinks it would be better to leave each Government its freedom in the matter.

(It was decided to approve the report of the Sub-Committee on the Execution of the Treaty, dated November 15th, concerning the rate of monthly allowances to the personnel of Plebiscite Commissions, with the reservation that the American Delegation communicate at the next meeting whether it accepts the proposals of the report.


4. Sir Eyre Crowe says Sir George Clerk has telegraphed that he was on the point of leaving Budapest, having fulfilled his mission. Should the Council wish him to remain or have some communication to make to him, it should do so without delay.

M Berthelot says Sir George Clerk gave the Council the assurance that Mr Huszar was not Friedrich’s strawman. Sir George Clerk has succeeded fully in his mission. It seems that the Council can allow him to return. Sir Eyre Crowe might wire him that the Council is not opposed to his return and will be glad to hear his report.


5. The Council has before it a letter from the Polish Delegation dated November 17th, 1919 and a letter from the same Delegation dated November 19, 1919.

M Laroche reads and comments upon the letters. He adds that it would be advantageous to be able to follow the negotiations in Paris itself.

Sir Eyre Crowe says the question is not exactly the same for the negotiations between Poland and the German Governments and between Poland and Danzig. In the former case there is no difficulty in transferring the negotiations to Paris. In the latter, on the other hand, it should not be forgotten that the local factor plays an important part. The Treaty to be concluded will go into all sorts of detail concerning the port, docks, customs, railroads, etc. Would it be wise to transfer to Paris the seat of these negotiations when an account had to be taken of local conditions? The representative of the Allies at Danzig had a part to play in the negotiations: Is it wise to eliminate him?

M Laroche says the Polish Commission quite definitely thinks that because of local passions it would be wiser to withdraw the negotiations from the atmosphere of Danzig just as it would be to withdraw them from Warsaw. That transfer would not prevent the representative of the Allies at Danzig from intervening: his advice would be asked for. Indeed in matters of technical details it would be easy to detach to the spot a sub-commission. To take into account the objection formulated by Sir Eyre Crowe, they might decide in principle that the negotiations will take place in Paris although the details should be settled on the spot.

Sir Eyre Crowe says he of course agrees that the decision should be taken at Paris but he considers it difficult to divide the negotiations into two classes. He would rather propose that Danzig be made the seat of negotiations, it being understood that the scheme worked out at Danzig be subject to revision in Paris.

M Berthelot says the Council could adopt a formula of that kind.

M Cambon suggests that they could say - and in that way indicate that the Allied Representative at Danzig had to take part in the matter - that the preliminary investigations should take place at Danzig, that they will be carried out on the spot and that they would be transmitted to Paris for final decision by the Allied Representative who would submit the report.

Mr White asks whether originally it had not been decided that the negotiations take place in Warsaw, the question interesting Poland in the first place.

M Laroche says the Japanese Delegation was opposed to that proposal as it did not have a representative at Warsaw who could follow the negotiations.

S de Martino says his instructions give him authority to approve the transfer to Paris of all the negotiations in progress, whether in Berlin or Warsaw, between Germany and Poland. He asks whether the negotiations relative to Danzig fall within that category.

M Cambon thinks not.

Mr White asks how the Commission will be composed, and why it could not meet at Warsaw.

Sir Eyre Crowe replies that it is because Danzig is the object of the negotiations; the Commission would include representatives of the free city and Poles.

M Laroche says it is understood, then, that the scheme prepared at Danzig could be modified in Paris. All the questions would be studied anew in Paris under the auspices of the Great Powers and with the cooperation of the delegates of Danzig and of Poles.

Mr White says he agrees on the principle, but he wishes to read over the text of the resolution once it has been drafted.

(It was decided:

(1) That the negotiations between the Polish Government and the German Government take place in Paris;

(2) That the negotiations between the Polish Government and the Free City of Danzig take place in Paris, with the cooperation and under the direction of representatives of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers;

(3) That, prior to the opening of negotiations as provided for in the last paragraph, preliminary discussions, at which the Allied representative in the Free City of Danzig is to be a party, should take place at Danzig. That representative should send to Paris, with a report, the proposals which will have been prepared at Danzig, and which would serve as a basis for the negotiations provided for in paragraph 2.

(The Council reserves to itself the final approval of the present resolution until a further examination.)


6. The Council had before it a draft note dated November 24th, 1919.

(After a short discussion, it is decided to adopt the draft note to the President of the Inter-Allied Aeronautical Commission of Control in Germany for transmission to the German Government, once the Peace Treaty comes into force.


7. The Council has before it a note from the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission relative to the appointment of a Sub-Committee charged with the improvement of circulation of rolling stock in the ex-Austro-Hungarian Empire.

S de Martino says he accepts the draft recommendation of the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission, but wishes to make the following declaration: It is well understood that the Sub-Committee will only function until a decision has been taken on the distribution of rolling stock between the several States inheriting territory of the ex-Austro-Hungarian Empire, in accordance with Article 318 of the Treaty of Saint Germain. This is in order to avoid possible confusion of competence.

Sir Eyre Crowe says he is surprised that the question has come up again. The Council had given the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission full powers to act in the event of its sub-commission on Austrian affairs being unanimous. M Loucheur had told them that only questions of detail remain to be settled. He therefore cannot understand, and thinks the Council has grounds for being surprised that the matter was submitted to them a second time, considering the extreme gravity of the situation in Austria.

M Massigli points out that the terms of the decision adopted on November 20th are unambiguous; in the case of unanimity the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission was to have acted without referring the subject anew to the Supreme Council.

(The Council takes note of the declaration made by S De Martino on the subject of the duration of that Sub-Committee’s activities.)

(It was decided to approve the terms of the draft note of the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission concerning the appointment of a Sub-Committee on rolling stock in the Ex-Austro-Hungarian Empire, an appointment which the Council considered as decided in its resolution of November 20th.


8. The Council has before it the note of the British Delegation dated November 22nd.

(After a short discussion, it was decided to refer to the Drafting Committee for examination and immediate report the note of the British Delegation on demobilization by German authorities of a great number of soldiers in the Schleswig plebiscite area.

(The meeting then adjourns).

[Jimbuna]

25th November 1919

"We appeal to you to have your country undertake for its racial minority that which you forced Poland and Austria to undertake for their racial minorities." — National Equal Rights League to President Woodrow Wilson.

Ireland. A proclamation is issued suppressing Sinn Féin, the Irish Volunteers, the Gaelic League and kindred bodies throughout Ireland.

British Whippet tanks patrol Country Clare, Ireland. The Irish War of Independence is currently being waged.
https://i.postimg.cc/XqLYVR7r/EKNd-Kh0-Xs-AEeu-l.png (https://postimages.org/)

Mexican military officer Felipe Ángeles sentenced to death.
https://i.postimg.cc/LXRSnxWL/Felipe-ngeles.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Tuesday, November 25, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


1. Marshal Foch informs the Council that he has received a telegram from General Niessel, dated November 23rd. According to this telegram the Germans are carrying out their evacuation by the Chavli-Tauroggen railroad. The Lithuanians, in spite of instructions received from General Niessel, had crossed that line at several points and attacked the Germans. In order to parry this attack General Niessel had dispatched Allied and German officers and hoped to succeed in checking the Lithuanians. In spite of this, the German Government has ordered troops to cross the frontier in order to protect the railroad, although they had been told not to send any additional troops to that district. One train had already passed through. General Niessel desires the Council to make strong representations to the German Government. He proposes to send a telegram to General Niessel telling him that he has full power to take whatever measures seem to him fitting and that any action on the part of the Council seems calculated only to retard a satisfactory solution.

Sir Eyre Crowe asks if any news has been received from General Niessel regarding an armistice between the Germans and the Letts. He had received a somewhat obscure telegram from the Admiralty, evidently to the effect that there is such an armistice.

General Weygand says he does not think so. The last news received from General Niessel was that he had meant to go to Riga, but felt that his presence was necessary further south, especially as the Letts seemed able to hold their own against the Germans.

(It is decided to approve the terms of the draft telegram prepared by Marshal Foch to be sent to General Niessel.)


2. On the subject of Allowances to Personnel of Administrative, Government, and Plebiscite Commissions, Mr White refers to the resolution adopted by the Council at its previous meeting and announces that he accepts the proposals of the report in question.


3. M Berthelot informs the Council that the Romanian answer has not yet actually arrived. General Coanda, who is bringing this answer is on his way to Paris. According to the Romanian calculation the time within which their answer was to be delivered only expired at noon of that day. Although, according to the idea of the Council that time had expired on Sunday, it seemed expedient to wait until General Coanda arrived, an event which would take place at any moment. In the meantime, a strong speech from the Romanian throne had indicated that under no conditions is Romania willing to permit a rupture between herself and the Allied and Associated Powers. Mr Antonescu has confirmed this information.

Sir Eyre Crowe points out that a real difficulty exists. He has heard from the British Representative at Bucharest that the Council’s note had not been presented by the 22nd of November. The Council in discussing the draft note had changed several words and decided that the Romanians were to have eight days from the presentation of the note. If then it had not been presented on the 22nd November the time could not be considered to have expired.

M Berthelot informs the Council that he has received a telegram from the French Chargé d’Affaires at Bucharest dated November 21st to the effect that the latter had received the first and last parts of the Council’s note to the Romanian Government. An important part is still lacking and is being awaited before the note was presented. Mr Misu, however, already knows the substance of the note through General Coanda. The French Chargé d’Affaires has made urgent representations to the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs as to the gravity of the situation, which permitted of no delay, and had told him that the Romanian Government must declare itself ready to sign the Minorities Treaty unreservedly in consideration always of the assurance given by the Principal Allied and Associated Powers in their note of the 12th October that they would examine certain modifications as to form. Mr Misu had replied to the French Chargé d’Affaires that he would prepare a reply of that tenor and would do his utmost to obtain a favorable consideration of the matter from the King and Council of Ministers.

Sir Eyre Crowe reminds the Council that the Romanians had been told that they could not sign the Bulgarian Treaty until they had signed the Austrian Treaty.

As they cannot sign the Austrian Treaty within the two ensuing days he does not see how they could sign the Bulgarian Treaty on November 27th.

M Berthelot suggests that a protocol can be signed, as had been the case at the time of signing the Austrian Treaty, giving the Romanians additional time within which to sign the Bulgarian Treaty. That time might be fixed at a week.

S de Martino agrees that the Council should take no further action towards Romania until the Romanian reply had been received.

M Berthelot points out that all indications are that the Romanians are certainly going to sign. The Serb-Croat-Slovene Government is prepared to sign the Treaty with Austria as well as the Minorities Treaty and the financial arrangements. The Drafting Committee has prepared a draft agreement of adhesion to be signed by the Serb-Croat-Slovene Government which will be communicated to all the Powers signatory to the Treaty of Saint Germain. With respect to the Romanians the situation is different. The Minorities Treaty concerning Romania has not yet been signed by anybody. Some modifications as to form would be made in this Minorities Treaty in order to meet certain views of the Romanians. The Principal Allied and Associated Powers therefore cannot sign this Treaty until the final terms thereof have been settled after consultation with the Romanian Representatives.

Sir Eyre Crowe feels that the Romanians must give an unequivocal agreement to sign the Minorities Treaty, taking into consideration the fact that certain modifications in their favor might be made therein.

M Cambon suggests that after the receipt of the Romanian reply the Romanian Delegation be given a week from Nov. 27 within which to sign the Bulgarian Treaty, and that within that week the Minorities Treaty should be put into final form after conference with the Romanian representatives; that said Treaty, as well as the Treaty of Saint Germain and the agreements related thereto, be signed by Romania within that week.

M Berthelot reads the draft agreement of adhesion, prepared by the Drafting Committee, to be signed by the Serb-Croat-Slovene Government.

(It is decided:

(1) That in connection with the signing of the Treaty with Bulgaria on November 27th a protocol be prepared allowing the interested Powers to sign said Treaty with Bulgaria within one week from November 27th:

(2) That within one week from November 27th Romania should sign the Treaty with Austria, the Minorities Treaty, and the financial arrangements.

(3) To accept the draft agreement of adhesion, prepared by the Drafting Committee, to be signed by the Serb-Croat-Slovene Delegation;

(4) That the agreement of adhesion when signed by the Serb-Croat-Slovene Delegation be communicated to all the Powers signatory to the Treaty of Saint Germain.


4. The Council has before it a note from the Serb-Croat-Slovene Delegation regarding the Minorities Treaty.

M Kammerer comments upon the note from the Serb-Croat-Slovene Delegation and states that, on the whole, this note is satisfactory. He points out that the Serb-Croat-Slovene Delegation had presented its interpretation of the clauses relative to freedom of transit and equitable treatment of commerce, which were involved in Article 51 of the Treaty of Peace with Austria, and had stated that in the absence of a contrary reply from the Council it would consider that its interpretation was correct. He thinks that the Serbian interpretation is, in fact, correct and he therefore proposes that no reply be sent to the Serb-Croat-Slovene Delegation. The question can therefore be considered settled.

(It is decided that the Principal Allied and Associated Powers are in full agreement with the Serb-Croat-Slovene Delegation as to the interpretation of the Minorities Treaty, and that said Treaty be at once presented to the Serb-Croat-Slovene Delegation for signature.


5. The Council has before it the Bulgarian reply regarding reciprocal immigration between Greece and Bulgaria, dated November 23rd.

M Kammerer comments upon this note from the Bulgarian Delegation and states that it is entirely satisfactory. The Bulgarian Delegation has asked for explanations with respect to two points. The Committee on New States agreed with the Bulgarian interpretation of these points. A satisfactory answer consisting of a few lines could be sent to the Bulgarian Delegation. A more serious question was the form of the Treaty. The United States representative had raised some question as to his Government’s being able to sign, and the Japanese delegate had thereupon stated that in such an event, his Government might likewise be unable to sign. The Drafting Committee considers that the Treaty between Bulgaria and Greece relative to reciprocal immigration is in no way dependent upon the signature of the Bulgarian Treaty by the Principal Allied and Associated Powers. In fact Article 56, paragraph 2, of the Bulgarian Treaty itself, makes that point clear. In order to meet the difficulty the Drafting Committee proposes the following solution: The Supreme Council should reach a decision which will be inserted in the preamble of the Greco-Bulgarian Treaty; for technical reasons it is preferable that this decision be dated Thursday, November 27th. The wording of the proposed decision is as follows:

“In view of the provisions of Article 56, paragraph 2, of the Treaty of Peace with Bulgaria, the Principal Allied and Associated Powers deem it fitting that the reciprocal and voluntary immigration of ethnical, religious and linguistic minorities in Greece and Bulgaria should be settled by a convention concluded between these two Powers in the terms decided upon on this date.”

The foregoing solution represents the unanimous opinion of the Committee on New States, with the exception that the Italian representative makes the reservation that S de Martino would have to give a final opinion on this point.

S de Martino says that he has already expressed his opinion that for reasons of general interest it is advisable that the Principal Allied and Associated Powers should sign this Treaty. The decisions already taken by the Council relative to affairs in the Balkans seem to him to have created many opportunities for trouble in the future. As a general thing he feels that those Powers who are directly interested in maintaining peace in the Balkans should participate more actively in Balkan affairs. However, as it was of great importance that the present question be settled without further delay, he is willing to withdraw his reservation on that occasion.

(It is decided:

(1) That the Secretary General of the Conference reply to the Bulgarian Delegation that the Principal Allied and Associated Powers are in agreement with the Bulgarian interpretation of the Treaty regarding reciprocal immigration between Greece and Bulgaria;

(2) To adopt the following resolution, to be dated as of November 27th, 1919, and to be inserted in the preamble of the Treaty between Greece and Bulgaria regarding reciprocal immigration:

“In view of the provisions of Article 56, paragraph 2, of the Treaty of Peace with Bulgaria, the Principal Allied and Associated Powers deem it fitting that the reciprocal and voluntary immigration of ethnical, religious and linguistic minorities in Greece and Bulgaria should be settled by a convention concluded between these two Powers in the terms decided upon on this date.”)


6. The Council has before it a draft note, prepared by the Drafting Committee, to be sent to the German Government relative to demobilized German soldiers in the Schleswig Plebiscite Areas.

M Cambon reads the draft note, prepared by the Drafting Committee, to be sent to the German Government relative to demobilized German soldiers in the Schleswig Plebiscite Areas.

(It is decided to adopt the draft note, prepared by the Drafting Committee, to be sent to the German Government relative to demobilized German soldiers in the Schleswig Plebiscite Areas.)


7. M Cambon reads the resolution adopted by the Council at its preceding meeting (H. D. 99, Minute 5). The resolution had provided that the Council reserves to itself the final approval thereof until a further examination.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that he accepts the text as read.

Mr White proposes that paragraph 3 of the resolution be modified to read as follows:

“that, prior to the opening of negotiations as provided for in the last paragraph, preliminary studies by a special technical committee shall be made at This committee shall be composed of representatives of both Poland and Danzig with the addition of the Allied representative at Danzig. These technical studies, which may serve as a basis for the negotiations provided for under paragraph 2, shall be forwarded to Paris by this committee not later than one month after the coming into force of the Treaty.”

Sir Eyre Crowe asks what the object is in the change suggested by Mr White. He wishes to know if the word technical is intended to exclude anyone.

Mr White replies that it is not.

M Cambon said that he likewise is unable to understand the proposed change.

Sir Eyre Crowe asks if this excludes the preparation of a draft Treaty.

Mr White says that the object of the proposed change is merely to make it clear that only preliminary studies should take place at Danzig.

Mr Dulles calls attention to the fact that preliminary discussions have already taken place at Warsaw. If the resolution provides that preliminary discussions should take place at Danzig it might imply the removal of the discussions from Warsaw to Danzig. The Poles and the inhabitants of Danzig both recognize that technical studies must take place at Danzig. He also calls attention to the fact that in the change proposed by Mr White a time limit of one month after the coming into force of the Treaty is specified.

Sir Eyre Crowe observes that it has been proposed to hold these preliminary discussions at Warsaw. That proposition had been rejected and a request had been made on the previous day that these discussions be transferred to Paris. He had then proposed that the preliminary discussions be held at Danzig. He further adds that the change proposed by the American Delegation contemplates that the Committee engaged in preliminary studies should report direct to the Supreme Council. He feels that this procedure was not correct and that as a matter of form it is the Allied Representative at Danzig who should address the Supreme Council. He also feels that one month might prove to be too short a time within which to submit the report in question.

Mr Dulles remarks that discussions had already begun. Therefore by the time the Treaty comes into force a further delay of one month might well prove sufficient. He quite agrees that the Representative of the Allies could and should address himself directly to the Supreme Council but he thinks that the Committee charged with the preliminary studies should also be able to do so.

M Cambon suggests that paragraph 3 be modified to read as follows:

“that prior to the opening of negotiations as provided for in the last paragraph, preparatory studies of a technical nature and preliminary discussions, to which the Allied Representative in the free city of Danzig should be a party, take place at Danzig. Within a maximum delay of two months after the coming into force of the Treaty the said Representative should send to Paris, together with a report, the proposals which would have been prepared at Danzig and which would serve as a basis for the negotiations provided for in the preceding paragraph.”

Mr White agrees to that modification if it is satisfactory to the Poles.

Sir Eyre Crowe points out that under the terms of the Treaty of Peace with Germany that is a matter for the decision of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers only.

M Cambon says that the Poles are interested in making preliminary studies and in participating in discussions, but they are not entitled to decide finally the question involved.

Mr White wonders what the result will be if the Poles should refuse to accept the plan proposed.

M Cambon inquires whether Mr White really expects such a refusal on their part. He points out that the Poles had asked to have the negotiations transferred to Paris, and their request had been granted. All that is necessary was to tell the Poles that it has been decided to grant their request.

M Berthelot observes that certain questions necessarily have to be studied on the spot. He thinks, however, that the Council can reach a decision on that day and if necessary communicate it to the Poles. If the Poles have any observations to present, the Council can, he thinks, decide on the following day whether or not to take them into account.

Mr White says that Danzig had been taken away from Germany and made a free city not so much for the good of the inhabitants of Danzig as for the benefit of the population of Poland.

Sir Eyre Crowe asks Mr White what action he thinks should be taken in case the Poles do not accept the plan proposed. Is it his intention that the Council should yield to the Poles?

Mr White thinks that the matter can then be discussed again.

Sir Eyre Crowe thinks that there is no point in that as the Council alone is charged with the duty of deciding.

S de Martino points out that in all probability the Poles will willingly accept this plan.

Mr White feels that he can only accept the resolution proposed after hearing the view of the Poles.

Sir Eyre Crowe thinks that means not coming to a decision.

(After some further discussion, it is decided:

(1) To accept textually the first two paragraphs of the resolution taken at the preceding meeting of the Council (H. D. 99, Minute 5, November 24th, 1919);

(2) That the third paragraph of said resolution be modified to read as follows:

“that prior to the opening of negotiations as provided for in the last paragraph, preparatory studies of a technical nature and preliminary discussions, to which the Allied Representative in the free city of Danzig should be a party, take place at Danzig. Within a maximum delay of two months after the coming into force of the Treaty the said Representative should send to Paris, together with a report, the proposals which would have been prepared at Danzig and which would serve as a basis for the negotiations provided for in the preceding paragraph.”

(3) That the entire resolution be communicated on that day to the Polish Delegation, and that if said Delegation has any observations to present the Council will examine them at an early meeting.


8. The Council has before it a letter dated November 15th from General Tcherbatcheff regarding Russian war material and supplies left in Romania.

M Berthelot points out that General Tcherbatcheff’s note alludes to a joint letter of the Ministers Plenipotentiary of France, England, the United States and Italy, dated March 3rd, 1918. As the text of that joint letter is not available he has telegraphed to the French Chargé d’Affaires at Bucharest to obtain the same. He thinks it would be well to await the receipt of that joint letter and to examine the same before taking any action on General Tcherbatcheff’s note.

(This is agreed to)

(The meeting then adjourns)

[Jimbuna]

26th November 1919

Members of the 1st Division Artillery, Australian Imperial Force, march through Chatelineau, Belgium before heading home.
https://i.postimg.cc/Pqs2r8R8/EKSmx-B4-Wk-AEec-Pj.png (https://postimages.org/)

Soldiers in Poltava (Ukraine) exhume bodies of prisoners executed and buried by the Bolsheviks.
https://i.postimg.cc/JnKqqY4b/EKOi-BHAWw-AANPw8.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

"Germanicure. Prussian military eagle: "Not too short, please"" (In defiance of the Peace Treaty Germany is maintaining 700,000 men under arms.)
https://i.postimg.cc/X7tgQC3D/EKOi-BHAWw-AANPw8.jpg (https://postimg.cc/PPzZqNCm)

[Sailor Steve]

Wednesday, November 26, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no meetings today.

[Jimbuna]

27th November 1919

Aftermath of War

Peace Treaty with Bulgaria signed at Neuilly.

The Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine is signed between the Allies and Bulgaria, making the country cede territory and pay reparations.
https://i.postimg.cc/R0HprBGT/EKXw-Zo-YWk-AA-2te.jpg (https://postimg.cc/B8JBDRr8)

Felipe Ángeles, Mexican General who fought under Pancho Villa in the Mexican Civil War, is executed by the government. He deserted Villa when he became disillusioned of the war.
https://i.postimg.cc/nzKdzGyj/EKXw-Zo-YWk-AA-2te.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Thursday, November 27, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no meetings today.

[Jimbuna]

28th November 1919

Aftermath of War

Yusef Wahba Pasha succeeds Mohammed Said Pasha as Premier of Egypt.

Artillerymen of the Don Cossacks fighting against the Bolsheviks.
https://i.postimg.cc/D0nWyjBJ/EKc58-Ix-Wk-AAai-Tg.png (https://postimages.org/)

Bolshevik prisoners of war, which includes children, held in Poland.
https://i.postimg.cc/cChvKRbD/EKY1-S1w-XUAA3-Rs2.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Greek and Serbian refugees return home from Bulgarian internment camps during World War I. They have travelled 500 miles in this cramped freight car. On the left is a British nurse working with the American Red Cross to care for the refugees.
https://i.postimg.cc/Wz54p2dC/EKY1-S1w-XUAA3-Rs2.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Friday, November 28, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


...

[Jimbuna]

29th November 1919

King and Queen of Romania in Transylvania. Romania gained the region from Hungary last year.
https://i.postimg.cc/vZC1qvfx/EKi-Djd-Ws-AEBFYJ.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Firemen use a firehose to wash the U.S. Capitol building.
https://i.postimg.cc/Kj9jn7mz/EKi-Djd-Ws-AEBFYJ.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Saturday, November 29, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


...

[Jimbuna]

30th November 1919

Anti-Bolshevik General Markov with his troops.
https://i.postimg.cc/YSXpRfW5/EKo-R1i-PWo-AESPBt.png (https://postimages.org/)

Hundreds of U.S. Navy ships are tied up in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard to be scrapped a year after the end of the war.
https://i.postimg.cc/nzCnPjKC/EKj-Ih05-Ws-AMYG-O.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

This month was the coldest November in British history, with areas of Aberdeenshire experiencing -23.3C
https://i.postimg.cc/ZR2Jtbjj/EKj-Ih05-Ws-AMYG-O.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Sunday, November 30, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no meetings today.

[Jimbuna]

1st December 1919

Nancy Astor becomes the first female Member of Parliament to take her seat (Constance Markievicz was the first women elected to Parliament in 1918 but didn't take her seat)
https://i.postimg.cc/L8s9vcn8/EKs-Wnvs-Wo-AA-MII.jpg (https://postimg.cc/9rvHQNd6)

Nancy Astor enters the House of Commons on a monday morning, effectively becoming the first ever elected female MP to be granted a seat in the British Parliament. She would later bring about great changes within, among other things, women’s rights.
https://i.postimg.cc/Bbg3Bp3F/EKs-Wnvs-Wo-AA-MII.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Monday, December 1, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


...

[Jimbuna]

2nd December 1919

Royal procession arrives in Montecitorio, Rome for the opening ceremony of the Italian Parliament.
https://i.postimg.cc/FHhbbQcn/EKtbahe-Ws-AI-s-WR.png (https://postimages.org/)

Canadian theatre magnate Ambrose Small disappears from his office after selling his theaters for $1.7 million. The money went untouched and the case remains unsolved.
https://i.postimg.cc/85fLkkQs/EKyl-Mg9-W4-AI6b28.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Henry Clay Frick, industrialist who was chairman of the Carnegie Steel Company, has passed away.
https://i.postimg.cc/0jpmmtNs/EKyl-Mg9-W4-AI6b28.jpg (https://postimg.cc/7JZfrn7s)

Imperial Japanese naval genius Isoroku Yamamoto, the proponent of the Pearl Habor attack against the United States, is promoted to Commander.
https://i.postimg.cc/NFfY7Fsj/EKyl-Mg9-W4-AI6b28.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Tuesday, December 2, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


...

[Jimbuna]

3rd December 1919

Aftermath of War

Lord Milner's Mission arrives in Egypt.

French Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir has passed away.
https://i.postimg.cc/50Qxc4Np/EK2p5-DIW4-AAez-PA.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Wednesday, December 3, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


...

[Armistead]

See some WW1 history. Posted earlier about the WW2 guy, have many of his letters, some even as a German POW, but while looking for his stuff in the old house I lucked up and found about a 100 WW1 letters, read a few and some great reading. Most are marked YMCA , but some other variations. Also cool was like a post card the man had arrived safely overseas. 2938

[Jimbuna]

4th December 1919

The French Opera House in New Orleans, one of the city’s landmarks, is destroyed by fire.
https://i.postimg.cc/jSXc32d0/EK84-UJd-Xk-AAX2-UM.jpg (https://postimg.cc/JssjG1kP)

A Romanian soldier leads a drove of cattle that was taken by Austria-Hungary during the war but was recaptured when Romania invaded Hungary this year.
https://i.postimg.cc/44DWmjFM/EK84-UJd-Xk-AAX2-UM.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Thursday, December 4, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


1. M Leygues says that he is in receipt of a number of telegrams from the French Naval Officer in charge of the ex-Austro-Hungarian warships at Cattaro, which referred to a state of excitement prevailing among Hungarians and Yugoslavs at that place. He thinks that the situation of the enemy warships in that port is rather precarious. The enemy fleet there is composed of approximately 40 units of which 6 or 8 are important. He feels that an incident similar to that of Scapa Flow should not be repeated in any event. He adds that Cattaro is a difficult port to supervise on account of its geographical situation, and he was of the opinion that the security of those enemy warships would be far greater in a French port such as Bizerte. He therefore proposes that the enemy warships at Cattaro should be convoyed to a French port, where they will of course remain at the disposal of the Conference and their definite attribution will not be prejudiced in any way thereby. Secondly, he proposes that the naval forces of the other Allied and Associated Powers should help the French Navy in the convoying of those vessels from Cattaro to a French port such as Bizerte, which is a long and difficult process.

M Clemenceau asks whether warships which are being guarded by the Italian Navy happen to be in Italian ports.

M.
Leygues replies that there are such ships at Pola and some in Venice.

Sir Eyre Crowe says he accepts the French proposal in principle but will, of course, have to refer to the Admiralty the question of helping the French navy in the convoy of those warships.

Mr Polk says there were also two Austrian warships at Spalato under guard of the American Navy.

Sir Eyre Crowe asked whether those ships could not be taken out at the same time as the ships at Cattaro.

Mr Polk replies they are quite willing to have those ships taken out and sent anywhere but American ports.

M Leygues suggests that the question of convoy should be referred back to the Inter-Allied Naval Commission.

Mr Polk says there is a doubt in the minds of the naval authorities regarding the authority of the United States over the enemy warships at Spalato. There had been a decision by the Board of Admirals, but no definite mandate from the Conference had been received for those ships. He inquires whether the French position is the same.

M Leygues replies it is the Inter-Allied Armistice Commission which had given its decision in the matter and therefore the situation is the same for America and France.

(It is decided:

(1) To adopt the French proposal that the ex-Austro-Hungarian warships at Cattaro should be convoyed to a French port, preferably Bizerte;

(2) To refer to the Inter-Allied Naval Commission for examination and report the question of aid to be given the French navy by the other Allied and Associated navies in the convoy of ex-Austro-Hungarian warships from Cattaro to a French port.


2. M Leygues says that a letter from the Polish Delegation has been communicated to him asking that enemy warships be allotted to Poland. That request brings up once more a recent decision of the Council to the effect that no enemy warships would be attributed to small Powers. He thinks it advisable for the Council to examine their decision anew. As a matter of fact, Belgium has in her possession from ten to fifteen enemy warships among which were some German torpedo boats which had been found at Antwerp and others which had escaped to Holland and been returned to Belgium. She had asked to be allowed to keep those warships for the reason that she needed them badly in view of the extended coast line. He was of the opinion that it would be extremely difficult to ask Belgium to return those ships and that such a procedure would certainly hurt the national feeling. Under those circumstances it seemed all the more difficult to refuse the requests for enemy warships of other small Powers, among which some, as Poland for instance, had been created from nothing and therefore relied on the Conference for assistance. Among the German warships were torpedo boats and destroyers of relatively small fighting value which nobody wanted; would it not be possible to give a certain number of ships selected among those to be destroyed, provided they were used for purposes of policing the coast, fisheries, prevention of smuggling, etc. He calls the attention of the Council to the fact that in the Treaty of Peace with Bulgaria that State had been allowed, under Article 83, to keep a certain number of warships for police and fishery duties, and for that reason it seemed difficult to refuse the claim made by small Allied Powers when a similar one had been granted to an enemy State.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that he can agree at once with M Leygues’ proposal. The British Admiralty has always maintained that a certain number of smaller ships could be allotted to small States for police duties.

Mr Polk says he wishes to inquire whether there will be a distribution of those smaller vessels among all the other small Powers, or whether that distribution should apply only to Poland and Belgium.

M Leygues thinks that such attribution could be made to all the smaller Powers having an outlet to the Sea, but in practice the question is only of particular interest to Poland and Yugoslavia, not to speak of Belgium.

S Scialoja agrees with the French proposal provided that only smaller boats be attributed for strictly police purposes as in the case of Bulgaria.

Mr Polk also agrees provided all the smaller States get them.

(It was decided:

(1) To allow Belgium to keep the small enemy warships held in her ports provided such ships be used only for police work;

(2) To give a certain number of small enemy warships, selected from among those to be broken up by the Allied and Asssociated Powers, to all the Allied States with limited interests making a request for such vessels, provided such ships be used solely for police work;

(3) To refer to the naval experts for examination and report the questions raised by the above paragraph 2.)

(The meeting then adjourns.)

[Jimbuna]

5th December 1919

Aftermath of War

The Turkish Ministry of War releases Greeks, Armenians and Jews from military service.

Loening aircraft, at Anacostia neighborhood, Washington, D.C.
https://i.postimg.cc/t41Ffjd4/lnj9f8cb0t241.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

C-1 (Finnish Navy) Russian Civil War: The torpedo boat was crushed by ice and sank between Koivisto and Helsinki.
C-2 (Finnish Navy) Russian Civil War: The torpedo boat was crushed by ice and sank between Koivisto and Helsinki.
C-3 (Finnish Navy) Russian Civil War: The torpedo boat was crushed by ice and sank between Koivisto and Helsinki.
Frigga (Sweden) The wooden barque, en route from North Shields, sank after striking a mine in Kattegat. The master and seven crew died, only two of the crew survived.

[Sailor Steve]

Friday, December 5, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


...

[Jimbuna]

6th December 1919

SCADTA (today Avianca) is founded in Colombia. It is the oldest extant airline in the Western hemisphere and 2nd oldest in the world after KLM.
https://i.postimg.cc/g2YY4QP4/ELCB9-CCXYAAe-WMU.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Postcard, written at bottom: “The Knights of Columbus Excursion to the great Daibutsu at Kamakura Japan. Dec. 6 - 1919. In Compliment to the U.S.S. South Dakota.”
https://i.postimg.cc/tJ3jNtSL/io5u7wjn1z241.jpg (https://postimg.cc/sGgqVSRc)

[Sailor Steve]

Saturday, December 6, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


1. The Council has before it five resolutions passed at meetings of the Supreme Economic Council in Rome. These relate to: (a) Austria, (b) Danger of Non-ratification, (c) Armenia, (d) Russia, (e) Oil Tankers.

M Loucheur reads and comments upon the resolutions. He adds with regard to the question of provisioning of Austria the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission had examined at a meeting held on the preceding day the question of provisioning Austria and they are waiting for a reply from the Italian Government with reference to the sending of 12,000 tons of cereals to Vienna from Trieste following an agreement made between Italy and Austria. He had also seen Mr Austen Chamberlain in London; the British and French Governments are willing to do their utmost to help until the credit opened for the provisioning of Austria had been exhausted. With regard to the situation of the Armenian refugees in the Caucasus, the Supreme Economic Council wishes to bring the attention of the Supreme Council to the great importance of providing for the provisioning of those refugees and he understands that the Armenians have applied to the American Delegation directly. He wishes to ask Mr Polk what can be done in the matter.

Colonel Logan states that a telegram from Mr Hoover had been received to the effect that an arrangement had been entered into with the Grain Corporation to supply 35,000 tons of cereals on credit to Armenia, to be distributed under Colonel Haskell’s supervision. Furthermore, the American Red Cross had given 1,700,000 dollars for relief purposes.

M Loucheur says that with regard to the Russian question, he is of the opinion that it would be advisable to await a solution of the Russian problem before taking any action in the matter.

Mr Polk says that he has just received a proposal from the American Government on the question of the tank ships which Mr Dresel will submit to the French and British Delegations. He wishes to put on record that the United States are not now represented on the Supreme Economic Council.

(The Council takes note of the resolutions passed by the Supreme Economic Council at Rome and of M Loucheur’s declarations on the subject.)


2. The Council has before it a letter from the President of the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission to the President of the Peace Conference, dated November 27th, 1919, to which are attached a memorandum by the American Delegation, two notes from the French Delegation, and a list of products prohibited from importation into Germany, for which the French Government asks that free entry into Germany be allowed.

Colonel Logan reads and comments upon the memorandum presented by the American Delegation to the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission, dated November 8th, 1919.

M Loucheur says that the German Delegation has proposed that the German Government be allowed to establish the customs duties in gold marks, more exactly in paper marks, taking the rate of exchange into account. He is of the opinion that at the present time no reply should be made to Germany before the exchange of deposit of ratifications and the signing of the Protocol. On the other hand, a very important question has come up in which France and Great Britain are especially interested: Germany has edicted a series of import prohibitions; it cannot be contested that this is her right, but she should not be allowed to evade the provisions of the Treaty in order to treat the Allies in different ways. He therefore suggests that a solution be adjourned until Germany has signed the Protocol and the deposit of ratifications had taken place. In the second place, the right of prohibiting imports should be connected with the whole question of the payment of customs duties.

Mr Polk says that, with reference to the memorandum of the American representative on the Reparation Commission, the difficulty is that for some time past Germany has been applying two principles in the payment of German customs duties: in ports she had applied a gold basis, but on her land frontiers payment was being made in paper. This is a discrimination in favor of the countries which were importing by land as against those importing by sea.

Colonel Logan says that France and Belgium are paying one-ninth of the import duties that Great Britain and America paid on a gold basis.

M Loucheur remarks that such a fact had never been brought to his attention nor, as far as he is aware, to the notice of the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission.

Mr Polk says that Sir John Bradbury and Mr Rathbone had both raised the question.

M Loucheur says everybody agrees that there should be no different treatment between the Allies and that payment of customs duties should be made in gold. He insists on what he had said before, that no answer should be made to Germany at the present time and that the question of import prohibitions should be settled at the same time.

Mr Polk suggests that the questions be referred back to the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission for consideration. The questions are covered by Article 269 of the Treaty of Peace with Germany.

M Loucheur says he does not agree: the provisions of the Treaty are that customs duties should not be changed during a certain lapse of time, but payment on a gold basis would entail an increase of customs duties.

S Scialoja thinks that it would be advisable to consult the Economic Commission, as the questions are not entirely within the province of the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission.

M Loucheur remarks that there is no longer an Economic Commission and that on the other hand the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission had consulted the economic experts.

Mr Matsui agrees with S Scialoja, and said that he had some time ago, when the Treaty with Germany was being prepared, proposed a clause which would have prevented Germany from prohibiting any importations. Such a clause had not been accepted, but nevertheless he is of the opinion that the economic experts should be heard.

M Loucheur says that up to that time they had never referred to Commissions which were charged with the preparation of the Treaty, questions of execution of the Treaty; he proposes that representatives of the Allied and Associated Powers on the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission should study the questions in accord with economic experts, and Japan will have an opportunity to be heard.

Mr Polk wishes to propose the following resolution: that the questions be referred back to the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission with instructions to take the necessary action without delay and further to decide itself such questions in the future.

M Loucheur thinks that the question is important and should be referred back to the Supreme Council by the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission.

Mr Polk asks why this question should come back to the Supreme Council.

M Clemenceau replies that it is a question involving other matters of political importance and that although he agrees in principle with Mr Polk’s proposition, he is of the opinion that the questions should still be referred back to the Supreme Council without delay, and that at any rate no action should be taken before the Germans have signed the protocol and the deposit of ratifications had taken place.

(It was decided:

(1) To refer back to the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission in accord with economic experts both the question of payment of German customs duties on a gold mark basis, and the import prohibition by Germany;

(2) That the Committee on Organization of the Reparation Commission submit immediately a report to the Council;

(3) That no reply be given to Germany until she had signed the protocol and the Treaty of Peace had come into force.


3. M Berthelot says they have received a letter from Bucharest dated November 30th which relates to an incident which had taken place in the past, but which is of a certain importance. Before withdrawing, the Government of Mr Misu and General Vaitoianu had tried to put a negative answer before the Powers; but the Allied representatives had evaded such a maneuver on the part of the Liberals party.

Telegrams sent from Bucharest between December 2nd and 4th gave the following information: Mr Vaida-Voevod, before seeing the King of Romania, had had a conference with the Allied representatives, the result of which was that as regards requisitions in Hungary Vaida-Voevod would be ready to accept the appointment of an Inter-Allied mixed Commission as proposed but maintained that it would be impossible that such a Commission should have the power to inflict penalties; on the other hand, the Romanian army would withdraw to the boundaries fixed by the Peace Conference. He would take note of the assurances given by the Supreme Council, and expressed his conviction that the Council would be able to find a solution satisfactory to Romania. It had been feared for some time that the King would call to power Mr Maniu, but in the morning of December 3rd M. Maniu had refused, and Mr Vaida-Voevod had been asked to form a cabinet. Thereupon M Vaida-Voevod had consulted all the political leaders with the exception of the Liberals, and had concluded from his consultation that they would be in favour of the signature by Romania; he had authorized the Allied representatives at Bucharest to telegraph to Paris that the majority of the parties were in favor of Romania's signature and promised to sign if the King accepted the Cabinet.

Mr Antonescu, furthermore, is about to arrive in Bucharest; under those conditions one could well hope that a satisfactory telegram will be received from Romania within the time limit laid down by the Council.

(The meeting then adjourns).

(The Heads of Delegations then held a conference in private.)

[Jimbuna]

7th December 1919

Allied troops taking part in the Siberian Intervention march in Vladivostok, Russia.
https://i.postimg.cc/hGLCxvtv/ELHLn9-DXUAEf-NAo.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

"Bulgaria, whose borders have been definitively fixed by the terms of the Treaty of Peace signed on November 27th."
https://i.postimg.cc/HsF3hXJj/ELHLn9-DXUAEf-NAo.jpg (https://postimg.cc/LnBzqq3M)

[Sailor Steve]

Sunday, December 7, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no meetings today.

[JU_88]

Not much peace in Paris at the moment I hear.....

[Jimbuna]

8th December 1919

Julio Acosta Garcia is elected the new President of Costa Rica after winning 89.3% of the vote.
https://i.ibb.co/FDq4n7L/ELMVAi6-Wo-AEw-Q-g.jpg (https://ibb.co/wzrhY6F)

Ship Losses:

Acushla (United States) The 24-gross register ton, 44-foot (13.4 m) fishing vessel was destroyed by fire in Peans Hole (55°13′N 133°32′W) in Bucareli Bay in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. All six people on board survived.

[Sailor Steve]

Monday, December 8, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


...

[Jimbuna]

9th December 1919

A young man has an older man write a letter for him near the Egyptian bazaar in Constantinople.
https://i.postimg.cc/c15zFxrF/ELWo-SFf-Ww-AMa-Tij.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Mail workers unload mail bags from an airplane at newly-opened Heller Field in Newark, New Jersey.
https://i.postimg.cc/BQrVGm5D/ELWo-SFf-Ww-AMa-Tij.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Ethie (Canada) She was on passage Battle Harbour, Labrador for Cow Head, Newfoundland with codfish and herring, was lost at Martin's Point, 16 nautical miles (30 km) north of Bonne Bay, Newfoundland.

[Sailor Steve]

Tuesday, December 9, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


...

[Jimbuna]

10th December 1919

Autochrome picture of French Senegalese soldiers standing to attention under an Armenian flag, in Cilicia, Turkey. Probably during the short-lived Armenian Autonomous Zone when the Allies were trying to set up a home for refugees and survivors of the Armenian Genocide.
https://i.postimg.cc/XNt9PDd0/57ks0la5qq341.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Two Australian brothers, Captain Ross and Lieutenant Keith Smith, pilot a Vickers Vimy bomber from Great Britain to Australia in 28 days, winning a £10,000 prize.
https://i.postimg.cc/PqKxkN7w/ELat-Bzj-XYAEh-Ix-C.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Cartoon in Punch magazine on the U.S. Senate’s decision to not join the League of Nations.
https://i.postimg.cc/1ttzRsxY/ELbx2h8-Uw-AIJS72.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Wednesday, December 10, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no meetings today.

[Jimbuna]

11th December 1919

Ship Losses:

C. J. Hooper (United States) The tug was severely damaged by fire at Baltimore, Maryland.
Dreamland (United States) The ship was damaged by fire at Baltimore.
Gretchen (United States) The bugeye was severely damaged by fire at Baltimore.
Governor R. M. McLane (United States) The Maryland State Fishery Force vessel was severely damaged by fire at Baltimore. Subsequently repaired and returned to service.
Lake Duvall (United States) The steamship was damaged by fire at Baltimore.
Major L'Enfant United States Army) The U.S. Army Quartermaster steamship was destroyed by fire at Baltimore with the loss of a crew member.
Nupolela (United States) The steamship was damaged by fire at Baltimore.
Wilhelm Jebsen (United States) The ship was damaged by fire at Baltimore.

[Sailor Steve]

Thursday, December 11, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no meetings today.

[Jimbuna]

12th December 1919

Officers of an Estonian armored train in Tallinn, fighting in the Estonian War of Independence.
https://i.postimg.cc/yxL2QwYq/ELl-AMMJXUAAK86r.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Armoured cars of anti-Bolshevik forces in Vladivostok.
https://i.postimg.cc/VLH3jQVn/ELl-AMMJXUAAK86r.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Kerwood (United States) The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the North Sea 20 nautical miles (37 km) north of Terschelling, Netherlands.

[Jimbuna]

13th December 1919

Bolshevik forces capture the city of Kharkiv from the Southern Front. Red Army soldiers in Kharkiv.
https://i.postimg.cc/G353y1Ln/ELm-FLn-DXs-AEMIvs.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Orphanage for Belgian war orphans in Wisques, France.
https://i.postimg.cc/ZKvbPDnB/ELr-Oll1-Wo-AAau-NB.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Friday, December 12, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no meetings today.


Saturday, December 13, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no meetings today.

[Jimbuna]

14th December 1919

As more and more British soldiers are killed in Ireland the military start fortifying their barracks.
https://i.postimg.cc/vmY1LgBS/o4u65reblj441.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Einstein on today’s issue of the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung.
https://i.postimg.cc/DzTQVwzq/ELv-TUwo-Wk-AAQg-XO.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Sunday, December 14, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no meetings today.

[Jimbuna]

15th December 1919

Aftermath of War

M. Paderewski succeeded as Prime Minister by M. Skulski.

Captured German 210mm howitzers stored outside in the U.S.
https://i.postimg.cc/FHnbX3TM/EL0c5-Ci-Xs-AUs-Bkh.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

A banquet for the Armenian Mission to the U.S in Boston. Armenia gained its independence in 1918
https://i.postimg.cc/SK26SR5J/EL0c5-Ci-Xs-AUs-Bkh.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

16th December 1919

Red Army troops captured the Ukrainian capital of Kiev from Anti-Bolshevik forces.

Ammunition ships Pyro and Nitro being launched at the Puget Sound Navy Yard.
https://i.postimg.cc/C5mGHtnB/EL6r-WJw-Xs-AAGDER.png (https://postimages.org/)

A cold spell hits Seattle, Washington, allowing for dog sledding as a viable transport.
https://i.postimg.cc/mZwyscpL/EL1hq1-MWw-AEFz-V9.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Monday, December 15, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no meetings today.

[Sailor Steve]

Tuesday, December 16, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


...

[sublynx]

It would be sweet to see USS Pyro and Nitro modded into SH3!

[Jimbuna]

17th December 1919

Siberian Mother Mourns Sons Killed by Tsarist Troops.
https://i.postimg.cc/h41cH42n/qcdw0oakp3541.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

In the New Zealand general election, the Reform Party led by William Massey wins with 45 seats.
https://i.postimg.cc/X7xNyN5L/EL-1-BS-XYAYAZTd.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Wednesday, December 17, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


...

[Jimbuna]

18th December 1919

Aftermath of War

Britain: Announced that coal export would be permitted from 1 January 1920.

Ship Losses:

Cufic (United Kingdom) The cargo ship foundered with the loss of all 40 crew.

[Jimbuna]

19th December 1919

Captain John Alcock (right), Royal Air Force officer who made the first non-stop transatlantic flight with navigator Lieutenant Arthur Brown (left), dies in a crash while flying a Vickers Viking.
https://i.postimg.cc/hPd4qZpm/EME-wl-QWk-AEnc-Tb.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Irish Republican Army ambushes a convoy escorting Lord Lieutenant of Ireland John French, but he survives. Aftermath of the assassination attempt.
https://i.postimg.cc/90q2Czt2/EME-wl-QWk-AEnc-Tb.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

20th December 1919

Aftermath of War

Appointment of British Charge d'Affaires (Lord Kilmarnock) at Berlin.

Japanese cruiser Tenryū is commissioned (it is sunk in 1943 off the coast of New Guinea during WWII)
https://i.postimg.cc/zB6jjHY9/EMON4-Z9-Ww-AAb-Jm-F.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

May (United States) After losing steering, the 11-gross register ton motor vessel was forced ashore by wind and tide and wrecked on the coast of Prince of Wales Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska, 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) south of Narrow Point (55°47′30″N 132°28′30″W). The only person aboard survived.

[Jimbuna]

21st December 1919

The US deported 249 "radicals," including famous anarchist Emma Goldman, to the Soviet Union as part of the Red Scare.

Turkeys in a butcher shop in England to be sold for Christmas.
https://i.postimg.cc/d3v3Zdsq/EMPRz-GIWk-AEO1-CC.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

22nd December 1919

German prisoners of war held in Japan begin to be repatriated back to Germany.
https://i.postimg.cc/W4YLKp26/EMYg-BLHWs-AA4u-A7.png (https://postimages.org/)

The United States deports 249 people, including Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman, to Russia on suspicions of having sympathetic views towards communism and anarchism.
https://i.postimg.cc/Hs0Gm9YL/EMUb-UEHWw-AEfnv-X.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/P5f7jGV6/4x0zb6jcb4641.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

23rd December 1919

The Fourth Home Rule Bill is introduced in the House of Commons, which proposes two separate parliaments for Ireland: one for the 6 counties of northeast Ulster and another for the other 26 counties.

A fire in a building in Newcastle upon Tyne results in 12 deaths.
https://i.ibb.co/8NBCD8r/EMeuj-RFWw-AA-Z79.png (https://imgbb.com/)

[Jimbuna]

24th December 1919


Aftermath of War

Command of British troops in France reduced to a Brigadier-General's.

Start of the 24-hour Bol d’Or endurance bicycle race in France.
https://i.postimg.cc/Dz38bQWH/EMiz-Tua-Ws-AAI5-x.png (https://postimages.org/)

Jail Christmas tree, 1919.
https://i.postimg.cc/GpP9PBG2/6j8-GFx7kz-Bqtlj-Vnuouq-JJs-OBUdtzr-WM9f-Msp-Zo-H3w.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

25th December 1919

A makeshift U.S. Post Office in Washington D.C. to handle overflow mail during the holidays.
https://i.postimg.cc/zfv69FsM/EMj4-JRn-W4-AEFTd-V.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Dundee (Canada) On a voyage from Lewesport to Port Union, was stranded and lost on Noggin Island (Grassy Island), Sir Charles Hamilton Sound near Carmanville, Newfoundland.

[Sailor Steve]

Thursday, December 25, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no meetings today.

[Jimbuna]

26th December 1919

Canadian flying ace Andrew Edward McKeever, who scored 31 victories in the Great War, dies of cerebral thrombosis after getting into a car accident.
https://i.postimg.cc/cHsLPPFB/EMn861-GW4-AALQXa.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Friday, December 26, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no meetings today.

[Jimbuna]

27th December 1919

A mob lynched WWI veteran Powell Green in North Carolina, one of over 80 lynchings in 1919.

The Committee of Representation, the executive branch of Turkish nationalists which includes Mustafa Kemal Pasha, move to Ankara.
https://i.postimg.cc/50Zmzprh/EMy-P-pg-X0-AAhe-VG.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Saturday, December 27, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


1. M Dutasta informs the Council that Baron von Lersner had visited him on the previous day. The Chairman of the German Delegation had come to discuss two kinds of questions with him: he had first stated that the German Government was prepared to receive the Allied Naval experts responsible for determining the exact number of floating docks existing in Germany. Baron von Lersner had even added that his Government would like the experts to start as soon as possible. He had also come to ask whether the Allied Powers were prepared to allow their technical delegates to negotiate with the German experts of whom Hr von Simson was the head. Otherwise Hr von Simson and his colleagues would leave again for Berlin. M Clemenceau, to whom he had reported this request, is of opinion that the opening of negotiations as soon as possible between the experts of both sides could not but be beneficial. He had informed Sir Eyre Crowe of this opinion.

Sir Eyre Crowe adds that he has already telegraphed to London as a result of the communication made to him on the previous day, pointing out that in his opinion their experts should leave as soon as possible for the German ports. He believes, moreover, that the inquiry which they are about to make will last some time - the experts even suggest several weeks. However that might be, they are in rather a difficult position. They had verbally informed the Germans that they were prepared to make them concessions: the Germans asked them to define those concessions in a sort of agreement to be signed before or at the same time as the Protocol. Such a procedure would necessarily involve an alteration in the text of the Protocol. He is uncertain whether it would not be better, instead of so doing, to indicate if possible, in the Protocol in its present form that the figures claimed was the maximum. This solution would certainly involve a slight alteration of the Protocol and it would consequently be necessary to obtain the consent of the American Government to this alteration: but he thought it unlikely that this consent would be refused, since from the outset the American Delegation had been of opinion that their conditions were too hard and since Mr. Polk had insisted that the Reparation Commission should be consulted: Mr. Wallace might sound his Government on that particular and point out to it that the proposed change would be in conformity with the American views and that the Germans alone would have to sign the new document in the presence of the Allied delegates.

M Clemenceau personally thinks it would be better, if possible, not to alter the Protocol. They might merely note the concessions they had decided to grant Germany in a letter to Baron von Lersner. The German delegation is already aware of them from the verbal communication for which M Dutasta was responsible.

S de Martino points out that this procedure has the drawback of causing discrepancy between the Protocol and the letter.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that for his part he is ready to accept this proposal if the Germans could be persuaded to agree to it.

Mr Wallace states that if the Council so desires he is in a position to explain the views of his Government on this question. The American Government has repeatedly declared that the question of reparation to be demanded of Germany must be considered from a purely economic point of view. Germany’s power to make reparation depends on her power to produce and export. It is thus closely connected with the economic conditions of the world at a time when a large part of it is in a critical economic position. The American Government cannot, therefore, accept any claim for reparation seriously affecting Germany’s power of payment. It has realized that by claiming the surrender of docks, dredgers and harbor material they had committed a great mistake. President Wilson has always thought that German ships surrendered to the Allies as reparation should be destroyed. The fact that the German crews had destroyed them themselves does not therefore cause such heavy loss to the Allies that they are justified in renouncing that principle of reparation which he had just recalled. As to the acceptance of the original Protocol by Mr Polk, the Council will recall the fact that the American delegate had afterwards regretted it. The American Government therefore accepted the delivery of the 192,000 tons which Germany declared her readiness to supply, but it was definitely opposed to any supplementary cession of harbor material as reparation for the Scapa Flow incident.

M Clemenceau begs to point out that Mr Polk had formally accepted the Protocol providing for the surrender by Germany of 400,000 tons of floating docks. He made the following proposal: the Protocol should not be altered, and, in his capacity as President of the Conference, he will write to Baron von Lersner specifying the concessions they are prepared to make. But they could obviously decide nothing without the consent of the British Government.

Sir Eyre Crowe hopes to obtain that consent but they must not ignore the fact that if their action have not the desired effect their position will be rendered more difficult.

Would it not be sufficient for the moment to have another conversation with the German delegates and to tell them that their claims were satisfied on the whole. They could then be asked whether they wished these promises to be noted in writing and if they would then be satisfied. If the German reply was in the negative they would have the advantage of not having compromised themselves.

M Clemenceau thinks this suggestion excellent: M Dutasta might see Baron von Lersner that very day and ask him what satisfaction he desired. It is, moreover, possible that Baron von Lersner will reply that he wished for an alteration of the Protocol. They would then see what could be done.

M Dutasta says that his interview with Baron von Lersner had given him the impression (which is, however, a purely personal one) that if the Supreme Council were to confirm in writing the verbal communication made in its name and definitely stated that after the immediate supply of the 192,000 tons proposed by the Germans themselves time would be granted for the delivery of the material still to be supplied, it would be possible to come to an arrangement. The German experts were most alarmed at the demand for immediate delivery of all the material claimed.

M Berthelot supposes that under those conditions the Protocol would not be altered.

Sir Eyre Crowe fears that they could not really avoid altering the Protocol in this way.

S de Martino agreed with the last speaker. The American representative should at once ask for the consent of his Government to a possible alteration of the Protocol.

Sir Eyre Crowe thinks it might be enough to add a few words to the Protocol stating that they only claimed a quantity of docks, dredgers, floating cranes not exceeding 400,000 tons. Such a formula would allow of all necessary arrangements with Germany without involving more serious alteration of the Protocol.

He indeed thinks it difficult to sign the Protocol without altering it, since they had not stated elsewhere in writing that they would not demand 400,000 tons.

M Berthelot sees no real difficulty: A “contre-lettre” will be sufficient.

M Dutasta thinks this all the more possible as they have already expressly stated in the Protocol that their claims might be reduced in order to take into account the economic difficulties facing Germany.

M Clemenceau asks whether there is any objection to a conversation between M Dutasta and Baron von Lersner with a view to inducing the latter definitely to state his point of view.

Sir Eyre Crowe would prefer that the Secretary-General should in no case state that they would if necessary accept the delivery of new material specially constructed for them.

M Clemenceau agrees.

Sir Eyre Crowe thinks M Dutasta might make the following statement. The inquiry which they were about to make is twofold: First there is the verification of figures, which might be fairly quickly done; then there is also the investigation of the possible effects of the execution of the Protocol on German economic life. This was a much more delicate problem, the solution of which might take much time: he thinks it would be difficult to pledge themselves on the second point. On the other hand, it would be easy to reduce their demands if they had made a mistake in the facts concerning the docks of Hamburg or of Danzig.

M Dutasta also pointed out that, if they are prepared to grant a delay in delivery, the German objection based on the eventual paralysis of the economic life of the country falls through to a great extent.

M Clemenceau suggests that as a preliminary M Dutasta might state that they had requested of London that the experts might be sent speedily.

(M Clemenceau withdraws and Mr. Cambon takes the chair.)


2. A note, dated 26th December, 1919, from the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Armies is laid before the Council.

General Weygand reads and comments on Marshal Foch’s note. He adds that there are points in the reply to the German experts to our Memorandum which could be accepted and others which did not admit of discussion. For instance, it is certain that whatever were the arrangements made between the Germans and the Poles for the evacuation of territories ceded to Poland, there was no need to await the 26th day after the coming into force of the Treaty in order to let our troop trains through; before that date at least two trains per day could run through Western Prussia. Other questions are of a more difficult nature. If they are satisfied with the four trains per day offered by the Germans, a period of twenty days would be necessary for the transport of troops for Upper Silesia and the occupation of other territories would not be completed for 40 days. He asks the council whether such a state of affairs would not have drawbacks; for his part, he thinks it would.

On the other hand, if they manage to run six trains per day, transports for Upper Silesia would be completed in 15 days and at the end of twenty-five days, the northern territories will have received the contingents allocated to them. Should the Council consider it necessary that the occupation troops should all be on the spot within a period of 15 days from the coming into force of the Treaty, a larger number of trains will obviously be required. However, in view of the fact that they had claimed ten trains per day and that the Germans offered them four, he thought they might easily demand six.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that if, at the rate of six trains per day, the transport of troops is effected within a period of 25 days, that is a solution which could be accepted. He would not say the same if the transports would not be completed for 40 days.

S de Martino refuses to give an opinion in the absence of his military expert, but is ready to agree with the opinion of the majority.

General Weygand says his opinion is that of all the military delegates who had examined the German Note together.

S de Martino withdraws his reservation in those circumstances.

M Cambon says the Council therefore invites General Weygand to demand six trains per day.


3. General Weygand passes on to another point: If transport begins immediately on the coming into force of the Treaty and if this coming into force is close at hand, they will be obliged to mark time, owing to the special position of the British contingents which cannot leave the Rhine before about January 20. Such interruption might have a bad effect on the Germans and he therefore thought it best that transport should take place without interruption. That would be possible if it began on January 8 at the rate of four trains per day or January 13 at the rate of six trains per day.

Sir Eyre Crowe thinks General Weygand’s scruple probably useless as it is doubtful whether the procès-verbal of the deposit of ratifications will be signed before January 13.

General Weygand asks, however, that trains might be fixed to run on January 13 if the Treaty comes into force before that date. As he requires 5 days to settle the final details, he also asks to be informed 5 days before the coming into force of the Treaty.

M Cambon assures General Weygand that he will be informed in good time by the Secretariat-General.

General Weygand says there remains the question of wagons and that of the cost of transport. The Germans declared that they could supply no wagons. The French lines could supply a certain number of trucks and of flat wagons, but no passenger wagons; the men must, however, travel in heated wagons. He would add that it was morally essential that the Allied soldiers should be as well treated as the German prisoners, for whom heated passenger wagons perfectly fitted were provided. With the consent of the Council, he will therefore demand passenger wagons of the Germans.

Sir Eyre Crowe suggests that, if necessary, the German prisoners might wait a few days.

M Cambon notes that the Council approves of this proposal.

General Weygand says that, with regard to the cost of transport, the Germans claimed payment at the general rates in force for goods and passenger transport. He thinks this claim incredible.

Sir Eyre Crowe considers it quite inadmissible.

S Cambon agrees that this claim cannot be accepted and that no discussion of the point by the Germans can be allowed.

(It is decided that, with a view to the transport to plebiscite territories of Interallied contingents, the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Armies should:

1) (a) Require the German Government to run a minimum of six trains per day;

(b) Require the German Government to supply all the passenger wagons required;

(c) Refuse to allow these transports to be effected at the rate generally in force in Germany and demand the application of the military rate.

It is also decided that if the transport is effected at the rate of six trains per day, these trains should not begin to run before January 13, in order that it might continue uninterrupted until the completion of the transport.)

2) That the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Armies should be informed five days beforehand of the date of the coming into force of the Treaty.


4. A note from the Naval experts, dated December 26, is laid before the Council.

(After a short discussion, it is decided that the Interallied Naval Commission should come to a final decision regarding the transfer to Poland of ex-Austrian torpedo-boats, taking into consideration the views developed in prior meetings.)


5. A note dated December 26, 1919, from the French and Italian naval experts is laid before the Council.

M Leygues reads and comments on the Note from the French and Italian experts.

Sir Eyre Crowe thinks they are all agreed in wishing to grant the request of the French and Italian navies if possible. But the question is whether that request is in conformity with the Treaty. It had been recognized at a previous meeting that it was not and that they must content themselves with semi-official overtures to the Germans. The Joint Secretariat had formulated the Council’s decision inaccurately. Under these conditions the naval experts had met again but the French navy had preferred to begin the discussion afresh. They were faced by a difficulty which they all desired to settle and he was quite prepared to consent to refer the matter once more to the legal experts, unless M Fromageot who was present, could give their definite opinion at once.

S de Martino says that the Note explained by Mr. Leygues had been drawn up in agreement with the Italian experts. He therefore agreed with this argument.

Mr Matsui thinks that in common sense the claim made by the Minister of Marine seems well-founded, but Sir Eyre Crowe had rightly points out that the terms of the Treaty and the Protocol are so definite that a claim seems hardly possible. He thinks the question should be referred to the legal experts.

M Leygues asks M Fromageot for his opinion.

M Fromageot states that Article 185, which, moreover, in its original form provided for the destruction of the ships, refers to Clause 23 of the Armistice Convention, which stipulated that vessels must be disarmed. Article 185 nevertheless adds that the artillery must be completely re-embarked.

Vice-Admiral Levavasseur points out that only the breeches had been re-embarked.

M Fromageot says that disembarked material is at present in the hands of the German Government. It therefore belongs to the categories referred to in Article 192 of the Treaty. As for the five cruisers the delivery of which was provided for in the Protocol, that document certainly makes no mention of Article 192 and there was no question of any destruction. It only refers to Article 185, i. e. it specifies that the ships should be handed over disarmed with their artillery. The destruction of the material is doubtless not provided and the Treaty does not come into play, but if they wish to obtain the delivery of all that material, it is nevertheless necessary to alter the terms of the Protocol.

M Leygues thinks M Fromageot confused two ideas when he declared that material disembarked under Article 185 came under the categories referred to in Article 192. In reality, they must distinguish between three kinds of boats:

(1) Boats referred to in Article 185. It was not stated that material disembarked from them belonged to the German Government and would not be handed over to the Allies. Indeed, this material had only been disembarked because they mistrusted the German crews responsible for handing over the vessels.

(2) Article 190, on the other hand, specifies that a certain number of ships should be left at the disposal of Germany. Article 192 concerning the destruction of excess material only referred to material disembarked from the vessels mentioned in Article 190. He thinks it impossible to combine Article 185 with Article 190. Still less can they adduce Article 192 in relation to the third category of vessels, i. e. the cruisers the delivery of which was claimed by the Protocol of November 1. He would go further and would ask whether it was possible in international law to hold that a vessel should not be surrendered with all its material, unless it was expressly stated that before delivery such material should be disembarked for purposes of destruction.

M Fromageot regrets that he cannot accept the point of view of the Minister of Marine. It was indeed true that, in the absence of any stipulation to the contrary, a vessel must be surrendered with all its material and appliances, but Article 185 referred to by the Protocol definitely provides for the disarmament of ships to be surrendered. Article 192 seemed to have a general bearing. Nevertheless, it might be argued (he is not very convinced of the value of the argument) that the material disembarked from the vessels referred to in Article 185 is not in the hands of the German Government, since it was placed under Allied control; consequently, it will not come under the scope of Article 192.

M Leygues thinks the meaning of article 192 perfectly clear; the word “in excess” contained therein clearly indicated that it applies to arms and material of all kinds disembarked from the vessels referred to in Article 190. He is quite prepared to accept a formula which would give the result he is seeking in any way whatever, but how can they prove to public opinion or a parliament that, while they left Germany armed cruisers, they allowed her to surrender disarmed boats. He thought it rather dangerous to count on verbal communications and German good will in order to attain their object. He is afraid Germany would not lose such a good opportunity to be unpleasant. He must, moreover, point out that in reality the cruisers concerned had not been disarmed.

Sir Eyre Crowe considers that all this should have been thought of when the Protocol was drafted.

MS de Martino thinks it would be best if the naval experts and the drafting committee examined the question together once more.

Sir Eyre Crowe says they are faced by a purely legal problem, that of the interpretation of the Treaty. Discussion at that meeting had produced no fresh arguments; he is afraid the fresh examination by the legal experts will lead to no better results.

M Fromageot says they will be pleased to reconsider the question, but is afraid they can reach no other solution.

Sir Eyre Crowe returns to his original suggestion. Could not M Dutasta discuss the matter with Baron von Lersner since it was of no importance to the German Government, as the material would not be left to it in any case?

M Leygues thinks such action will have serious draw-backs: what would be their position if the Germans refused their request, even unofficially.

Sir Eyre Crowe says the same question might be raised with regard to the Protocol. They did not pledge themselves to anything. It is merely a matter of an inquiry.

M Cambon asks whether the Minister of Marine agrees that the Germans should be asked this question by M Dutasta.

M Leygues says he does not agree, and asks again what their position will be in the event of a German refusal.

Sir Eyre Crowe thinks that if they insist on settling the question they must then alter the protocol.

M Cambon said he is struck by Mr. Leygues’ argument. He is indeed afraid that unless M Dutasta is successful, they will be in a worse position. They had the choice of two solutions: either a fresh examination of the question by the legal experts, or a conversation between M Dutasta and Baron von Lersner.

S de Martino thinks a conference between the naval and legal experts might be very helpful; hitherto they had deliberated separately.

Mr Matsui agrees with this opinion.

Sir Eyre Crowe is not opposed to referring the matter to the legal experts.

(It is decided that the Drafting Committee and the naval experts should examine together the conditions of surrender of German warships destined for delivery to the Allies.)


6. An aide-mémoire from the Swiss Legation in France is laid before the Council, to which is annexed the Federal Decree of November 21, 1919, concerning the accession of Switzerland to the League of Nations, together with a note from the Drafting Committee, concerning the aide-mémoire.

M Fromageot reads and comments on the note of the Drafting Committee.

S de Martino asks whether the Swiss aide-mémoire had been transmitted to the French Government or to the Peace Conference.

M Fromageot replies that it had been transmitted to the French Government.

M Cambon asks whether there is any need to answer it.

M Fromageot thinks there are drawbacks to leaving the Swiss arguments unanswered.

M Cambon thinks it better that the reply should be drafted and sent on behalf of the Conference. He proposes that the Drafting Committee should submit a draft to them.

(It is decided to accept the principles developed in the Drafting Committee’s note with regard to the Swiss aide-mémoire concerning the accession of Switzerland to the League of Nations.

It was also decided to instruct the Drafting Committee to prepare a draft reply to that aide-mémoire.)

(The meeting is adjourned.)

[Jimbuna]

28th December 1919

Chinese general Feng Guozhang, former President of the Republic of China, has passed away.
https://i.postimg.cc/0Qr3YJK1/EM3-Zj-Pu-XYAAG1-Nw.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

The Boeing B-1, the first commercial craft for Boeing, begins air mail service between Seattle and Victoria, British Columbia.
https://i.postimg.cc/ZndMgtLf/EMz-Uwqq-Xk-AUEFZL.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Sunday, December 28, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

The Supreme Council does not meet today.

[Jimbuna]

29th December 1919

President Poincaré of France visits the city of Lens still in ruins.
https://i.postimg.cc/cCqcMzPR/EM4e-VWDX0-AI8-ZCU.png (https://postimages.org/)

William Osler, Canadian physician and one of the founding professors of Johns Hopkins Hospital, has passed away.
https://i.postimg.cc/X7b8rTf3/EM4e-VWDX0-AI8-ZCU.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Monday, December 29, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


...

[Jimbuna]

30th December 1919

Aftermath of War

Acute food distress in Austria: Bread ration in Vienna 4 oz. per week.

Bolshevik prisoners of war held in Siberia.
https://i.postimg.cc/Y9M1BCsP/ENBsw-I0-Xs-AAX0-Gz.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

General August von Mackensen is met with crowds on his return to Germany after being held as a POW.
https://i.postimg.cc/QCn57kdL/EM9n5-Ay-XYAAvr-Ux.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Tuesday, December 30, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


...

[Jimbuna]

31st December 1919

Polish soldiers in front of the armoured train Śmiały (Polish for “Bold”)
https://i.postimg.cc/QdxPc84D/ENG2-XZe-W4-AAUG2-C.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Lt. Samuel Woodfill receives a Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions neutralizing 3 German machine gun emplacements while suffering under the effect of mustard gas and then leading his men back without casualties. Gen. Pershing called him the most outstanding soldier in WWI.
https://i.postimg.cc/VkGhRxpC/ENG2-XZe-W4-AAUG2-C.jpg (https://postimg.cc/CR8JMQFh)

Recy Taylor is born. An American activist known for pursuing a case against the white men who sexually assaulted her in Alabama in 1944 that many credit for helping give birth to the civil rights movement, in Abbeville, Alabama.
https://i.postimg.cc/mrP56dW6/ENG2-XZe-W4-AAUG2-C.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Wednesday, December 31, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


...

[Jimbuna]

1st January 1920

In the second round of the “Palmer raids,” 3000 people with suspected leftist radical ties are arrested across the US. Authorities confiscating documents.
https://i.postimg.cc/JzLF8tT3/ENL-96-Ww-AA2-QIJ.png (https://postimages.org/)

A worker at the Ford Motor Company.
https://i.postimg.cc/vZtNZMjJ/ENH7-Qh3-XYAMijq2.jpg (https://postimg.cc/ZW0cfkJH)

[Sailor Steve]

Thursday, January 1, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

The Supreme Council does not meet today.

[Jimbuna]

2nd January 1920

Isaac Asimov is born to a family of Russian Jewish millers in Petrovichi, Russia (his exact day of birth is unknown, but he celebrated his birthday on January 2).

First Red Scare in the United States: The second of the Palmer Raids takes place with another 4,025 suspected communists and anarchists arrested and held without trial in several cities.

The Depression of 1920-21 begins in the United States after the shift from a war economy to peacetime and the demobilization of millions of troops.

Battleship USS Arizona in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
https://i.postimg.cc/qvK57x8S/ENNEyxr-XYAAz-KVx.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Ernest T. Lee (United States) The schooner was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean. Her crew were rescued by Hildebrand ( United Kingdom).
Jemtland (Sweden) The liner struck a mine and sank at Herthas Flak with the loss of seven of her 26 crew.
Nicolaas (Netherlands) The cargo ship struck a mine in the North Sea off the Dogger Bank and sank with some loss of life.
Nipponier (Belgium) The cargo ship foundered in the Bay of Biscay (44°24′N 9°03′W). Her crew were rescued by Rio de Janeiro ( Norway).
Roumanier (Belgium) The cargo ship caught fire whilst ship berthed at Antwerp. Her hull was badly damaged and the ship was laid up. She was scrapped in 1923 at Hamburg, Germany.
Stella II (United Kingdom) The schooner was wrecked on the coast of Africa.

[Sailor Steve]

Friday, January 2, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

The Supreme Council does not meet today.

[Jimbuna]

3rd January 1920

Admiral Jellicoe with Admiral Niblack on the latter's arrival at the Union Station, Washington D.C., January 3, 1920
https://i.postimg.cc/KvkbgCbq/0-U2-N7-Kcjw9-Pt-Eq-XG0-Hjs-Rd0-0-UGJi83l-SOGOTe-IFqj8.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Admiral Jellicoe
https://i.postimg.cc/FKZX44bR/0-U2-N7-Kcjw9-Pt-Eq-XG0-Hjs-Rd0-0-UGJi83l-SOGOTe-IFqj8.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

An earthquake hits Veracruz, Mexico, resulting in 648 deaths.
https://i.postimg.cc/4dfZ7d4V/ENWTIxm-Wo-AEWmrp.png (https://postimages.org/)

Aftermath of a landslide in Juneau, Alaska.
https://i.postimg.cc/h43gvckQ/ENWTIxm-Wo-AEWmrp.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Figueira (Portugal) The cargo ship collided with Ango ( France) at Oporto and was beached.

[Jimbuna]

4th January 1920

Admiral Alexander Kolchak, Supreme Ruler of Russia, resigns from his position as his anti-Bolshevik forces fall apart and Irkutsk falls to leftist forces.
https://i.postimg.cc/7YNcyg2w/ENbcr-Fr-Ww-AA0-Ei-Y.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

San Giuseppe (Italy) The cargo ship foundered in the Bay of Biscay (46°30′N 8°56′W). Her crew were rescued by Tartar Prince ( United Kingdom).

[Sailor Steve]

Sunday, January 4, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

The Supreme Council does not meet today.

[Jimbuna]

5th January 1920

[January 5, 1920] Cleaning Up!, The Evening World, cartoon.
https://i.postimg.cc/LXtY8Wsh/ENchfqn-Wk-AEUw8o.png (https://postimages.org/)

Benito Pérez Galdós, Spanish novelist and playwright considered one of the foremost figures in Spanish literature, has passed away.
https://i.postimg.cc/W1zkwS5f/ENchfqn-Wk-AEUw8o.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Abrigada (United States) The cargo ship caught fire at Saint Michaels, Maryland and was scuttled.
Frances Gardner (United Kingdom) The schooner foundered in the Atlantic Ocean 70 nautical miles (130 km) off Cape Race, Newfoundland. Her crew were rescued by Albr. W. Selmer ( Norway).
Joachim (Spain) The schooner was wrecked at Testadelaban. Her crew were rescued by Armenie ( France).
Melamson Bros (United Kingdom) The schooner ran aground on Cobblers' Reef, Barbados and was wrecked with the loss of four crew.

[Sailor Steve]

Monday, January 5, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


1. M Loucheur states that at the preceding meeting of the Council he had explained the state of the negotiations with the German Delegation concerning the tonnage claimed by the Allies. The German Delegation had sent a telegram to Berlin explaining that the 180,000 tons of docks which had keen over-estimated by the Allies would be deducted from the figure of 400,000 tons originally claimed. That telegram did not take into account the error on the other side committed by the Allies, who had not reckoned the 80,000 tons, whose existence had been revealed by the German inventory. The point of view adopted in that telegram could not evidently be accepted by the Allies. Had it been admitted the 400,000 tons claimed would have been reduced to only 220,000. M Dutasta and himself had explained to H von Lersner that they could not accept the point of view of the German Delegation. H von Lersner had then proposed as a compromise a draft which implied that the reduction agreed to by the Allies could not exceed 150,000 tons. The total amount to be surrendered by the Germans would thus have been 250,000 tons. They had then said to H von Lersner that that figure seemed to them too small for the Council to accept it. After a rather long discussion, Mr. von Lersner had proposed the following draft:

“From the 400,000 tons of floating docks, floating cranes, tugs and dredges claimed by the Allies, there will therefore be deducted such tonnage of floating docks as, after verification, shall be found to appear in the Interallied inventory by mistake—tonnage which therefore does not in reality exist. That reduction, however, will not exceed a total of 125,000 tons.”

They had reserved their reply; but upon thinking it over they proposed that the Council accept that text, which constitutes a very acceptable basis of compromise.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that if he understands aright that text will guarantee to the Allies a minimum of 275,000 tons with the possibility of obtaining more.

M Loucheur agreed that this is so in principle; but they should not conceal the fact that it is very unlikely that they will obtain a larger figure.

Sir Eyre Crowe inquires whether it is necessary to arrive at a definite decision on that very day, or whether he might consult his Government on the proposed figure.

M Clemenceau says that naturally if Sir Eyre Crowe expresses the desire to consult his Government, they could not take an immediate decision; the question, however, is urgent, and it is advisable to have it finally decided.

Sir Eyre Crowe asks whether the French Government accepts the text proposed by M Loucheur.

M Clemenceau replies that it does.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that in that case he also will accept it.

M Loucheur states that it would be wise to add in the last paragraph of the draft letter to the German Delegation, after the words “The 192,000 tons proposed by the German Government” - the following phrase: “And of which the list was submitted when the technical commissions discussed the subject”.

It is a pure question of form but that addition would be useful to obviate all chance of misunderstanding.

(It is decided to approve the draft letter to the Chairman of the German Delegation, with the following addition: “and of which the list was submitted when the technical commissions discussed the subject.” That sentence should be placed in the first sentence of the last paragraph of the draft letter, after the words: “The Allied and Associated Powers add that the 192,000 tons proposed by the German Government …”.)

Mr. Wallace would refer the present resolution to Washington for the instructions of his Government.


2. General Le Rond says that the Commission over which he presides has had two interviews with the German Delegates since the last meeting of the Council. Questions which it is absolutely important to solve before the coming into force of the Treaty are those concerning, on the one hand, the transmission of administrative powers, and on the other, economic affairs. On the first point agreement had practically been reached, but certain economic questions had been referred back to the Reparation Commission.

With regard to the situation of the plebiscite territories, their point of view has been given to the German Delegates in all its details four days before. The Germans had referred the question to Berlin. It was hoped that the reply of the German Government would arrive either on that or the following day.

Concerning the evacuation by German troops of the territories subject to plebiscite, the Germans have not been able to furnish any precise information. They had endeavored to draw the negotiations to Berlin, but on account of the Allies’ definite refusal they had declared that they would send for experts and the arrival of these was imminent. On questions which affected Poland, they had asked the advice of the Reparations Commission, and they hoped that the latter would communicate to them its opinion in as short a time as possible. As a matter of fact, it was only a question of finding out whether the Reparations Commission accepted the texts which they had proposed.

With regard to Memel and Danzig, the Supreme Council has decided at its last meeting that the Commission on Polish Affairs will be charged with preparing the draft agreement with the German Government concerning the transfer of sovereignty over those territories.

M Clemenceau says that it is important that the Commission on Polish Affairs submit to the Council a draft at its next meeting.

General Le Rond remarks that beside the questions which he had just enumerated there remains to be settled the one relating to transportation and that of the strength of the troops of occupation, which had been raised by a recent letter of H von Lersner

General Weygand says that there is no longer any difficulty on the question of transportation, properly speaking. H von Lersner’s letter, however, to which General Le Rond had just referred, might possibly reopen the whole question as it asked that the strength of the troops of occupation in the various plebiscite zones should be reduced.

M Loucheur says that he does not believe that H von Lersner’s letter really re-opened the whole negotiation. The Chairman of the German Delegation was merely calling the attention of the Conference to the considerable expenses involved in occupying the Plebiscite Areas by the numbers of forces proposed. For Danzig alone, the costs would amount to 80 million of gold marks, or nearly 800,000,000 of paper marks at the existing rate of exchange.

M Clemenceau states that this is certainly an important point, and suggests that it should be referred to a commission composed of the Chairmen of the Plebiscite Commissions.

Sir Eyre Crowe inquires whether M Clemenceau thinks that a commission of this kind could give the Council useful advice.

General Weygand replies that the question of the forces in the areas of occupation had already been examined by a mixed commission composed of diplomats and army members. Should they wish to proceed with a fresh inquiry into the question, it might be dealt with by the said commission, which has already been in operation, and consequently possesses the requisite working knowledge.

Mr Loucheur says that it is not to be wondered at that the Germans were a little taken aback by the amount of the sums demanded from them. Thus, for Danzig, whose budget was four millions of marks per year, the cost of occupation as estimated was to be 800 millions of marks.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that, with regard to Danzig, they had only decided on the organization of a base. The cost of maintenance of those troops could only be set against the Germans in the event of their having to be employed in the maintenance of order in the territory.

M Loucheur remarks that the Germans are depending upon a figure of 8,000 men to be sent to Danzig.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that they should take care not to reduce their forces too much. In Upper Silesia, for example, the Germans have massed considerable forces and difficulties might be expected. It would be unwise not to have sufficient Allied forces on the spot.

General Le Rond says that the question of Upper Silesia presented itself in a very special light. But there is no reason to prevent their maintaining the forces agreed upon for Upper Silesia, while they might make reductions in the quieter regions, such as those of Allenstein and Marienwerder.

M Loucheur says that it was evident that the Germans themselves understand the difficulties which might take place in Upper Silesia. And for that reason, they only ask in that province for a reduction of one-third on the estimated Allied forces.

S de Martino states that they have always been in favor of as great a reduction as possible of the Allied forces in the territories to be occupied. It is only because of the reiterated demands of the Allies that they have consented to sending the number of battalions which had been asked of them and which on account of their demobilization made it very difficult for them to furnish.

(It is decided that the Commission which had decided the strength of the troops of occupation to be sent to the plebiscite zones in Germany, as well as to Danzig and Memel, should be entrusted with the further inquiry into that question, as also the objections contained in H von Lersner’s letter dated January 2, 1920. This commission would be entitled to hear the Chairmen of the various Plebiscite Commissions.)


3. M Loucheur comments upon a note of the Organization Committee of the Reparations Commission on that question, dated December 29, 1919.

He adds that beside its being purely a matter of form, he wishes very earnestly to draw the attention of the Council to the situation in Austria which remains extremely threatening. No serious steps have yet been taken to protect Austria from famine with the exception of the sending of the 20,000 tons of food-stuffs now at Trieste. The victualing of Austria is only assured until the end of January. The Czechoslovaks had stated that they are unable to furnish the coal they promised, as they lack the rolling stock necessary for its transport. The situation can only be alleviated by the granting of a loan to Austria at the earliest possible moment. In this respect, however, it is impossible for the Allies to take any action until America has declared her intentions.

Mr Wallace says that before taking any action the United States Government requires a decision of Congress, which has not yet been obtained.

Sir Eyre Crowe remarks that if nothing is done a famine will occur in Austria by the end of the present month. Could not Mr Wallace bring influence to bear on his Government, in order that the gravity of the situation in Austria might be emphasized to Congress, and that the latter be asked to reach a quick decision in the matter?

S de Martino inquired what time would be required for sending to Austria the actually indispensable foodstuffs, and would they arrive in time to save Austria from famine.

Mr Loucheur replies that as soon as they know exactly where they stand they could act rapidly. If need be, they will divert certain cargoes which would proceed to Trieste and the redistribution from there could be effected without much delay.

Sir Eyre Crowe asks how far they had got with the question of the creation of a commission for the temporary distribution of rolling stock between the various states resulting from the breaking-up of the ex-Austro-Hungarian Kingdom.

Mr Loucheur replies that the decisions of the Council on the subject are being dealt with.

With regard to the loan of 30,000,000 of florins which a Dutch group is to make to Austria, the terms put up to the Austrian Government seem very hard and there is the risk of a deadlock. The Austrian Minister of Finance is to arrive in Paris very shortly to discuss that question. In order to save time they intend to have him assisted by two members of the Reparations Commission. But in any case, this deal could not be concluded for a certain time and he wishes to clearly state that it seems impossible to him to stave off famine from Austria if the United States Government does not furnish a definite reply by the following week at the latest.

Mr Wallace says that he will submit to his Government the situation described by M Loucheur.

M Clemenceau inquires what the situation will be, should America’s reply be in the negative.

M Loucheur replies that nothing could then prevent starvation in Austria. Even if they decided to make the necessary financial sacrifices without America, their efforts will be unsuccessful, for the reason that it will be impossible for them to get dollars, which America alone had.


4. M Kammerer comments upon two notes of the French Delegation on the question, dated December 31, 1919, and January 6, 1920.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that he thinks the question presents itself from a military standpoint. Before attending to Denikin’s demands they should decide whether the measures which he required of the Allies were not utterly useless. That was a question upon which their military experts should be called upon to give their opinion.

M Kammerer says that General Denikin is of the opinion that the Allies had three ways of helping him:

1) Bring pressure to bear upon Poland and Romania to force them to give adequate help to the Russian Army fighting against the Bolsheviks. That question is essentially one of a political nature.

2) Authorize the Bulgarians to send detachments to the assistance of Denikin’s forces. The question at issue is really whether appeal could be made to an enemy power with whom peace had not yet been ratified. It should be noted as a matter of fact, that the enrollment of Bulgarian troops in the Russian armies was expressly forbidden by Article 103 of the Treaty of Neuilly.

3) Lastly, any armament in Bulgaria in excess of that allowed for under the Peace Treaty might be sent to Denikin. That third question is of a military nature.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that he believes that the military considerations should be the foundation of the decision to be taken, and that it is therefore necessary to consult their military experts. Why, for example, apply pressure on the Poles in order to ask them to help Denikin, if their assistance is not to change anything in the unfavorable situation in which that general found himself. He is personally inclined to think that Denikin’s troops will continue to retreat whether the Poles intervene or whether they remain at a standstill. In any event, they could not give a decision without knowing what their experts think.

S de Martino says that he believes with Sir Eyre Crowe that if their aid is not sufficient to remedy the unfavorable situation of Denikin’s army, it would hardly be worth while to force the Poles into an enterprise which would surely be useless and which involved certain dangers for Poland.

M Clemenceau states that it seems to him that the opinion of the Council is against any pressure being applied on the Poles to make them intervene in Denikin’s favor. This is also his feeling. As for using Bulgarian troops, he would be very much opposed to that course, for it would cause considerable difficulties in the Balkans.

Sir Eyre Crowe states that, with regard to the first question, he cannot express any opinion without referring to his Government. As for the use of Bulgarian troops, he is absolutely in accord with the President’s way of thinking.

M Kammerer says that it would, in principle, be quite desirable to send the surplus materiel to Denikin. The continued retreat of Denikin might, however, result in the loss of that materiel by allowing it to fall into the hands of the Bolsheviks. It would, therefore, be wise to send it only to places from which it could be rapidly evacuated, in case of need. This is a question for the military experts and for General Franchet d’Esperey, who is on the spot, to examine.

M Clemenceau agrees that they might refer the question either to Marshal Foch or directly to General Franchet d’Esperey.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that, as the situation in Southern Russia was changing from day to day, it would be wiser to leave the matter to the judgment of the Allied military representatives on the spot.

(It was decided to let General Franchet d’Esperey decide upon the wisdom of sending the Bulgarian war materiel in excess of the amount provided for in the Treaty of Neuilly to General Denikin’s troops, as well as on the means to be used for ensuring the forwarding, if need be, of that materiel.)

Mr Wallace will refer the present resolution to Washington for the instructions of his Government.


5. The Council has before it a note of the British Delegation on the question, dated January 4, 1920.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that as he had explained at the preceding meeting, the British Government deems it useless to send General Niessel to Reval in order to re-organize the Russian Army of the Northwest, which had been thrown back onto Estonian territory. Army He thinks that the best course to follow would be to allow the Estonian Government to take the measures it deemed necessary with regard to General Yudenitch’s troops. His Government, therefore proposed that the Estonian Government be informed that the Allied and Associated Governments had no further objection to its proceeding with the dissolution of the Russian Forces of the Northwest in accordance with its original plan.

M Berthelot said that the idea of sending General Niessel to Reval to re-organize Yudenitch’s army had been abandoned, and he agreed with Sir Eyre Crowe in thinking that General Niessel’s mission would be inopportune. He does not, however, think it possible to accept the British proposal, for the present situation was as follows: The Estonians had badly used and completely disorganized the Russian forces which had taken refuge on their territory. They had, on the other hand, signed an armistice with the Bolsheviks and seemed disposed to negotiate a definite treaty with them, which would be absolutely contrary to the Allies’ views. They had, furthermore, quarreled with the Letts on the subject of some contested territory, and are threatening military occupation. As a result we have no reason to be satisfied with the present attitude of the Estonians. The Allies had asked the Estonian Government to spare Yudenitch’s forces; the Estonians had not taken any account whatever of that admonition of the Allies. They might of course, leave the situation as it was, but it seemed to him that they would be going too far if they expressly withdrew the observations they had made. It would seem to encourage the Estonians at a time when we are not satisfied with their attitude. If the Estonians conclude peace with the Soviets it is to be feared that the whole cordon of Baltic States, perhaps even Poland, would soon follow their example, and that would constitute a very real danger.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that he does not wish to hide the fact that serious arguments could be brought forth in favor of a policy of inaction. The situation did not, however, seem to him to be quite as just described by M Berthelot. They had asked the Estonians to suspend the disarmament of the Russian troops while waiting for a decision of the Council. They should therefore let them know what course the Council had decided to follow. He had accused the Estonians of having concluded an armistice with the Bolsheviks; they should, however, not forget that when the Estonians had asked them for assistance against the Soviets, they had refused to intervene. It might very well be that the Estonians had been so closely pursued by the Bolsheviks forces that no other course was open to them. It appeared that the maintenance of a Russian army under arms on Estonian territory was contrary to certain clauses of the armistice which had just been concluded and that measures were to be taken to effect the withdrawal of the Russian troops after disarmament.

M Kammerer says that from the latest news they had received from Estonia, the situation of Yudenitch’s forces appears to be desperate. They comprise approximately 15,000 sick men, and the 3 or 4 thousand remaining fit men do not offer any military value. It is rumored that these weak contingents will be transferred south, but that news has not been confirmed.

Mr Berthelot states that they have not merely requested the Estonians not to disarm Yudenitch’s army; they had also informed them that they were opposed to any armistice with the Bolsheviks. That armistice is all the more regrettable as the Estonians do not seem to have been forced in any way to conclude it.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that they did not know anything about that. A telegram received from Estonia and which seemed more recent than the information given by Mr. Kammerer, indicates that the withdrawal of the Russian troops is under way, under the conditions of the preliminary disarmament which is required by the armistice concluded between Estonia and the Soviets.

Mr Berthelot says that they are ignorant of the real situation. It therefore seems that the best course would be to close their eyes with regard to the present attitude of the Estonian Government and to leave, for the present, affairs in the status quo.

Sir Eyre Crowe says that he agrees that no communication be made to the Estonian Government.

(It was decided that no representations should be made, for the time being, by the Allies to the Estonian Government on the subject of the relations of that Government with the Army of General Yudenitch.)

[Jimbuna]

6th January 1920

Flooding caused by the Seine River in France.
https://i.ibb.co/d2C1cbJ/ENlv67o-X0-AAk-EGB.png (https://ibb.co/SnYWxQ7)

Kentucky Governor Edwin P. Morrow signing the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote.
https://i.ibb.co/ZgwXvVn/ENm04xy-Uc-AAvf-ZE.jpg (https://ibb.co/t2NKn47)

German Zeppelin that was built by the Germans to bomb New York. After #WWI it was taken over by England.
https://i.ibb.co/Pcc7qS0/ENm04xy-Uc-AAvf-ZE.jpg (https://imgbb.com/)

Ship Losses:

Mathilde (Denmark) The schooner came ashore at Easington, County Durham, United Kingdom and was wrecked,
Metamora (United Kingdom) The schooner was abandoned and set afire in the Atlantic Ocean. Her crew were rescued. The fire was extinguished and Metamora was towed into Saint Michaels, Maryland, United States by Lages (Brazil).

[Sailor Steve]

Tuesday, January 6, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


...

[Jimbuna]

7th January 1920

Russian Civil War: The forces of Russian White Admiral Alexander Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk; the Great Siberian Ice March ensues.

Edmund Barton, the first Prime Minister of Australia and Justice of the High Court of Australia, has passed away.
https://i.postimg.cc/KvHxWf03/ENq5ej-KW4-AAY-s-Y.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

San Josefa (Italy) The auxiliary barque was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean. Her crew were rescued by Tartar Prince ( United Kingdom).

[Sailor Steve]

Wednesday, January 7, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

The Supreme Council does not meet today.

[Jimbuna]

8th January 1920

In the Russian Civil War Admiral Alexander Kolchak, nominally the leader of the Whites (since Nov. 1918), is defeated at Krasnoyarsk and withdraws across Siberia to Irkutsk, where his Czech allies hand him over to the Bolsheviks. He is summarily executed (7 Feb.).
https://i.postimg.cc/KYns9w6r/5p5ts5zbpi941.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Gelasma (United Kingdom) The auxiliary sailing ship came ashore 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) east of Dungeness, Kent. Her crew were rescued.
HMT Leonard (Royal Navy) The naval trawler foundered off the coast of Scotland with the loss of all nine crew.
Le Pluvier (France) The tug foundered with the loss of between 25 and 30 lives.
St. Louis (United States) The ocean liner caught fire at Hoboken, New Jersey and was scuttled. She was a total loss and was scrapped in 1925.
Spartan (France) The cargo ship sank in Rothesay Dock, Glasgow, Renfrewshire, United Kingdom.

[Sailor Steve]

Thursday, January 8, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

The Supreme Council does not meet today.

[Jimbuna]

9th January 1920

Airco Dh.9 bomber supplied by Britain to anti-Bolshevik forces in Russia.
https://i.postimg.cc/HnfTGqP6/EN2-Ror-FWk-AAb28u.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Northstar (United States) After the only person aboard was knocked unconscious while in the engine room in stormy weather, the 11-gross register ton motor vessel drifted onto a reef in Sleepy Bay (60°04′30″N 147°50′00″W) on the coast of Latouche Island off the south-central coast of the Territory of Alaska and was wrecked, becoming a constructive total loss. The vessel′s sole occupant reached safety after regaining consciousness.
Treveal (United Kingdom) The cargo ship, on her maiden voyage, ran aground on the Kimmeridge Ledge, off the coast of Dorset and broke in two with the loss of 36 of her 43 crew. She was on a voyage from Calcutta, India to Dundee, Forfarshire.
West Avenal (United States) The Design 1019 cargo ship collided with Lancastrian ( United Kingdom) in New York Harbor and was beached. She was refloated over a month later and returned to service.

[Sailor Steve]

Friday, January 9, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 12:15

Meeting of the Heads of Delegations of the Five Great Powers.


Mr Lloyd George says that he had the pleasure of several conversations with S Nitti in London. The latter had made certain suggestions which he himself had taken into consideration with his colleagues. As the result of their deliberations he has prepared a Memorandum of Proposals which he would now invite his colleagues on the Supreme Council to examine.

(At this point Mr. Lloyd George’s proposals are handed round).

His latest proposals, though based on S Nitti’s suggestions, had not yet been seen by S Nitti. His suggestion is that the proposals in his Memorandum should be considered as presented to the Conference and to S Nitti by the signatories of the Treaty of London. In this connection Mr Lloyd George recalled that on April 19th, at the Council of Four, in the presence of President Wilson, he had informed S Orlando that Great Britain stood by the Treaty of London, and had made it clear that, if Italy insisted on it, Great Britain would abide by it. At the same time he had also made it clear that, in the opinion of the British Government, the Treaty of London was not quite suitable to existing conditions. He was quite well acquainted with S Nitti’s difficulties, which were largely internal. The fact was that Fiume had become, as it were, a “flag” to Italian public opinion. Apart from that, it is not really a question of any great intrinsic importance. Nevertheless, it is very urgent to settle the matter. Otherwise the situation is full of peril to Italy, to the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and to Europe. He does not think the Council can take the responsibility of allowing the present state of affairs to continue. In this complicated question no perfect solution is possible. The populations of this area are so mixed as to prevent this, and the only thing to do is to reach some rough and ready solution which all parties can accept. Consequently, if his new proposals should prove acceptable to Italy, he proposes that the Council should then see the representatives of the Serbo-Croat-Slovene State and put the proposal before them.

M Clemenceau ask if S Nitti has had an opportunity of studying the document.

S Nitti replies that he has not.

M Clemenceau then proposes that, in order to give S Nitti time to study the question, it should be adjourned until 11:30 on Saturday, January 10th.

(The Council then adjourns.)

[Jimbuna]

10th January 1920

The League of Nations is founded as the Treaty of Versailles officially goes into effect.
https://i.postimg.cc/hG2zMCPZ/EN6-WRne-Ws-AAn95a.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Treveal (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was wrecked in the English Channel off the coast of Dorset. Thirty six of her crew were killed.

[Sailor Steve]

Saturday, January 10, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 11:30

Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
(This is the same group as always, but the name has been changed.)


1. Mr Wallace refers to a reservation made by the American Delegation to the resolution of the Supreme Council on the subject dated December 9, 1919.

He explains that he has been authorized by his Government to accept, in the name of the United States, the suggestion made by Sir Eyre Crowe on the 9th of December on the subject of employing native troops in the Togo and Cameroons; to the effect that the text of Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations will be maintained but interpreted with reference to the minutes of the Council of Ten, of January 30, 1919; in other words, in the event only of a general war, France will be allowed to raise within the territory held under her mandate native troops to be employed in her own defense as well as in that of the territories in question.

M Clemenceau reads the text of the arrangement concerning the Inter-Allied military organization which would take effect after the coming into force of the Treaty of Versailles; the arrangement was couched in these terms:

“The Allied and Associated Governments decide that the Interallied military organization shall continue under the presidency of Marshal Foch at Versailles and shall have as terms of reference:

“(a) to act as advisory council to the Allied and Associated Governments in military questions arising out of the execution of the Treaty of Peace with Germany.

(b) to carry into execution the orders given it by the Allied and Associated Powers in matters concerning the Commissions of Control and the Allied forces of occupation in the Rhineland and Plebiscite areas.”

Mr Lloyd George says that in the name of the British Government he very gladly agrees to the proposal put before the Council. It is necessary that that organization should continue to sit at Versailles. Versailles is a word to which public opinion in England was accustomed. Further, he should very much like that that organization should be consulted not only upon the military questions arising out of the execution of the Treaty with Germany but also upon military questions bearing upon other issues of common interest to the Allies. Among such questions he would cite those affecting southern Russia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, where the situation - and he is going to discuss it shortly with the Council - is very grave.

Mr Matsui points out that during the war Japan had not been represented on the Versailles Military Council. The Council is now being prolonged; is it understood that Japan will be represented?

Mr Lloyd George says that this depends upon Japan; that it was Japan itself that had not wished to be represented in the former Council.

Mr Matsui asks whether they would have any objections in the event of his Government being prepared to be represented.

Mr Lloyd George feels that the Allies will have no objection whatever.

S Nitti approves the proposal submitted to the Council.

(It is decided that the Inter-Allied military organization should continue under the presidency of Marshal Foch at Versailles and have for instructions:

(a) To act as advisory council to the Allied and Associated Governments in the military questions arising out of the execution of the Treaty of Peace with Germany;

(b) To execute the orders given it by the Allied and Associated Powers in matters concerning the Commissions of Control and the Allied forces of occupation in the Rhineland and Plebiscite areas.

It is further decided that, should the occasion arise, the Council can be consulted upon all military questions of common interest to the Allies which the latter might be agreed to submit to it.

Mr Wallace will refer this resolution to Washington for instructions of his Government.)


2. Mr Lloyd George tells the Council that they have just received from the Caucasus very disturbing news. The Bolsheviks are advancing upon the Caspian; if, having entirely defeated Denikin’s army, they should reach the sea, it is possible that the Turks might join with them, an event which would throw the States of the Caucasus into a desperate situation. It becomes incumbent, therefore, on the Council to find out whether it would be wise to support those States by sending them, for example, arms and ammunition to facilitate their resistance to the Bolshevist drive. He does not mean to express in that place an opinion upon so delicate a question, but suggests referring it to the military organization at Versailles which without prejudicing the political solution might be able to give them the information of a purely military nature which they required in order to take a decision.

M Clemenceau thinks it might be good if the British Delegation drafted a memorandum which the Council could submit to the military council at Versailles.

(It is decided to refer to the Versailles Military Council the question of the aid it might be necessary to give to the Caucasian States against the Bolsheviks. The British Delegation will prepare a memorandum upon the subject which will be submitted to the Versailles Military Council for immediate examination and report to the Supreme Council.)

Mr Lloyd George expresses his regret at again proposing a subject not down on the agenda. But the agenda for that meeting is rather long and might possibly occupy them for quite a considerable time. There is a danger of its being so on the following days. M Clemenceau’s time is extremely limited as indeed is his own, for he will doubtless have to return to England shortly on account of serious labor troubles. To save time, he would suggest recourses to a method of organization that had already been tested, namely, to constitute on the one hand a Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, which would examine questions relative to the Peace Treaty with Hungary and all questions of detail on which, for that matter, Lord Curzon was much better informed than himself and to form on the other hand, a Council of the Heads of Governments who would examine only the larger questions of general policy, the discussion of which had been essentially the object of his visit.

S Nitti supports Mr Lloyd George’s proposal. He too cannot prolong very much his stay in Paris. He would remind them that he should have to be in Italy for labor questions, the solution of which was urgent as well as for the re-opening of Parliament which is to take place before the end of the month. The Council of Heads of Governments ought naturally to deal with the question of the Adriatic, but it is desirable that it should also examine the Albanian question which he very earnestly desires to have solved before his departure. The maintenance of a force of occupation in Albania is costing them enormous sums and they anxiously desired to have it settled.

(It was decided that during the presence in Paris of the British and Italian Prime Ministers, there should be constituted:

(1) A Council of the Heads of Governments who would deal with questions of general policy;

(2) A Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs who will deal with questions arising out of the Treaty of Peace with Hungary and all matters not examined by the Council of Heads of Governments.)

(The meeting is adjourned.)

[Jimbuna]

11th January 1920

Officers and crew of the U.S. Navy 22nd Destroyer Division in San Diego.
https://i.postimg.cc/65b2yFJp/EN7b-Iyi-Xs-AI8-USr.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Auguste Charles (France) The sailing ship was driven ashore at Knapp Head, Devon, United Kingdom and was wrecked with the loss of three of her five crew.
Doyo Maru (Japan) The cargo ship departed from Chinwangtao, China for Yokohama. No further trace, presumed foundered by 15 January with the loss of all hands.

[Sailor Steve]

Sunday, January 11, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

The Supreme Council does not meet today.

[Jimbuna]

12th January 1920

Smithsonian Institution announces Robert Goddard’s invention and testing of a new type or rocket that could one day reach the moon.
https://i.postimg.cc/cLcFk7nt/EOAkpn0-X0-AEh-VNS.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Afrique (France) Chargeurs Réunis' 5,404 GRT ocean liner foundered in the Bay of Biscay 32 nautical miles (59 km) off the Île de Ré with the loss of 556 of the 599 people on board. Survivors were rescued by Ceylan ( France) and another vessel.
Monte Grande (France) The schooner was driven ashore at East Wittering, Sussex, United Kingdom and was wrecked.
Serbier (Belgium) The cargo ship foundered in the Bay of Biscay 80 nautical miles (150 km) off Penmarc'h, Finistère, France (47°38′N 6°10′W). Her crew were rescued by Docteur Pierre Benoit ( France).

[Sailor Steve]

Monday, January 12, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

The Supreme Council does not meet today.

[Jimbuna]

13th January 1920

Demonstrations in front of the Reichstag in Berlin turn bloody after police use guns and grenades to disperse the crowd, resulting in around 42 deaths. The crowds before the massacre.
https://i.postimg.cc/1R7sCDrY/EOLFlrr-Wk-AAUL-g.png (https://postimages.org/)

Police and a machine gun in front of the Reichstag after demonstrations on January 13,1920.
https://i.postimg.cc/L6rRRR7t/ZMt451-XGTM2o-Sgw-Iu0-Mg18yl0vi3-OCOB3z2-Zg89j5z4.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Arrested foreign nationals suspected of having radical leftist ties awaiting deportation on Ellis Island.
https://i.postimg.cc/8ccDkCNH/EOLFlrr-Wk-AAUL-g.png (https://postimages.org/)

A New York Times editorial calls Robert Goddard’s claim that rockets could eventually reach the moon a “severe strain on credulity.”
https://i.postimg.cc/qqFrNd7d/EOLFlrr-Wk-AAUL-g.png (https://postimg.cc/H8bRNR5S)

Ship Losses:

Jane and Ann (United Kingdom) The schooner was driven ashore at St. Anne's on Sea, Lancashire and was wrecked.
Willy (Norway) The cargo ship collided with Trentino ( United Kingdom) in the Atlantic Ocean off the Longships and sank.

[Sailor Steve]

Tuesday, January 13, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 11:00

Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs.


...

[Jimbuna]

14th January 1920

In Siberia, Admiral Kolchak, commander-in-chief of the White Armies, is arrested and delivered to the Bolsheviks.

Castor Oy introduced to Thimble Theater (Popeye The Sailor) cartoon.

"Mobs, Rushing Reichstag, Shot Down By German Troops; Trial Of Assembly Socialists Set For Next Tuesday; Hughes And The Bar Association Bitterly Assailed" (New York Times)
https://i.postimg.cc/CxrypMpN/bjt-Kf-Qii8k9-KINdg-GH9-GL2-HV0-Nb-IGSX7-W9-C3fgnm9-P8.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Wednesday, January 14, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no Council meetings today.

[Jimbuna]

15th January 1920

John Francis Dodge, co-founder of the Dodge car company, has passed away at age 55 due to the Spanish flu.
https://i.postimg.cc/d12rWkw1/EOQBp-EVXUAEAHjq.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

On January 15, 1920, traumatized customers make a run on a Liquor Store the day before prohibition in America begins.
https://i.postimg.cc/02QKSHMr/EOQBp-EVXUAEAHjq.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

HMT Denford (Royal Navy) The naval trawler ran aground at North Kearney Point, County Down. Her crew were rescued. She was refloated on 20 January.
Sancho Maru (Japan) The cargo ship foundered in the Pacific Ocean off Rikuchū Province with some loss of life.

[Sailor Steve]

Thursday, January 15, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no Council meetings today.

[Jimbuna]

16th January 1920

The Allies of World War I demand that the Netherlands extradite ex-German Emperor Wilhelm II who fled there in 1918.
https://i.postimg.cc/1X60NqxH/EOZPz-Aq-X0-AACilw.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

The Russian Revolution: Tsarist Troops Execute Bolsheviks.
https://i.postimg.cc/7P7S90c1/EOZPz-Aq-X0-AACilw.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Prince Albert (later King George VI) and Prince Henry at Trinity College, Cambridge.
https://i.postimg.cc/HWJ6grNj/EOZPz-Aq-X0-AACilw.jpg (https://postimg.cc/6TXrVptN)

Francisco José Fernandes Costa is appointed the Prime Minister of Portugal but resigns on the same day due to political instability. His government is called the “Five Minute Government”
https://i.postimg.cc/zD90XJm7/EOZPz-Aq-X0-AACilw.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Preveza (Greece) The cargo ship came ashore at Chesil Beach, Dorset, United Kingdom and was abandoned by her crew. She was later reboarded but attempts to refloat her in the early hours on 17 January were unsuccessful.
W. T. White (United Kingdom) The schooner foundered in the Atlantic Ocean. Six crew were rescued by Marion L. Mason ( United Kingdom).

[Sailor Steve]

Friday, January 16, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Combined Meeting of Representatives of National Leaders and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs.


Mr. Clemenceau states that, before taking up the Agenda, he will remark to the Prime Minister of Great Britain that he has had a conversation with Mr Ignace on the preceding day on the subject of the guilty parties to be surrendered by Germany. He had noticed that whilst Great Britain asked France to reduce the number of guilty parties which she claimed, the British were increasing theirs. Such a procedure is not equitable. He therefore proposes that Mr Ignace have an interview with the British Lord Chancellor and that as soon as an agreement between them had been reached, they should give the Supreme Council the benefit of their conclusions.

M Clemenceau says that, with regard to the re-opening of certain trading relations with Russia, M Berthelot would give them an exposé.

M Berthelot comments upon the report of the committee appointed to consider the re-opening of certain trading relations with Russia, dated January 15, 1920.

He adds that the representatives of the Russian Cooperative Organizations had met the representatives of the Great Powers two days before and also on the preceding day at two different times; and the Commission thus composed had agreed on the draft which had been circulated.

As had been brought out by the Premier of Great Britain the Commission had recognized that it would be important to be able to trade directly with the Russian peasants in the whole of the interior of Russia; that would be the best way were it successful, to ruin Bolshevism; it would also be remedy for the fall of exchange, as well as to reduce the prices of important products, such as foodstuffs, cereals, etc.

The difficulty of the question lay in that, while refusing to negotiate with the Bolsheviks - a course which would seem to recognize the Bolshevist Government - and while refusing to enter into direct relations with the Bolshevists, there still remained to be found a way of obtaining their assent.

In theory, the argument to put forward in order to obtain that assent, should be that means of living would thus be given to the populations in interior Russia which the Bolshevists were incapable of giving them for the reason that, as Mr Lloyd George had said it, the Bolshevists could only pay with paper money which had no value, and the peasants were in need of clothing, shoes, medicines, which the Allies alone could give them.

It was therefore not absolutely impossible, in theory, for the Soviet people to say that they would let a certain quantity of wheat, flax, wool or coal go out in exchange for whatever products their populations could get in return. It was, however, to be noted that they would in that case reach another conclusion; they could not send Allied officers or individuals to Moscow to treat with the Soviets; that would be an indirect method of recognition. But the Co-operative Organizations which had offices in London and Paris, as well as in many of the Russian towns, might try and arrive at a direct understanding with the Soviet Government in order to obtain the authorization to export products which those co-operatives themselves could sell. It had indeed been agreed that those organizations would attempt to adopt that system, and the Council would be kept informed. The report which had been distributed and was the result of an unanimous agreement, explained how the system would operate: a direct purchase from the Bolshevists, such purchases, however, being made by the Co-operative Organizations in Russia.

Mr Lloyd George says that he is in complete agreement on the general terms of the report which had been circulated and explained; he would, however, suggest some slight changes thereto.

In paragraph No 8, for instance, he would prefer that the word “Bolshevists” should not appear; also, on the first page where it was stated that “for reconstructing trading relations with the whole of Russia, he would propose that the following be substituted: “With the Russian people”.

It is important that the Powers should be shown to be sympathetic towards the Russian peasants.

On the whole, he is in complete agreement and thinks the report which had been signed by the representatives of France, Italy and Great Britain was a good one.

S Nitti says that he has no remarks to make.

Mr Matsui approves it, but says that he would reserve his Government’s approval.

Mr Wallace says that he would refer the resolution to Washington.

(It is decided to refer the question to the Commission which had drawn up the report for the latter to carry out the terms of the agreement approved.)

Mr Wallace and Mr Matsui would refer the resolution to their Governments for instructions.

In the discussion which follows:

Mr Kammerer stated that the first thing to be done would be to notify the decision of the Council to the Co-operative Societies. They should, for the present, not go any further, and await the sending of the necessary telegrams.

Mr Lloyd George wishes to ask what will be communicated to the Press.

M Clemenceau replies “as little as possible”.

Mr Kammerer remarks that they should indeed avoid that the Bolshevists consider the action taken as a starting point for raising the blockade.

Mr Lloyd George replies that there is no blockade. But, as a matter of fact, it is impossible to keep silent on their decision which would necessarily be revealed by the action of the Co-operative organizations.

M Clemenceau asked M Berthelot to prepare a draft communiqué for the Press.

M Berthelot later reads a draft communiqué to the Press concerning the Russian question.

Mr Lloyd George says that if he understands it well, it had been told them that the Russian Co-operative Societies would not like to appear as if they were taking the initiative in those operations. On the other hand, as the Government of the Soviets is not to participate or intervene, it will be well, perhaps, to state that they acted under the influence of the situation which it had brought about.

M Clemenceau says that, on the other hand, he would prefer that they do not refer to the “regime of anarchy”, and that they substitute the following words therefor: “the regime of interior disorganization then existing in Russia”.

He asks M Berthelot to kindly prepare a final draft and submit it to the Council at the afternoon meeting.

Mr. Cambon states that Mr Phillip Kerr, Marquis della Torretta and himself had got in touch on the preceding day with the representatives of Georgia and the Azerbaijan.

He had informed those gentlemen that according to the decision of the members of the Council of Three the Supreme Council of the Allied Governments had recognized the Governments of Georgia and Azerbaijan as “de facto” governments. They had then asked them whether they had any questions to put.

The representatives of Georgia were Messrs. Tseretelli and Avaloff; the representatives of the Azerbaijan were Messrs. Dopchbacheff and Mageramoff, who had spoken in turn.

These gentlemen had first thanked them for the “de facto” recognition of their Governments, but they had gone further: They asked that nothing be placed in the way of the course they were following in order to be completely separated from Russia, and they asked for the assistance of the Powers on financial, military and political grounds so as to liquidate their original situation. They had then put questions to the representatives of Georgia and the Azerbaijan concerning their interior situation and the danger which might threaten them on the part of former Russia. They had appeared more generally pre-occupied concerning Denikin’s intentions than those of the Bolshevists; but the actual condition of Denikin’s army re-assured them completely on their countries’ future for the time being.

Mr Phillip Kerr had put questions to them on the military situation of both Republics and their answers had not been very definite. They had then pressed them further, and the representatives of Georgia had declared that they could put 50,000 men in the field, and those of the Azerbaijan approximately 100,000.

M Clemenceau thought that extremely doubtful.

Mr. Lloyd George remarked that they made very good fighting troops, as they were mostly Tartars.

M Cambon goes on to say that their army is composed first, of a regular army with officers, and even ex-General officers of the Russian Army, and second, of a national guard.

Mr Tseretelli had especially insisted on the fact that he considered that the troops they had then under arms were sufficient to defend both Georgia and Azerbaijan against a possible invasion, should an offensive come either from the former armies of Denikin, or the Bolshevists, but it would be impossible to arouse the military feeling of their populations to make an offensive warfare, that is to say, a war which would not be solely in defense of the Caucasian territory.

The two Republics have sufficient men to put in the field, but what they lacked is arms and munitions, and they ask the Allies to supply them with such.

Besides, as Denikin’s army had at a previous time re-established the Russian authority in Daghestan, i. e. in the mountainous districts north of the Caucasus, those representatives had asked them that the Council should recognize “de facto” the Republic of the Daghestan so as to constitute a kind of buffer between the threats from the north and the Republics of Georgia and the Azerbaijan.

M Cambon wishes especially to point out the different point of view of the representatives from the two Republics: the representatives of Georgia, on account of their geographical position, are of the opinion that the most important menace against their independence would come from the Russian or Bolshevist Armies, which would follow the shores of the Black Sea, and thought that they would have nothing to fear on the Caspian Sea. On the other hand, however, the representatives of the Azerbaijan, which was bounded by the Caspian Sea, had declared that the danger lay in that direction: if the Bolshevists pursued the rest of the army of Volunteers (Denikin’s Army) up to the town of Derbent, Bakou would be in dire straits. Once in possession of that town, the situation in the Caspian would be extremely dangerous. There were also some Bolshevist ships in the Caspian Sea which were then ice-bound, and other ships which belonged to Denikin. It was to be feared that the crews of the latter would go over to the Bolshevists at the first opportunity. There is also in the Caspian a ship flying the British flag, but this seems manifestly insufficient to have the slightest influence.

What he had just said summarizes briefly the conversation they had had with the representatives of the two Republics.

Mr Lloyd George remarks that, as a matter of fact, there are four states in that country; Azerbaijan and Daghestan were Musulman territories, as he thought; and Georgia and Armenia were Christian, although he is not quite sure to which confession they belonged.

M Clemenceau says that the representative of Armenia had told him that he was a Gregorian, but he had been unable to explain to him what that meant.

Mr Lloyd George says that it is evident that the recognition “de facto” of the Daghestan which was asked of them might be as wise a step as that of Georgia and Azerbaijan, especially on account of its buffer position between the North and the latter Republics; what they know of the history of those countries showed the difficulties which had impeded the Russian armies in their march through the Caucasus. They were not asked for troops: That was a satisfactory point, and he thought that they might try to supply them with arms and munitions. The Caspian Sea fleet is in the hands of Denikin, and they had better send out 1500 sailors and ask Denikin to hand over his ships to them. They also had four British battalions at Bakou which might either remain there, if that proved to be useful, or be withdrawn. He was strongly in favor of the Daghestan’s recognition: that step would give great satisfaction to the Mohammedans, as it would mean two Mohammedan Republics in that part of the world. The Allies also had plenty of munitions which they might send. The difficulty lay in finding transport for arms and munitions to be sent into these Republics.

M Clemenceau remarks that he thinks most of it had gone to the Soviets through Denikin’s army.

Mr Lloyd George says that they might at least send a lot of clothes, etc.

M Clemenceau says that it would be well to examine this question further.

(The meeting then adjourned.)

[Jimbuna]

17th January 1920

Paul Deschanel is elected the new President of France by the National Assembly, defeating Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau.
https://i.postimg.cc/yx7YdbM1/EOe-Za-VFWo-AIQAZr.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Prohibition of alcohol comes into effect in the United States at the end of the day. Men lining up to buy “last call” liquor in Detroit.
https://i.postimg.cc/vZ48c9NV/EOa-Uow-CX0-AIFJJZ.png (https://postimages.org/)

Prohibition begins: Chicago police show off their first day of alcohol seizures.‬
https://i.postimg.cc/90xVfFPb/Lj-Bn-U-3u8-Kl8-Fxufla-Z3-QFq0m-Owfqf-Ijfcbsf-C1d-U9c.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

18th January 1920

Victims of a Bolshevik massacre found in Rakvere, Estonia after Estonian forces recaptured the area.
https://i.postimg.cc/CLNWdVdn/EOji9-W8-Xs-AAF4-R5.png (https://postimages.org/)

With prohibition coming into effect in the United States at midnight last night, all liquor or beer in a public place becomes subject to seizure and destruction.
https://i.postimg.cc/XvTPtj1m/EOji9-W8-Xs-AAF4-R5.png (https://postimages.org/)

"The Launch of the New Ship" "(We regret to say that, owing to unavoidable circumstances, Cousin Jonathan was not present.)" (The League of Nations)
https://i.postimg.cc/W1zf3FQx/en86x1qb4ib41.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Sailor Steve]

Sunday, January 18, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

There are no Council meetings today.

[Jimbuna]

19th January 1920

French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau announces his resignation after losing the Presidential election.
https://i.postimg.cc/8czzcH4W/EOknyze-Wk-Ag-d-VI.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[January 19th, 1920] "The latest riots in Berlin were particularly bloody" (Excelsior)
https://i.postimg.cc/1X75qq7d/EOknyze-Wk-Ag-d-VI.jpg (https://postimg.cc/sGSrFvrP)

[Sailor Steve]

Monday, January 19, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of Premiers.


M Clemenceau: The first question that arises is that of the telegram that ought to have been sent dealing with the arrangement with the Russian Co-operatives. That telegram has not been sent. Why?

M Kammerer: We were waiting for instructions on the point. Last night Mr Berthelot told me that the telegram could be sent. I stated that, for my own part, we had no objection to its despatch.

M Clemenceau: Were you in a position to raise objections to the despatch of that telegram?

M Kammerer: Not at all, but I had to say that I had not any instructions and that I was awaiting them. In any case the telegram is ready and is going to be sent.

S Nitti: To arrange the details of execution of the question in the best way possible, it would be well to send it to the Supreme Economic Council.

Mr Lloyd George: I am in entire agreement. All this ought to be done by the Economic Council and not by the Foreign Ministers.

M Clemenceau: We are then agreed upon that.

(It was decided that economic questions involving the commercial policy of the Allies in Russia should be dealt with by the Supreme Economic Council.)

Mr Wallace will refer the present resolution to Washington for the instructions of his Government.


2. M Clemenceau: We will go on to the Caucasian question. I think that Marshal Wilson or Marshal Foch ought first to be heard.

Marshal Foch: A question on this subject was put to the Interallied Military Committee at Versailles. The committee pronounced an opinion. It is to that opinion that I am now going to refer.

M Clemenceau: You mean, I take it, the pronouncement of the 12th January. That has been circulated; everybody here knows it; have you nothing to add to that?

Marshal Foch: No, Mr. President, I have nothing to add unless it be that since that time the situation cannot have appreciably changed, that in any case, if it has changed, that can only be to our disadvantage, and consequently that the restrictions we formulated are perhaps even more justified at the present moment.

Sir Henry Wilson: I also am in the position of having nothing to add.

Mr Lloyd George: What is necessary at the very outset is to collect all available information so as to be in a position to discuss the matter profitably later on.

M Clemenceau: We are agreed.

Mr Lloyd George: The military advice, if I have understood it correctly, is that no barrier, consisting of less than three divisions would be effective against the Bolsheviks; and Lord Beatty could not send his sailors unless there were already assurance of such effective military measures.

Lord Beatty: I have nothing to add to that statement of the situation.

Mr Lloyd George: The situation may be regarded from another point of view. With the object of holding up the Bolsheviks, would it be any good to supply the Caucasian Republics of Azerbaijan, Daghestan and Georgia with guns and war materiel? And if so, ought it to be done immediately?

Marshal Foch: That question is very difficult to answer from here. Only an officer on the spot would be in a position to say what effective force those countries can muster and whether therefore it is worth while supplying them with anything whatsoever.

Mr Clemenceau: Does the Marshal suggest entrusting such a mission to an Allied general?

Marshal Foch: There is an English general with Denikin and the French general Mangin is also there.

Mr Lloyd George: But what I want now is military advice. We have already been asked to send material to those tribesmen. I want to know if that is militarily expedient.

Marshal Foch: I am entirely without information as to whether those populations are ready to receive materiel and to employ it to advantage or whether all that we might send would not simply fall into the hands of the Bolsheviks.

Sir Henry Wilson: In the meeting that took place the day before yesterday and at which we examined the defense of the Batoum-Baku line, the conclusion is reached that unless the British Navy effectively holds the Caspian, that line could not be effectively defended: and, inversely, that unless there exists the means of defending that line, it is impossible to send Naval forces into the Caspian. For that matter, unless the Caspian is occupied and held, Baku will certainly fall.

Mr Lloyd George: I take it then to be Sir Henry Wilson’s advice that we ought not to send war materiel to those peoples to help them to defend themselves against the Bolsheviks.

Sir Henry Wilson: That, Sir, is undoubtedly my opinion if the Caspian is not effectively held by the British Navy - I should then send nothing.

Mr Winston Churchill: I entirely agree with Sir Henry’s opinion on that point. Indeed, if the Caspian were not held, all that we might send would almost immediately pass into the hands of the Bolsheviks.

Lord Curzon: I should like to add a word. If, as General Wilson says, an Allied military expedition cannot succeed, then obviously we ought not to send one, but the present question it seems to me, is not so comprehensive. I have been speaking with the representatives of the Caucasian republics who are at this moment in the adjoining room. They have told me already that the Bolsheviks will attack them; they are anxious to defend themselves, provided we supply them with food, arms and munitions. So supplied, they believe that the danger could be averted. Without supplies, their fall, they say, is inevitable. In any case I suggest that we take no decision upon the matter without first of all hearing them.

Marshal Foch: I repeat my question: can we inform ourselves sufficiently here? I am willing to accept the discussion which ought to be profitable, but I think that we cannot have really adequate information unless we send actually on to the spot a representative of the Allied Powers.

M Clemenceau: The reason for your remark is, I believe that you did not quite understand what has just been said, to wit, that the representatives of the republics of the Caucasus are at present within the building and that it would be possible to hear them now.


(The representatives of the Republic of Georgia, Messrs Tsheidze, Tseretelli and Avaloff and of Azerbaijan, Messrs Topchibacheff and Magaramoff, are then introduced.)

3. M Clemenceau: Gentlemen, the Conference has been discussing the urgency of sending to Georgia, Daghestan and Azerbaijan food, arms and ammunition. We are told that you can give us information about an intended Bolshevist attack upon your people and of the means at your disposal for defense. We wish to know if at this juncture you would be in a position to exploit the help that we might be able to send you. We are quite disposed to do something effective but we want to know the present state of your countries and whether such aid would be effectively used against the Bolsheviks, or whether it is more likely to happen, as it did with Denikin, that the Bolsheviks would be strong enough simply to capture from you the materiel sent and thus to make matters worse.

Mr Tseretelli: I speak in the name of the Georgian Delegation as well as in that of the Delegation of Azerbaijan. We are equally likely to be attacked by the Bolsheviks but we do not know whether we shall be or not. Were we helped by the Entente, the Bolsheviks might hesitate to attack us. In any case, we need the material assistance of the Great Powers if we are to defend ourselves.

M Clemenceau: Am I to understand that you are asking us to send troops also?

Mr Tseretelli: That would be better still; but the mere fact of being protected on the sea and receiving the arms, munitions and food we require, would be an invaluable help. The state of mind of our people is such that, should the Bolsheviks attack, and if at the same time we received the material support of the Entente, we hope to defeat every attack. But such material aid is necessary immediately. We would like in any case to point out that the present situation in the Caucasus is dangerous from the point of view of the morale of the populations. When Denikin was in our land, our despairing peoples fought his troops by every means in their power, and a current of sympathy with the Bolsheviks appeared. Today, our people see their independence recognized and we are convinced that all the forces of the Highlanders will be used to resist a Bolshevist invasion and to defend our independence. It is under those circumstances that we build so much hope upon receiving help from the Supreme Council. We do not wish war: we are even ready to come to an agreement if that is possible, with the Bolsheviks, but only upon the condition that they also recognize our independence.

M Clemenceau: You would really sign an agreement with the Bolsheviks?

Mr Tseretelli: Yes, on condition that they pledged themselves not to invade our country and that they did not try to introduce propaganda among our people. But I must repeat, if we were strong, and the Entente were to help us, the Bolsheviks would be obliged to recognize our independence and give up their attempts.

I should nevertheless like to point out that there are three Trans-Caucasian Republics - Georgia, Azerbaidjan and Armenia. We would like to know why Armenia has not received de facto recognition. That recognition would help us all and render easier resistance to any aggression whatsoever. But, in short, it is in immediate help that our hope of resistance lies.

Mr Lloyd George: How many men can Azerbaijan put into the field?

Mr Magaramoff: A military law has been passed by our Parliament; assuming that we have the necessary arms and munitions, we shall be able to put into the field some 100,000 men.

Mr Lloyd George: Have you the troops at the moment?

Mr Magaramoff: We have a little army, in the command of a native Azerbaidjan general, about 50,000 strong, perhaps more, disciplined, but there are only from 10,000 to 12,000 of these men with arms.

Mr Lloyd George: And in Georgia?

Mr Tseretelli: We have about 16 battalions of regular troops, each 600 strong and nearly 15,000 men of the National Guard. These are well-disciplined troops. In a fortnight we could mobilize 50,000 men if we had the necessary arms and munitions. But on the other hand in a war for independence we could count upon the support of our whole people, among whom national enthusiasm runs very high. I am myself not a military specialist; but, if the Supreme Council wishes quite accurate information we can ask our Government by telegraph to supply it.

Mr Lloyd George: Is compulsory military service the system obtaining in Georgia?

Mr Tseretelli: Yes, and, in the Russian Army, Georgian officers were considered the best. Our troops too, were among the flower of the Russian Army.

Mr Lloyd George: Have the young men of Azerbaijan received military instruction?

Mr Magaramoff: There was no compulsory military service with us; but at the beginning of the war there were organized detachments of volunteers who distinguished themselves in the Iron Division. We had remarkable officers and generals. It was only two years ago that our Republic was constituted: henceforth all our youth must serve with the colors.

Lord Curzon: Reports that I have received say that a certain number of officers of Azerbaidjan are Turkish officers. Does the presence of these Turkish officers in the army leave us the guarantees necessary in a fight against the Bolsheviks?

Mr Magaramoff: After the conquest of Azerbaijan by Russia a great part of the population emigrated 25 years ago to Turkey. Later on, when the Turkish Army invaded the Caucasus, a certain number of its officers were natives of our country and of Daghestan. Among these, some 50 preferred to remain in Azerbaijan but they are native Caucasians and we can be certain that they, like all our populations, will use their whole energy in fighting the Bolsheviks for the defense of our independence.

Mr Topchibacheff: We, the inhabitants of Azerbaijan, dread Bolshevism even more than do our Georgian neighbors. We have had an experience of it. The Bolsheviks occupied our country for four months. I myself, head of a Trans-Caucasian committee, was a prisoner with them for two months and a half.

The danger threatens us from two sides: from the north and from the Caspian. On the Caspian side we hope that the English, who have a naval base at Enzeli, will give us perhaps marines and, in any case, arms and munitions. As for the northern frontier, we believe that in order to protect the whole of Trans-Caucasia, and especially Azerbaijan, it is expedient to recognize the Republic of the Highlanders, which would then form a buffer state against Bolshevik attacks. These Highlanders are indeed a very brave people.

Mr Lloyd George: Did the fight against Denikin take place in Georgia or Daghestan?

Mr Tseretelli: Denikin invaded Daghestan and the fight developed between the Highlanders and him. As for Georgia, it has always been threatened by Denikin; we displayed our sympathy with the Highlanders, who were defending themselves against him.

Mr Lloyd George: Why did Denikin attack Daghestan?

Mr Tseretelli: Denikin looked upon Daghestan and all Trans-Caucasia as Russian provinces. He judged it easier to invade those territories than to fight the Bolsheviks; it was against the peoples of the Caucasus that he turned the arms which were supplied to him to maintain the fight against the army of the Soviets.

Mr Lloyd George: For that attack had he great forces at his disposal?

Mr Tseretelli: His forces were fairly large, how large I cannot say, exactly. Anyhow, he had to use a great many men in maintaining the strife of factions in which the Highlanders involved him. The fight lasted nearly a year: I do not know whether it is not still going on. We have no recent news. I believe that Denikin has issued an appeal to his troops. Whatever may be the number of his forces, they are disorganized and demoralized and are doubtless no longer worth very much.

Mr Lloyd George: What is the Cossack’s attitude towards Denikin?

Mr Tseretelli: According to reports we have received from Tiflis, confirmed by Mr Bitch, president of the Kouban delegation, who is in Paris, great discontent reigns among the Kouban population; it is possible that the discontent is already receiving some direction. In the existing situation the Red Army is able to invade Kouban. But resistance to the Bolsheviks is being organized under the direction of Mr. Magaramko, the president of the Rada of Kouban. But it is still necessary to have the guarantee that it is not Denikin who will profit by the defeat of the Bolsheviks.

Mr Lloyd George: How long has the Kouban Delegation been in Paris?

Mr Tseretelli: For a year.

Mr Lloyd George: Is there a separatist movement in Kouban?

Mr Tseretelli: That is the political tendency of the Kouban Delegation, which is keeping in touch with its own country. That Delegation presented to the Conference a memorandum asking for recognition of the independence of the Kouban Republic.

S Nitti: If I have properly understood Mr Tseretelli, the real objective of Denikin’s army is the reconstitution of the old centralized Russia, rather than the defeat of the Bolsheviks; is Mr Tseretelli quite sure about that?

Mr Tseretelli: I am certain. I do not know Denikin’s personal ideas, but the unanimous opinion was that, had he managed to defeat the Bolsheviks, he would immediately have turned all his efforts towards the reduction of those nations whose independence has been proclaimed. That is not merely my conviction, it is that of all those independent states of which I speak and which defended themselves against him. It is the conviction also of our Azerbaijan neighbors.

S Nitti: Do you believe that the recognition of the Caucasian Republics, which exist already, or which will be recognized later could arouse the spirit of resistance in the country?

Mr Tseretelli: I am convinced that that recognition will strengthen resistance to all aggression from whatever side the aggression comes. We entertain the high hope that after the first step which has just been taken, the Supreme Council will go to the full length of recognizing our Republics de jure. That is the hope that sustains the courage of our peoples and our Governments; our population will display all the more zeal as they know that this de jure recognition will come about.

As for Denikin’s policy, he has declared officially several times that he does not recognize the right of our nations to self-determination: in his eyes, we still constitute mere provinces of the old Tsarist Russia.

Mr Magaramoff: The Georgian Delegate, in explaining the dangers that might menace his country from the direction of the Black Sea, has shown that on that side the Entente could send ships of war. But for us, on the Caspian, the situation is entirely different. Sending ships of war there cannot be thought of. There is a Bolshevist fleet to the North of Petrovsk and a small fleet of Denikin’s between Petrovsk and Baku; finally, at Enzeli, there is an English ship with some small gun boats.

Recently, the Azerbaijan Government protested against the allocation of a fleet to Denikin; but, at the present moment the volunteer army is beaten and the crews of his fleet, who manifested sentiments of sympathy with the Bolsheviks, are going possibly to join them: hence will arise a danger for Baku and for the defense of all Trans-Caucasia. That is why we should be happy if the Conference would be good enough to take the necessary measures to prevent Denikin’s joining the Bolshevist fleet.

Mr Lloyd George: Could you garrison Baku if you were given the arms? How many men could you find to defend that town?

Mr Magaramoff: There is a strong garrison at Baku already.

M Clemenceau: Of how many men?

Mr Magaramoff: We do not know now, as for two months direct communications have been cut off. Within that time, the strength of the garrison may have varied. However, that may be, two months ago, there were 7,000 men in Baku, all natives of Azerbaidjan, of which state Baku is the capital.

Mr Lloyd George: Why did Denikin not receive the support of the peasants in Ukrainia? Why did they abandon him?

Mr Tseretelli: I think that Denikin was considered in Ukrainia the representative of the counter-revolutionary movement which was going to take the land from the peasants and restore it to the nobility. He was looked upon as a man who had placed the Ukraine under the yoke of a centralized government reminiscent of Tsarism. In fact, both from the social and from the national points of view, the peasants looked upon Denikin as the enemy.

To avoid all misunderstanding, allow me to supplement what I said a little while ago. I spoke of Kouban. I am not qualified to make known here the aspirations of its population and I cannot say whether the separatist movement is very strong in that region or whether it is merely destined to avert the possibility of a civil war. In any case, I should not like to give the impression that the cause of Azerbaidjan and of Georgia ought to be considered from the same standpoint as that of Kouban. As you know, our populations are, from the national point of view, quite different. For centuries they have lived as independent states. I want it to be clearly understood that all I have said has merely the value to be attached to the information that can be given by a man who has read the newspapers. There is a Kouban Delegation in Paris; only that Delegation is in a position to speak precisely upon the national aspirations.

Mr Winston Churchill: Was the Kouban Delegation regularly appointed by the Rada?

Mr Tseretelli: Yes, and its president is the president of the Rada. He is Mr Bitch, a man very well known in the Caucasian world. He has been here for nearly a year.

(At this point the representatives of Georgia and of Azerbaidjan leave the Conference.)


...

[Jimbuna]

20th January 1920

Former White Forces commander Alexander Kolchak, defeated by the Bolshevik Army in the Russian Civil War, was surrendered by the White Army authorities at Irkutsk. The Bolsheviks placed him on trial the next day and would execute him on February 7.

Alexandre Millerand becomes the new Prime Minister of France, succeeding Georges Clemenceau.
https://i.postimg.cc/SKWwqRTB/EOu7-Gh-BWs-AAHFM.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Born this day, DeForest Kelley (d. June 11, 1999), known to colleagues as "Dee", was an American actor, screenwriter, poet, and singer known for his roles in Westerns and as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the USS Enterprise in the television and film series Star Trek (1966–1991).
https://i.postimg.cc/9MCsf2sr/EOu7-Gh-BWs-AAHFM.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

USC&GS Isis (United States) The survey vessel/yacht suffered a breached hull on a sunken wreck and was beached to prevent sinking near St. Augustine, Florida. She was later destroyed by a storm before salvage could begin.
Lavonia (United Kingdom) The schooner caught fire in the Florida Straits off Bahía Honda, Cuba and was abandoned.
Macona (United States) The cargo ship ran aground off the Nidingen Lighthouse, Sweden and foundered with the loss of 40 of her 41 crew.

[Jimbuna]

21st January 1920

Battle of Marash begins when Turkish National Forces besiege French troops occupying the city of Maraş (Kahramanmaraş, Turkey). A large part of the French forces is the French Armenian Legion.
https://i.postimg.cc/kXvQ6SZf/EOy-y-Lw-Wo-AAWKO0.png (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/sgn5Kr3W/dtq1j6gne3c41.jpg (https://postimg.cc/HryJsFcW)

Ship Losses:

Condor (Spain) The barque sprang a leak and foundered in the Atlantic Ocean 50 nautical miles (93 km) off San Juan, Puerto Rico with the loss of six of her 36 crew.

[Sailor Steve]

Tuesday, January 20, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 10:30

Meeting of Premiers.


...

[Sailor Steve]

Wednesday, January 21, 1920

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE

M Pichon’s Room, Quai d’Orsay, Paris, 11:00

Meeting of Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs.


Present

British Empire:
Lord Curzon
Secretaries:
Mr Leeper,
Capt Lothian Small

Italy:
S di Martino,
Secretaries:
Mr. Trombetti,
Mr. Zanchi

France:
M Clemenceau,
M Millerand,
Secretaries:
M Dutasta,
Mr Berthelot,
Mr. Massigli.

Japan
Mr Matsui,
Secretaries
Mr Kawai.

General Cavallero (Italy) is also present at the meeting to deal with questions with which he is concerned.


1. M Mantoux reads a draft letter prepared by the British Delegation in reply to a communication from Mr Lansing.

A draft letter prepared by M Berthelot in reply to the same communication is then read.

M Berthelot: In preparing this draft reply I took up a different point of view, as the Council observes. Lord Curzon’s reply seems to me to be infinitely superior; it is far more complete, and goes to the very bottom of the questions. But I chose to interpret Mr Lansing’s Note as a display of bad temper and not as a direct communication from President Wilson, and I replied without entering very deeply into the questions, which would have been dealt with subsequently in an appendix, in which we should have asked to know the opinion of the American Government.

Mr Clemenceau: It seems to me that the question of peace with Turkey ought not to be included in this reply to Mr. Lansing; it is important, I know; but this is yet another reason why it should be treated separately from the question of the Adriatic; also it is a question to be dealt with by my successor.

I asked M Millerand to permit me to remain until now in order to settle the Italian question, concerning which we have been interrogated by Mr Wilson; there are papers in connection with it which are signed by me, and I intended to make a suitable reply.

The question of peace with Turkey of course remains on the agenda, but it must be discussed with Mr Millerand; I have no right to deal with it.

That being said, I think the two draft letters excellent; each has its advantages and disadvantages: nevertheless, I could not accept that of Lord Curzon without a slight alteration on which he will, I think, be in agreement with me: he says that, once an agreement had been reached, we should not have failed to inform President Wilson; I would rather that we used the following formula: that we should not have failed to submit it for his approval. For it is indeed a matter of approval.

S di Martino: President Wilson may prefer not to pronounce an opinion.

M Clemenceau: Then he will not pronounce one. M Berthelot points out to me that, if we use that formula we appear to make President Wilson an arbitrator: but in our system of discussion we are all arbitrators: we must be unanimous among ourselves; if one of us disagreed, nothing would be done.

I think the wording I propose would quite disarm Mr. Wilson: it only expresses the truth.

Lord Curzon: I agree with you.

M Millerand: So do I.

Mr. Clemenceau: With this alteration, I am prepared, while thinking Mr. Berthelot’s text excellent, to adopt that of Lord Curzon.

Lord Curzon: I think Mr. Clemenceau’s observation is perfectly true.

As to avoiding all mention of the Turkish question, another argument in favour of the point of view supported by M Clemenceau is that the telegram communicated to us only speaks of Russia and Italy and not of Turkey at all.

Moreover, I quite understand that M Clemenceau only wishes to reply to those points which concern the part he has taken in negotiations, and that the Turkish negotiations must in future be considered as within the competence of the new French Cabinet.

I am therefore prepared to accept these considerations if the text I have proposed is otherwise accepted.

Our draft has, indeed, several advantages. M Berthelot’s is, as he said, in reality a reply to Mr Lansing, but there is no doubt, however the telegram communicated to us is read, that it comes from the Government of the United States; it would consequently be better to address that Government itself.

Finally, it is better to go thoroughly into the questions and give arguments, while showing, of course, the greatest courtesy to the American Government, both as regards substance and form.

S di Martino: Since the American Government addressed the French and British Governments, I am not concerned in the drafting of this reply. I merely thank you for so kindly communicating it to us. Nevertheless, I should like to make one request.

In his draft reply, M Berthelot says that the Allied Governments of France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan never intended to come to a decision apart from and contrary to the advice of President Wilson: this idea does not appear in Lord Curzon’s note. I request that it may be added.

M Clemenceau: I agree.

Mr Matsui: The Japanese Delegation has not always been consulted. It would therefore be better to omit this reference to Japan. I ask that this word be struck out, especially as I do not know the contents of Mr Lansing’s note.

S di Martino: May I, Sir, before you retire, return to the letter sent by Mr Nitti to the President of the Conference on January 17, of which I was speaking to you a short time ago.

It is, in short, a matter of verifying a simple de facto circumstance, and of seeing whether there is or is not a mistake and whether or not S Nitti makes a new proposal.

According to us, it is a mistake which has crept into the text and which S Nitti has to rectify by drawing attention to the enormous difficulty by which he would be faced in order to obtain the acceptance by our Parliament of the limitation of the sovereignty of Fiume, thus placed under the control of the League of Nations. I am going to telegraph to S Nitti.

M Berthelot: I share the opinion of the Council, and so think it would be better not to speak of Turkey in the reply to Mr Lansing. The question was well put recently, but by M Jusserand, who pointed out that the attitude adopted by America would postpone the solution of that question indefinitely. To this Mr Lansing replied that he had no intention of postponing the settlement by the Allies of the Turkish problem. In reality, the opinion of the American Government seems to be as follows: it did not make war on Turkey; we can therefore deal with the Turkish question among ourselves; on the other hand, if it is interested in the Adriatic question, the Russian problem, it is because it was involved in the war against Austria and was associated with Russia.

M Clemenceau: M Jusserand’s telegram is only of value to the Conference for the information it gives.

I do not oppose the request made by the Japanese Ambassador.

Finally, S di Martino states that a drafting error has crept into the text concerning Fiume; this is a question to be settled with the Secretariat. For my part, I think we are bound to defend the document transmitted to the Yugoslavs; our word is pledged; as far as I am concerned, I wish to change nothing in that text.

On the other hand, the British Representative agrees not to mention Turkey in the reply to Mr Lansing and accepts the addition proposed by S di Martino.

We are therefore in agreement.

M Berthelot: Will the note be sent through the intermediary of M Jusserand on behalf of the Conference and signed by the President, or will it on the other hand be transmitted by the British Government?

M Clemenceau: The question is not who will send it, but who will sign it. I think it should be signed by Mr Lloyd George and myself, since I remained here specially for this question; especially as Mr Wallace himself transmitted it to Mr Lloyd George and to me.

Lord Curzon: Then we must give the reply to Mr Wallace signed by Mr Lloyd George and M Clemenceau. I am authorized by the British Prime Minister to sign it for him.

M Clemenceau: The reply will therefore be signed by Mr Lloyd George and myself.

(It is decided that M Clemenceau and Mr Lloyd George will hand the telegram
to Mr Wallace for transmission to Washington.


2. Lord Curzon: I think an error has crept into the decision adopted after hearing Mr. Ador. We decided that the question of the retention of perpetual Swiss neutrality within the League of Nations should be laid before the Council of the League, which would examine it and communicate its decisions to the Supreme Council, which would take the final decision.

After investigation it appears that in this resolution there were certain drawbacks and that the question raised comes exclusively within the scope of the Council of the League of Nations.

It would thus be best to say that the Council of the League of Nations shall pronounce judgment and shall inform the Supreme Council of its decision. The danger of the adoption of contradictory decisions could thus be avoided. It is, moreover, probable that Switzerland will obtain satisfaction; otherwise she will still have the right to appeal to the Assembly of the League in conformity with the Covenant.

I therefore propose to alter the resolution adopted yesterday.

Another question arises.

We decided that the date from which should count the period allowed to Switzerland for admission into the League of Nations as an original member should be that of the entry into force of the last Treaty containing the Covenant; consequently it would perhaps be the date of the entry into force of the Treaty with Turkey, which is not yet drafted. That solution seems impossible.

The neutrals have, indeed, been informed that they had two months from the ratification of the Treaty with Germany in which to adhere to the Covenant; if Switzerland is allowed a special regime, those might plead this precedent and it would then become impossible, in case of necessity, to summon the League of Nations and its Assembly. This cannot have been the intention of the Supreme Council.

Accordingly, it would, I think, be better to retain the original decision, the period of two months from the date of the deposit of ratifications of the Treaty of Versailles.

Mr Matsui: From the legal point of view, this point is open to discussion; thus China, for instance, who did not sign the Treaty of Versailles, can ask to belong to the League of Nations after the exchange of the ratifications of the Treaty with Austria, which also contains the Covenant of the League.

M Berthelot: It was desired to render the accession of Switzerland to the League of Nations possible and the constitutional delays required by her in order to organize her referendum were taken into account. That was the question about which Mr Ador was concerned.

On the other hand, as Lord Curzon said, it is obvious that neutrals have only two months after the exchange of the ratifications of the Treaty of Versailles; but the fact that Switzerland is allowed a privileged position on account of the guarantees of perpetual neutrality given by the Powers, is perhaps not enough to alter what was decided for the other States.

It is none the less true that it is perhaps excessive to give Switzerland two months after the coming into force of the last Treaty; between the two extremes a solution might perhaps be found in the ingenious suggestion of the Japanese Ambassador and the period might date from the coming into force of the Treaty with Austria.

M Millerand: Could it not be considered enough for the Federal Government to have given its consent subject to the referendum to be taken?

Mr. Berthelot: The Swiss Government is of the opinion that this solution would not justify it before the country and that it would risk seeing the referendum decide against adhesion to the League.

Lord Curzon: My proposal was suggested to me by Sir Eric Drummond, who has dealt exclusively with the legal point of view and who, as you can well believe, is actuated by no feelings of hostility to Switzerland, but rather the reverse.

Moreover, if it is agreed that the time necessary for taking a referendum must be granted to Switzerland, the suggestion made by the Japanese Ambassador, that the period of two months should only count from the exchange of ratifications of the Treaty with Austria, would perhaps offer a means of evading the difficulty.

Mr Berthelot: Switzerland is in an exceptional position; it is the only state which is perpetually neutral: that is perhaps legitimate reason to make special arrangements for her.

M Clemenceau: Do you then wish us to refer this question for the examination of Mr. Fromageot and his colleagues?

(It was decided:

(1) That the question how far the perpetual neutrality of Switzerland is compatible with her entry into the League of Nations be referred for examination by the Council of the League of Nations, which would be requested to inform the Supreme Council of its conclusions.

(2) That the question as to how Switzerland must notify her adhesion to the League of Nations be referred for examination to the legal experts.


(Mr Clemenceau withdraws and Mr Millerand takes his place in the chair.)


3. Lord Curzon: A resolution was voted by the Supreme Council some time ago according to which:

“The present session of the Peace Conference shall terminate at the latest in the fortnight following the drawing up of the first minutes of the deposit of ratifications of the Treaty with Germany; after the close of the present session, important political questions shall be dealt with by direct communications between the Governments themselves, while questions of detail shall be settled by a Conference of the Ambassadors in Paris.”

We have reached a time when, owing to the departure of Mr Lloyd George and S Nitti, the illness of S Scialoja and the need for my return to England, the Conference can no longer continue in its present form. Accordingly, I think the resolution adopted during the London conferences of December 11–13, 1919, should be executed and that this Conference of Ambassadors should be inaugurated, to deal from day to day with questions concerning the Treaty and its execution, important essential political questions being reserved for direct decision by the Governments.

If we are agreed to inaugurate this new phase of our work, I declare, on behalf of the British Government, that the British representative on that Conference will be Lord Derby.

S de Martino: S Scialoja, whose health is happily slightly improved and whom I saw a short time ago, asked me to support the point of view which he has already defended before the Conference. Indeed, he sees no need to create a fresh organization since there are still important questions to be discussed such as that of the Treaty with Hungary and others; under these circumstances, S Scialoja thinks it would be well to allow the Governments to be represented on that meeting by the men they consider most qualified; it may be their Ambassador but, if necessary, the Ministers for Foreign Affairs could, if they so desire, take part in person.

We are agreed in thinking that important questions of principle will be dealt with in meetings of the Presidents of the Council or by direct communication between the Governments; but the execution of decisions thus taken should nevertheless be examined and prepared by an Inter-Allied meeting. That is why S Scialoja wished to accept the point of view expressed by Lord Curzon to the effect that the Ambassadors would be empowered to take part in that meeting when their Governments thought fit.

Mr Matsui: I can the more readily accept Lord Curzon’s proposal as I am ambassador and at the same time plenipotentiary but it is understood that if I, for instance, or Lord Derby, were prevented from being present at a meeting, we could always send somebody in our place.

M Millerand: In view of the resolution already adopted and the execution of which is alone requested by Lord Curzon, I for my part have no objection to make to the execution of that resolution.

Would it not, however, be well if it was understood that, when a Government considers it better to replace the Ambassador by the Minister for Foreign Affairs or by the Head of the Government, this should take place automatically? In other words, I should not like the term “Ambassadors’ Conference” to be taken in too narrow a sense, so as to prohibit Heads of Governments or Ministers for Foreign Affairs from taking part in the discussion.

Lord Curzon: I agree entirely with the President. We have a resolution to carry out: consequently, this Ambassadors’ Conference must be set working: but, when circumstances render it necessary, there is nothing to prevent the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Head of the Government of a country, or even any individual whose presence is considered necessary by the latter, from taking part in it instead of and on behalf of the Ambassador.

On the other hand, I would reply to S di Martino that, as far as the Treaty with Turkey is concerned, the Governments never intended to entrust the preparation of the Treaty to the Ambassador’s Conference. That is a question reserved for the Supreme Council and which will ultimately render it necessary for it to meet.

Mr. Berthelot: The Premiers who met in London had no idea of an Ambassadors’ Conference; this meeting was given a much more modest title, that of “Ambassadors’ Committee”; it was thought that current affairs could be treated in this way by general collaboration: but it was also understood that, whenever a question required the opinion of the Governments, a meeting might be held to discuss it either at London, at Rome, or Paris, as decided by the Heads of Governments.

Accordingly, when it was decided to deal with the Turkish question, the Ambassadors’ Committee would not have power to discuss it: it would be examined in a meeting of the Premiers in one of the three capitals.

Moreover, unless my memory fails me, it was agreed between Mr Lloyd George and M Clemenceau that when the Turks were summoned it should be to Paris, and that in the same way the Treaty would be signed in Paris.

Lord Curzon: I wish to make two remarks.

First, as regards the term “Ambassadors’ Conference”, since the expression is used in the resolution, I think it would be better for us to retain it, instead of substituting that of “Ambassadors’ Committee”; especially as the result of the latter phrase would be to limit the object of that meeting.

In the second place, I know of no arrangement concluded between Mr Lloyd George and M Clemenceau concerning the place to which the Turkish representatives would be summoned or where the Peace with Turkey would be signed. All I know is that Mr Lloyd George intends the discussion of Turkish affairs to take place in London, for it will for a long time be difficult for him and for me to leave England.

I wish to make this statement, so as not to be bound by what M Berthelot has just said.

M Berthelot: In the conversation which I ventured to recall, it was indeed decided that the discussions on Turkish affairs should take place in London, but at the same time it was added that the Turks would be summoned to Paris, where the Treaty with them would be signed.

M Millerand: That is, moreover, what M Clemenceau told me. It is clearly understood, as I have already told Mr Lloyd George, that I am at his disposal and at yours to go to London as soon as this is desired, in order to begin discussing the Treaty with Turkey.

I only ask permission to reserve the two points indicated by M Berthelot, i e the summoning of the Turkish delegates to Paris and the signature of the Treaty at Paris.

M Berthelot: M Clemenceau also relied on the fact that the Turkish delegates have already been summoned to Paris and that, at a time, when the Conference has sent them a reply that the question is pledged.


4. Mr Matsui: I wish to make a remark on the powers of this conference of Ambassadors.

A resolution was passed on the 28th July last establishing the Council of Ambassadors and investing it with certain powers; but the resolution adopted in London in December is not at all the same. What is the opinion of the meeting on the subject?

Mr Millerand: I imagine that it will be necessary to decide definitely on the powers of the respective assemblies.

As I understand it, the Committee or the Conference of Ambassadors will only sit in the intervals of the meetings of the Supreme Council: it is therefore essential to establish exactly the powers of the two assemblies.

For example, which of them is to deal with the Treaty with Hungary? the Committee of Ambassadors, or will it be necessary to convoke the Supreme Council.

Mr Berthelot: The Treaty has already been handed to the Hungarians, it is therefore only a question of details and henceforth these will be examined and decided by the Conference of Ambassadors. The resolutions passed by that Conference will be submitted to the various Governments for approval and for decisions as to concessions: final decisions will be taken by the Heads of Governments.

S di Martino: Are the Ambassadors then not to have full powers as the plenipotentiaries of their Governments?

Mr Millerand: It would appear so from the second paragraph of the London resolution; the Ambassadors are to have powers only on questions of detail. It has also been decided that the Governments represented at the Conference of Ambassadors can, if they think necessary, be represented by a substitute for the more general questions.

Lord Curzon: Mr Clemenceau has expressed the opinion that it would be better, in the answer to be made to the telegram of the United States Government, not to mention Turkey at all but to speak only of Italy and Russia; on the other hand the negotiations on the Turkish question will be commenced as soon as Mr Millerand is able to go to London. Would it not be a good thing therefore to see in what way we could advise the United States that we desire their presence and their counsels? Not to take this step might cause grave offence.

It was with this in mind that I drafted my telegram on the subject of Turkey: could we not now express the same idea in some way?

M Millerand: This idea you wish to express is already contained in your first draft, apart from all reference to Turkey: you say there “It goes without saying that the French and British Governments attach the greatest importance to the presence of a United States representative.”

S di Martino: That is so; nevertheless, when the time comes actually to begin negotiations with Turkey, it would be expedient to ask once more for the co-operation of the United States. The United States Government will then have either to accept co-operation, and this would be all to the good, or to refuse: in neither case will it have any cause for complaint.

M Millerand: We could now inform the United States what negotiations are about to be opened and that we should be glad to see a representative of the United States take part in them.

Lord Curzon: Who is to make this communication?

M Millerand: All the Allies.

Lord Curzon: Has the passage referring to Turkey been left in the draft letter?

M Millerand: I think that the most satisfactory solution both for you and for us would be to delete all reference to Turkey from your note, as was indeed decided, leaving only the passage in which you express the value we attach, generally speaking, to the presence of a United States representative here.

Further, before the meeting to be held in London, the Allies should send a note to Washington, asking the American Government to send a plenipotentiary as its representative, if possible.

Lord Curzon: I think that we should communicate this to Washington at once in as definite a way as possible; the situation in the East will not allow delay; we must not be content with merely formulating in a general way our wish to obtain the collaboration of the United States on other matters and put off until the moment of our meeting in London our request that they send a plenipotentiary to London.

M Millerand: If we are agreed as I think we are, that in the letter to be sent in answer to Mr Lansing’s telegram, all mention of Turkey should be omitted, and that the expression of our wish to see the United States represented should be maintained, I see no reason why we should not at the same time draw up a special note advising the United States Government, in the name of the Allies, that a Conference by the Heads of Governments is to be held in London immediately on Turkish affairs and that we attach the greatest importance to the participation of an American plenipotentiary.

Lord Curzon: We are agreed and I therefore ask your permission to draw up the communication in question with M Berthelot.

Mr Berthelot: In these circumstances, the first telegram might be remitted to Mr Wallace who would forward it to his Government; the other note would be transmitted to the United States Government by M Jusserand. The two communications would be kept definitely separate, as a sign of deference to Washington.

(It is decided that a telegram be sent to Washington in the name of the Supreme Council to invite the United States Government to send a plenipotentiary as its representative to the forthcoming negotiations on the Turkish Question.)

S di Martino: I understand that the Conference of Ambassadors will decide the outstanding questions on the Italian frontier?


5. The frontiers of what ought to have been the buffer state have already been fixed but the line has not yet been defined from the north of the buffer state to the Austrian frontier.

Mr Berthelot: All that remains to be done, I believe, is the work of delimitation by the commissions on the spot.

S di Martino: It is a question of adjusting the line laid down by the Treaty of London and the Wilson line to the north of the territory to form the buffer state.

General Cavallero: I think that is not so. From the buffer state to Tarvis nothing definite has been decided, either in principle or in fact.

Mr Berthelot: It is difficult to discuss this question without the aid of a map. We might study it separately and bring the matter up again before the Council of Ambassadors who in its turn would decide whether it is necessary to refer it to the Heads of Governments.

S di Martino: In any case, the question cannot be decided without our co-operation.

Mr Millerand: This will be an example of a case in which the Ambassador of the Royal Government can, if he judges necessary, ask to have the matter referred to the Supreme Council.

Mr Laroche: The memorandum of the 9th December 19195 had decided in principle the question of the whole Italian frontier, and only matters of detail remain which can only be established on the spot.

General Cavallero: The Italian Delegation considers that the frontier has not been laid down between the buffer state and Tarvis.

Mr Berthelot: It is simply a matter of referring to the minutes of the Commission on Yugoslav Affairs which dealt with the question.

M Millerand: If you allow, we will refer this matter to the Commission on Yugoslav Affairs and wait for the answer of the Serb-Croat-Slovene Government. If their answer involves the fixing of the frontier and if the Italian Delegation on receipt of it considers that there is any omission necessitating a decision by the Supreme Council the matter will be put before it.

General Cavallero: We consider that this is still an open question.

Mr Millerand: You know the terms in which the Serb-Croat-Slovene representatives have been addressed. In the case of their refusal, the Treaty of London comes into force; if, on the contrary, they agree to our views and if, then, you still consider that there is a gap in the scheme as drawn up, it will be a case of bringing the matter before the Supreme Council.

S di Martino: I suggest that this question be submitted without delay to the Commission on Yugoslav Affairs for their examination.

Mr Millerand: Then we are agreed.

(It is decided that the Commission on Roumanian and Yugoslav Affairs be entrusted with the study of the line of the frontier between Italy and Yugoslavia to the South of Tarvis in so far as this frontier has not yet been established.)

(The meeting adjourns at 12:50.)


This is the last time the Supreme Council will meet.

Since the United States Senate refused to ratify the League of Nations Charter, that country is unable to be a Member of that League.

Mr Lloyd George is stepping down from his position as his role as Representative from Great Britain. His place will be taken by Lord Curzon.

M Clemenceau is also stepping down as Representative from France. He will be succeeded by M Millerand.

The new Council will be subservient to the League of Nations, and serve in an advisory capacity only.


With the Supreme Council disbanded, this narrative is now ended.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Jimbuna]

22nd January 1920

The Australian Country Party (now the National Party of Australia) is founded with William McWilliams as its first leader.
https://i.postimg.cc/VNwvZ20z/EO4-JWd7-Ws-AAch-Qx.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

View of the Statue of Liberty on Bedloe’s Island (Liberty Island)
https://i.postimg.cc/RhwVTRCW/EO4-JWd7-Ws-AAch-Qx.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

23rd January 1920

Royal Navy HMS Yarmouth going through the Panama Canal.
https://i.postimg.cc/dtDPKhsS/EO5-ONx9-WAAALSb-S.png (https://postimages.org/)

The Netherlands refuses to extradite ex-Emperor Wilhelm II; on May 15 he moves into Huis Doorn in the country where he remains permanently in exile.
https://i.postimg.cc/PqW0MZyN/Emperor-Wilhelm-II-with-h-015.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Arlette (United Kingdom) The coaster was driven ashore on Walney Island, Lancashire. Her crew were rescued.
Eos (Sweden) The cargo ship was wrecked at Stoktaskeri, Iceland.
Sigvard (Sweden) The cargo ship collided with another ship off Barry, Glamorgan, United Kingdom and sank with the loss of one of her eighteen crew.

[Jimbuna]

24th January 1920

German troops leave Danzig, Upper Silesia, and Schleswig as part of the Treaty of Versailles. German troops leaving Flensburg.
https://i.postimg.cc/7LzSXKw4/EPCck-No-Xs-AA5-Uv-C.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Royal guards of King Alexander of Greece in Athens.
https://i.postimg.cc/VkxCSXMV/EPCck-No-Xs-AA5-Uv-C.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Niagara (United States) The 20-gross register ton, 42.5-foot (13.0 m) halibut-fishing vessel ran aground and sank in Moira Sound in Southeast Alaska near Lane′s Cannery. She was refloated, repaired, and returned to service.

[Jimbuna]

25th January 1920

First locomotive produced by the Krupp factory, as it renounces arms manufacturing after the war.
https://i.postimg.cc/66SR2fzV/EPHm-Ec-GWo-AEu3r-I.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Marne (United States) The cargo ship suffered an explosion in her fuel tanks at Colón, Colombia and was scuttled by gunfire. She was a total loss.

[Jimbuna]

26th January 1920

[January 26th, 1920] "Harbouring The Criminal" (The Kaiser is still evading justice in Holland.)
https://i.postimg.cc/pLHHbnxH/dqdfuiyv13d41.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Mielero (United States) The tanker broke in two and sank in the Atlantic Ocean with the loss of 22 of her 40 crew.[34] Survivors were rescued by Ozette (flag unknown).
Winga (Sweden) The coaster sprang a leak and foundered in the Skaggerak 12 nautical miles (22 km) north of hirtshals, Denmark with the loss of two of her twelve crew.

[Jimbuna]

27th January 1920

Montenegrin militiamen with Lieutenant Colonel Robert E. Olds, American Red Cross Commissioner to Europe.
https://i.postimg.cc/YqkqF3Ly/EPN0brt-XUAAwd-Ze.png (https://postimages.org/)

Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, Sir John French tells a French newspaper that the main cause of trouble in Ireland is that Irish emigration has stopped. There are now more than 100, to 200,000 young men between 18-25 that should be sent to another country.
https://i.postimg.cc/mk4RQLkF/EO7-GHLs-Xk-AAq-L3-M.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Rennen (Norway) The cargo ship collided with Fermia ( Sweden) in the North Sea off Tynemouth, United Kingdom and sank. Her crew were rescued by the pilot boat Queen o' the May ( United Kingdom).

[Jimbuna]

28th January 1920

The Spanish Legion, modeled after the French Foreign Legion, is established by the decree of King Alfonso XIII. Spanish Legion in the 1920s.
https://i.postimg.cc/rsjHCXwF/EPYHwf-AWo-AAtp8t.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Anti-Bolshevik Cossack cavalry crossing snow-covered train tracks.
https://i.postimg.cc/vH8k8B01/EPXC4-U1-X0-AANwv-X.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Eira (Sweden) The cargo liner was driven ashore at Cimbrishamn and was a total loss. All on board were rescued.

[Jimbuna]

29th January 1920

Charles Holland Duell, former Commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office, has passed away. He became famous for supposedly stating “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” However, the quote is apocryphal.
https://i.postimg.cc/BQZN94DZ/EPd-RYta-Wo-AASO3u.jpg (https://postimg.cc/hhwVVFpN)

Main street of Omsk, Russia, which recently came under Bolshevik control.
https://i.postimg.cc/jSmh7f1C/EPc-Mfig-Xs-AADx-Cp.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Doris Andreta (Canada) The schooner was abandoned and set afire in the Atlantic Ocean (39°03′N 22°03′W). Her crew were rescued by San Giovanni ( Italy).
Novara (French Navy) The Novara-class cruiser sprang a leak in the Adriatic Sea and put into Brindisi, Apulia, Italy, where she sank. She was refloated in early April. Novara was subsequently repaired and entered service with the French Navy.
Samuel Faunce (United States) The tug departed Wilmington, Delaware for Key West, Florida. No further trace, presumed foundered in the Atlantic Ocean with the loss of all hands.
Spey (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was driven ashore 7 nautical miles (13 km) south of Jaffa, British-occupied Palestine (31°52′00″N 34°30′30″E) and wrecked with the loss of a crew member.

[Jimbuna]

30th January 1920

Japanese cavalry, possibly part of the Siberian Intervention.
https://i.postimg.cc/Tw2n1y5H/EPh-WFv-X0-AEBM-D.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Glen Tilt (United Kingdom) The cargo ship ran aground 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) north of Scotston Head, Aberdeenshire. All fifteen crew were rescued. She was refloated on 5 February.
Hera (Sweden) The schooner came ashore at Hals, Denmark with the loss of four of her crew.
Martin (Denmark) The schooner came ashore on the south coast of Skagen with the loss of two of her crew.

[Jimbuna]

31st January 1920

Wounded French veterans, including African soldiers, at hospital grounds.
https://img.techpowerup.org/200131/epmfuioxuaasskm.png

A Vickers Vimy K-107 commercial biplane.
https://img.techpowerup.org/200131/epmfuioxuaasskm092.png

Ship Losses:

Nero (United Kingdom) The cargo ship foundered in the Bay of Biscay 15 nautical miles (28 km) west of Molène, Finistère, France with the loss of her captain. Survivors reached land in their lifeboats.

[Jimbuna]

1st February 1920

[February 1st, 1920] "Our New Year's gifts for 1920. Everything increases, especially taxes" (Petit Journal)
https://i.postimg.cc/rF3q74NC/a7okyfgxu9e41.jpg (https://postimg.cc/0bGgwb3b)

Ship Losses:

Berrima (United Kingdom) The passenger ship ran aground off Margate, Kent. She was refloated the next day by the tugs HMT Firm ( Royal Navy), Java, Lady Brassey, Lady Duncan and Scotia (all United Kingdom).
Ruth Hickman (United Kingdom) The schooner was driven ashore at Minard, Argyllshire and wrecked. Her crew were rescued by HMS Fearless ( Royal Navy).

[Jimbuna]

2nd February 1920

The Treaty of Tartu is signed between Estonia and the Soviet Union, bringing the end to the Estonian War of Independence.
https://i.postimg.cc/x8sQwhYx/EPx-Ag-Pr-Ws-AMEa0c.png (https://postimages.org/)

Royal Canadian Mounted Police is formed with the merger of the Royal North-West Mounted Police and the Dominion Police.
https://i.postimg.cc/bYLqSDbx/EPx-Ag-Pr-Ws-AMEa0c.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

C.J.S. (United Kingdom) The barque sprang a leak and was abandoned in the Indian Ocean off Mauritius.
Kaskaskia (United States) The cargo ship caught fire at New York and was beached.
Kenora (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was abandoned in the Bristol Channel off Lundy Island, Devon. Her crew were rescued by an Admiralty trawler.

[Jimbuna]

3rd February 1920

Secty Daniels testifying before the Senate Committee investigating award of medals in the Navy. February 3, 1920.
https://i.postimg.cc/qvQsNq5Y/NOABTopud-SNAs-YU-NPZP9-Vw-GQT-Ct-VNJLGGCa-QBAUGk.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Doris Andreta (United Kingdom) The schooner sprang a leak in the Atlantic Ocean (approximately 39°N 22°W). She was set afire and abandoned.

[Jimbuna]

4th February 1920

General Pershing, former Commander of the American Expeditionary Force, reviewing troops at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
https://i.postimg.cc/CLPvwKbL/EP8-K3s-HXUAIy8-B.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Francis Molison (United Kingdom) The schooner foundered in the North Sea 9 nautical miles (17 km) off the mouth of the River Tyne. Her crew were rescued by the trawler Dover Patrol ( United Kingdom).
Sterling (United Kingdom) The auxiliary schooner sank in Tees Bay.
Ville d'Alger (France) The cargo ship caught fire in the Indian Ocean off Réunion. She was abandoned at approximately 18°S 52°E.

[Jimbuna]

5th February 1920

Berlin: The German government refuses to turn over alleged war criminals to the Allies.

French Marshal Ferdinand Foch being received at the Institut de France, Paris.
https://i.postimg.cc/8cs0V4hp/EQAPo-Si-Xs-AU-7r.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Sybil (France) The cargo ship collided with Veratyr ( Denmark) off Barry, Glamorgan, United Kingdom and was beached.

[Jimbuna]

6th February 1920

Mexican authorities cross the Rio Grande to aid Texas Rangers in hunting down criminals and bootleggers.
https://i.postimg.cc/rmbjQvfC/EQBUl-CNW4-AA64-XG.png (https://postimages.org/)

Fifteen current and former Duluth, Minnesota police officers were reinstated after charges of drinking while on duty less than a month after Prohibition became the law of the land. Pictured are officers Herbert Cavanaugh and Jerry Gleeson, two of the 15 exonerated.
https://i.postimg.cc/VsrDdkN7/6prxb0f2a9f41.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Bradboyne (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean (43°36′N 36°10′W) after her cargo shifted. Six of her 31 crew were lost. Survivors were rescued by Monmouth ( United States) and Oxonian ( United Kingdom), which lost thirteen crew during the rescue when a lifeboat capsized.
Brookland (United States) The cargo ship caught fire at Havana, Cuba. She sank and was a total loss.
Hyltonia (United Kingdom) The cargo ship ran aground off Saint-Clément-des-Baleines, Finistère, France. Her crew were rescued. She was refloated on 5 March.
Polias (United States) The steamer ran aground on Old Cilly Ledge off Rockland, Maine in a snowstorm. 11 crew abandoned ship against orders and died. The rest of the crew left in boats the next day going to USCGC Acushnet ( United States Coast Guard). Later slid into deeper water.

[Jimbuna]

7th February 1920

Admiral Alexander Kolchak, Supreme Ruler of Russia, is executed by the Bolsheviks after he was captured last month.
https://i.postimg.cc/GtFPP0CS/EQKiyu-DXk-AE-haq.png (https://postimages.org/)

French aviator Joseph Sadi-Lecointe breaks the world airspeed record by going 171 mph (275 km/h) in a Nieuport-Delage NiD 29V plane.
https://i.postimg.cc/wjT5Nbb0/EQKiyu-DXk-AE-haq.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Princess Anne (United States) The passenger ship ran aground off Long Island. Her passengers and 29 of her crew were taken off by a United States Coast Guard cutter.

[Jimbuna]

8th February 1920

Herbert Hoover insisted he was not a candidate for the 1920 election and would back whoever supported the League of Nations.

In the Russian Civil War the Red Army takes the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa.

In the Illustrated Sunday Herald, Winston Churchill posts that a national homeland for Jews in Palestine could combat the rise of Bolshevism.
https://i.postimg.cc/0N9xh1Kv/EQPs-WOKXUAA-k-VF.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

9th February 1920

The Svalbard Treaty, signed by members of the League of Nations in Paris, recognises the sovereignty of Norway over the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard (at this time called Spitzbergen), while giving the other signatories economic rights in the islands.

An uprising by Turkish forces occur in the city of Urfa (***350;anl***305;urfa, Turkey) against occupying French forces. Turkish militiamen.
https://i.postimg.cc/Hsn1P6fh/EQU17-IUXk-AIgjc-P.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

10th February 1920

"GENERAL MARSH RECEVIES "ANOTHER" MEDAL. General Peyton C. March, Chief of Staff U.S.A. today added another medal to his already large collection. This time it was Major Teisauna, of the Rumanian Legation who decorated the General with the Order of the Crown of Rumania."
https://i.postimg.cc/XJ56ZCLk/Qxg3-P24-RMpwi-J9r-Sn-UN2s-P3l-YZq-N9-EEri-Wrii-EDAOk4.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Poland carries out a ceremony “Wedding to the Sea” as it regains access to the Baltic Sea from Germany. Painting of the event by Wojciech Kossak.
https://i.postimg.cc/3rydBSSt/EQb-Eda-OXYAAg-HFu.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

In a plebiscite for Northern Schleswig, 74.9% of the population votes to leave Germany and join Denmark.
https://i.postimg.cc/wjFqHL4t/EQZ-k-N2-Ws-AM1-Xng.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Pylos (Germany) The cargo ship ran aground at Spannholmen, Utsira, Norway. She broke in two; the stern section sank with the loss of ten of her crew.

[Jimbuna]

11th February 1920

Major General Jan Syrový, commander of the Czechoslovak Legion in Siberia.
https://i.postimg.cc/N0cjMW5C/EQf-JMOe-Xk-AAujc-V.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Tirana becomes the new capital of Albania after the Congress of Lushnjë.
https://i.postimg.cc/VNWLbDtf/EQf-JMOe-Xk-AAujc-V.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Dispatch from Bolshevik controlled Moscow claims the ship Karantin, packed with 1400 refugees left Mariupol, Yekaterinoslav (Now in Ukraine). Dispatch claims that White Russian forces fired on the ship causing a huge explosion, quickly sinking the ship and killing everyone on board.
https://i.postimg.cc/zv6J1Qsj/EQf-JMOe-Xk-AAujc-V.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Douglas Adams (Canada) The schooner sprang a leak and was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean 20 nautical miles (37 km) north north east of Castro, Spain. Her crew were rescued by Spanish fishing boats. Douglas Adams was later towed into Bilbao.
Gregor (Germany) The passenger ship ran aground at Kylios, Ottoman Turkey. She broke up and was a total loss. One hundred and fifty of her 200 passengers were rescued by rocket apparatus.
Imperator Pierre le Grand (France) The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the Black Sea off Varna, Romania. Her crew survived.
Northwestern (United States) The tanker caught fire at Galveston, Texas and was beached. She burnt out and was a total loss.
West Aleta (United States) The Design 1019 cargo ship ran aground on Terschelling, Netherlands. Her crew were rescued.

[Jimbuna]

12 February 1920

Congressman and former Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon reads the Gettysburg Address on the anniversary of President Lincoln’s birthday.
https://i.postimg.cc/mkfXmBzY/EQl-Xz-Ix-XYAITb5q.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

13th February 1920

Secretary of State Robert Lansing resigns due to disagreements with President Wilson on the role of the League of Nations. Lansing was also accused of usurping presidential authority after Wilson suffered his stroke.
https://i.postimg.cc/65KbfYRD/EQp36-Kr-WAAMs-I6w.jpg (https://postimg.cc/yWfTVhLP)

Ship Losses:

Giacomo Pittalugo (Italy) The schooner foundered off the coast of Spanish Morocco. Her crew survived.
Marie Louise H (United Kingdom) The schooner sprang a leak in the Atlantic Ocean (34°08***8242;N 15°32***8242;W). She was set afire and abandoned. All on board were rescued by Molière ( France)
Sahara (France) The cargo ship sprang a leak in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Portugal. She was beached at Leixões.

[Jimbuna]

14th February 1920

Street scene in Seoul, Korea, currently under Japanese colonial rule.
https://i.postimg.cc/nr5SDRCC/EQul-TXWo-AA0x9-H.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Nobility (United Kingdom) The schooner came ashore on the east coast of Barbados and was wrecked.

[Jimbuna]

15th February 1920

French troops occupy the city of Memel (Klaip***279;da, Lithuania), as Germany gives up the region as part of the peace treaty. French military mission in the city.
https://i.postimg.cc/wTS4QkBy/EQzve-Sp-Xs-AAo5i.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Crowds in Sydney greet Ross and Keith Smith, the first people to travel from Britain to Australia in an airplane.
https://i.postimg.cc/VknGGbS7/EQzve-Sp-Xs-AAo5i.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses

Regina (Norway) The schooner was discovered abandoned in the North Sea. Her crew were rescued by Fritiof ( Sweden). Regina was towed into IJmuiden, Netherland by the trawler Eendracht II ( Netherlands).

[Jimbuna]

16th February 1920

British Nurse executed as a spy by the Germans, Edith Cavell's Memorial is under construction.
https://i.postimg.cc/kGPf2GVp/pn3hp2p9m4h41.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

17th February 1920

Jovan Babunski, a Serbian Revolutionary (Chetnik) commander who fought during the Macedonian Struggle, Balkan Wars, and the Great War, has passed away at age 41 due to influenza.
https://i.postimg.cc/QCkN48T9/EQ-Cv-Mw-XYAEsy-z.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

A woman named Anna Anderson tries to commit suicide in Berlin and is taken to a mental hospital where she claims she is Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia.
https://i.postimg.cc/SRt1p88w/EQ-Cv-Mw-XYAEsy-z.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

18th February 1920

Creation of the Canadian Air Force is authorized by the Canadian government.
https://i.postimg.cc/qvTSzjPL/ERERSxf-WAAIIe-Od.png (https://postimages.org/)

Inauguration procession for the new French President Paul Deschanel.
https://i.postimg.cc/506kZGzx/ERERSxf-WAAIIe-Od.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Amelia Zeman (United States) The schooner departed from Norfolk, Virginia for Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. No further trace, presumed foundered in the Atlantic Ocean with the loss of all hands.
Joan Hickman (United Kingdom) The schooner was driven ashore near Chipiona, Cádiz, Spain. Her crew were rescued by Cabo Roche ( Spain).
Rostellan (United States) The four-masted schooner sprang a leak in the Atlantic Ocean and was abandoned. Her crew were rescued.

[Jimbuna]

19th February 1920

British soldiers in snow-covered Jerusalem putting up electrical lines.
https://i.postimg.cc/t402N2CZ/ERJod-Vd-Xk-AACAk-Q.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Russian orphans in Siberia receiving Cracker Jack from the American Red Cross.
https://i.postimg.cc/KYxfdjTm/ERIjo-TCXk-AYR-er.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

20th February 1920

U.S. Signal Corps men deliver motion picture reels to the White House for President Wilson.
https://i.postimg.cc/MpZT5zCf/EROy-HIOWs-AAjwdd.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Secretary of War Baker today presents eleven Distinguished Service Medals and two distinguished Service Crosses previously awarded to officers and civilians.
https://i.postimg.cc/Gp8bgtqt/EROy-HIOWs-AAjwdd.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

American explorer Robert Peary has passed away. He claimed to be the first person to have reached the geographic North Pole, although the claim is now disputed.
https://i.postimg.cc/Fzgrb6Gx/EROy-HIOWs-AAjwdd.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Aghia Paraskevi (Greece) The cargo ship was wrecked off Cape St. Thomas, Argentina with the loss of fifteen of her crew. Survivors were rescued by Carnarvonshire ( United Kingdom).
Commandant Dorise (France) The cargo ship was destroyed by fire at Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône.
Kamma (Denmark) The schooner was driven ashore on the south coast of Skagen and was wrecked. Her crew were rescued by a lifeboat.

[Jimbuna]

21st February 1920

Afonso, Duke of Porto and the last Prince Royal of Portugal has passed away. Portugal abolished its monarchy in 1910.
https://i.postimg.cc/wTXhBB6Z/ERT7p-MXUAApxs-Z.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

City of Cologne (United Kingdom) The cargo ship collided with another vessel and was beached at Barry Island, Glamorgan.

[Jimbuna]

22nd February 1920

Protestors gathered round the statue of Hermann von Helmholtz in Berlin to demonstrate against the extradition of criminals.
https://i.postimg.cc/m2NccQV4/mcfwmmehgfi41.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Valdez (United States) The 12 GRT 35.7-foot (10.9 m) cargo ship was wrecked in Portage Bay near Kanatak, Territory of Alaska. All four people on board survived.

[Jimbuna]

23rd February 1920

War Secretary Winston Churchill announces that conscripts will be replaced by a volunteer army of 220,000 men.

Cover of French newspaper “Le Petit Journal” showing the borders of Poland still in flux.
https://i.postimg.cc/vBw1vSCS/ERZFFz-CWk-AAICL9.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Funeral of Admiral Robert Edwin Peary,Washington,DC,District of Columbia,1920.
https://i.postimg.cc/KjJRxcjd/li-Y6x6a6-SN66f78-IADMD7-MSw-Oj-Z5e-Li-ASg-B2md5bpmo.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Kung Te-cheng, the 77th generation descendant of Confucius, is born in Qufu, Shandong. His father Kong Lingyi and mother in Qingdao.
https://i.postimg.cc/cL6813QT/ERc8-KZ3-W4-AA4-Ujv.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Hilton (United Kingdom) The full-rigged ship collided with Fahrwold ( Finland) in the River Plate and sank with the loss of seven of her crew. Survivors were rescued by Cabo Santa Maria ( Spain).
Kemmel (United Kingdom) The turret deck ship caught fire at São Vicente, Cape Verde, Portugal. She was beached but was declared a total loss on 6 April.
Maria I (Norway) The auxiliary schooner caught fire in the North Sea and was abandoned. Her crew were rescued by the trawler Nairana ( United Kingdom).
Strathord (United Kingdom) The fishing trawler struck a mine in the North Sea and sank with the loss of all nine crew.

[Jimbuna]

24th February 1920

The NSDAP or Nazi Party is founded. At the Hofbräuhaus am Platz in Munich, Adolf Hitler gives a speech laying out the 25 points of the party.

German POWs held in Japan return to Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
https://i.postimg.cc/hPFx9pVQ/ERi-F1-EWXk-AA01id.png (https://postimages.org/)

Turkish troops in Thrace marching.
https://i.postimg.cc/SxdMb43c/ERi-F1-EWXk-AA01id.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Gwendolen Warren (United Kingdom) The schooner foundered in the Atlantic Ocean. Her crew were rescued by Pikepool ( United Kingdom).

[Jimbuna]

25th February 1920

French railway workers on strike in the Bois de Vincennes, Paris.
https://i.postimg.cc/LssQq7QL/ERn-Pa-Ty-XYAUCSCs.png (https://postimages.org/)

Secretary of Navy Josephus Daniels (center) seated with Admiral [Trevylyan] Napier, R.N.; standing left to right: Capt. Blake of Naval Attache British Embassy, Admiral Long of U.S.N., Lt. Curzon-Howe, R.N., Com. Bevan, R.N., Com. Foote, U.S.N.
https://i.postimg.cc/J0jpVWtV/jdyg-EG5izem-A37k-Tm-Qg-KRYdh-QUga64-Iih-N8-P6-Im9e-Qc.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Osnabruck (Reichsmarine) The Osnabruck-class Vorpostenboot was sunk by a mine.

[Jimbuna]

26th February 1920

U.S. Marines guard captured Haitian rebels outside Port-au-Prince. U.S. forces have been occupying Haiti since 1915
https://i.postimg.cc/c4tqGdJ2/ERoh8-Bc-XUAAfof-X.png (https://postimages.org/)

The newly appointed Ambassador to Italy, Robert Underwood Johnson photographed as he left to White House after his interview with the President.
https://i.postimg.cc/yNPtydfg/8-HVX-OD1z-g-C2ka-F4-Qw-U0-Gxb7-HMCh-Rgw-Ejh-GH-xj-Hcc.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Llovet Hermanos (Spain) The schooner was destroyed by fire at Valencia.

[Jimbuna]

27th February 1920

The first opening of the Canadian Parliament in the New Parliament Building. A fire destroyed the previous structure in 1916
https://i.postimg.cc/YSf6zTMn/87544897-10158106686300126-4148529750387720192-o.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Major RW Schroeder exceeds 10,000 meters above sea level in Dayton (Ohio) aboard a "Lepère" (10,093 m).
https://i.postimg.cc/J4fjVRhY/87544897-10158106686300126-4148529750387720192-o.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Carrier Dove (United States) The schooner ran aground on a reef at Levuka, Fiji.

[Jimbuna]

28th February 1920

Railway cars in Berlin used as temporary accommodations due to a housing shortage.
https://i.postimg.cc/TYXhyk57/ER2s-MA-Ws-AACOe-K.png (https://postimg.cc/V5DzpWRn)

Ship Losses:

Gallacier (Belgium) The cargo ship foundered in the Atlantic Ocean (36°22′N 7°08′W).
Schiedam (Netherlands) The schooner ran aground at Hoek van Holland, South Holland. Her crew were rescued by rocket apparatus.
Lucanio Manara (Italy) The cargo ship was destroyed by fire in the Sea of Marmara .
War Casco (United Kingdom) The cargo ship caught fire at Gibraltar and was a total loss.

[Jimbuna]

29th February 1920

Soldiers of the Czechoslovak Legion in Siberia.
https://i.postimg.cc/262S2jg9/ER71w-K2-Wk-AAOT1z.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Group of striking railway workers at Saint Lazare station, Paris.
https://i.postimg.cc/4423cd6m/ER71w-K2-Wk-AAOT1z.jpg (https://postimg.cc/jCNK0Rkb)

Last known communication with cargo ship SS Cubadist. Left Havana on Feb 26 for Baltimore. Carrying 1,600,000 gallons of molasses to make rum for the Cuba Distilling Company. Ship never found or recovered.

Ship Losses:

Cubadist (United States) The cargo ship was reported to be 111 nautical miles (206 km) south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. No further trace, presumed foundered with the loss of all hands.
Pregel (Denmark) The cargo ship ran aground at Esbjerg. Her crew were rescued by HDMS Absalom ( Royal Danish Navy).
Tungus (Norway) The cargo ship ran aground on Cayo Arenas, Puerto Rico. She was refloated on 10 March.

[Jimbuna]

1st March 1920

Korean Americans march in Dinuba, California on the first anniversary of the March 1st Movement in support of Korean independence from Japan.
https://i.postimg.cc/FHgyd5BK/ESCRy13-X0-AAy-Me-J.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Admiral Miklós Horthy is appointed as Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary, effectively taking control over the country.
https://i.postimg.cc/jjMyc6K0/ESCRy13-X0-AAy-Me-J.jpg (https://postimg.cc/GBsBhyHq)

Battle of Tel Hai occurs in Palestine in one of the first clashes between Zionist Jews and Palestinian Arabs. Russian Zionist activist Joseph Trumpeldor is killed in the fighting.
https://i.postimg.cc/6pNLPBP9/ESCRy13-X0-AAy-Me-J.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Bohemian (United Kingdom) The cargo liner ran aground off Sambro, Nova Scotia, Canada. She broke in two on 2 March, and was a total loss. Five of her crew were killed.
Tinto (United Kingdom) The cargo liner ran aground on the wreck of Manorbier Castle (United Kingdom) She refloated but was holed and sank. Her crew were rescued. She was damaged by an explosion during salvage operations on 4 March. Tinto was refloated in early June. She arrived at Grimsby, Lincolnshire for drydocking on 3 June.

[Jimbuna]

2nd March 1920

China's Prime Minister Chin Yun-p'eng resigned after his party continued to insist on negotiating with Japan on rights to China's Shantung peninsula.
https://i.postimg.cc/GmdDyyjv/a-Ir-FDSGBNnwp-y-th-Vqg-T7-ZC4q-Jqs5he-OF-uq9-ROjzc.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Worker for the London General Omnibus Co. preparing an “anti-flu” spray to disinfect buses.
https://i.postimg.cc/nVXGFBdz/the-birds.png (https://postimages.org/)

Frederick Colvin George Eden (Lord Auckland), Susan Livingstone Eden (Lady Auckland), and the Honorable Constance Eden, arriving aboard the Cunard Liner Imperator in New York City on March 2, 1920.
https://i.postimg.cc/rph5cwxx/a-Ir-FDSGBNnwp-y-th-Vqg-T7-ZC4q-Jqs5he-OF-uq9-ROjzc.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Moccasin (United States) The cargo ship sank at New York.
Mozambique (Norway) The barque sprang a leak and was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean (36°45′N 60°20′W).
Sydnæs (Norway) The barque was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean (36°50′N 50°15′W). Her crew were rescued by Elba ( United Kingdom).

[Jimbuna]

3rd March 1920

Oil well workers near the mouth of the Rio Grande, Texas.
https://i.postimg.cc/xC0k3MrD/ESHN4-A7-Xk-AE-Ha-L.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Old Head (United Kingdom) The schooner struck the breakwater at Cherbourg, Seine-Inférieure, France and sank.

[Jimbuna]

4th March 1920

In London, the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom and France agreed upon plans for the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire.

British "Home Children" arriving in Canada.
https://i.postimg.cc/y6vP9d8W/p-NYAu-Ioyd-HIVKwees9l1-VB93lnvh1uaa767a-X4-Xjf-YU.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

5th March 1920

General John Pershing and family in front of a new home in Lincoln, Nebraska.
https://i.postimg.cc/mgjnH0TY/528oqpnegsk41.png (https://postimages.org/)

Streets of New Brunswick, New Jersey after heavy snow.
https://i.postimg.cc/2SrJ3zNj/ESWBTs4-WAAIXt1.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Magnhel (United States) After the 9-gross register ton fishing vessel′s propeller shaft broke, her anchor cables parted and she drifted ashore in heavy weather and was wrecked at Cora Point (55°54′10″N 134°47′15″W) on Coronation Island in Southeast Alaska. Her crew of three reached shore safely and was rescued on 7 March by the motor vessel My Fancy ( United States).

[Jimbuna]

6th March 1920

A fire destroys a barracks of the American Expeditionary Force in Siberia.
https://i.postimg.cc/L4GRM42J/ESav-Y4-Uw-Akx-LQ.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Battleship USS Maryland under construction at Newport News, Virginia.
https://i.postimg.cc/qMnrBfvj/ESav-Y4-Uw-Akx-LQ.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Bratto (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was abandoned in the Bristol Channel. Her crew were rescued by St. Louis ( United States). Bratto was towed into Padstow, where she sank.
Dunstan (United Kingdom) The cargo ship ran aground at Tutoya, Maranhão, Brazil.[97] She was refloated on 17 March.

[Jimbuna]

7th March 1920

French liner SS Venezuela stranded off the coast of Casablanca.
https://i.postimg.cc/4Nqqxcbz/ESf42d-PWs-AAf3-Kv.png (https://postimages.org/)

The Syrian National Congress proclaims Syria independent, with Faisal I of Iraq as king.
https://i.postimg.cc/YCFVGSbT/800px-Faisal-I-King-of-Syria-and-King-of-Iraq.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

8th March 1920

The Arab Kingdom of Syria is proclaimed, with King Faisal as its first monarch.
https://i.postimg.cc/s2w5LrKT/ESl5ktn-Xg-AA7u-U2.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Group of geishas at Beppa [sic Beppu?], Japan.
https://i.postimg.cc/VkF7z2DC/ESl-Ci-Xe-X0-AEc-U3-S.png (https://postimages.org/)

Supper menu aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth
https://i.postimg.cc/RFWGQh97/20-Jli-Vmqgp-Scs9-H-Gei0zgbt4720-ZHo-Mdqw-TIImb-K0.jpg (https://postimg.cc/dkK8Jqh3)

Ship Losses:

Brookfield (United States) The cargo ship caught fire at Faial Island, Azores, Portugal and was a total loss. Her crew were rescued.
Guildford (United States) The cargo ship sprang a leak and was abandoned off the Bujho Shoal in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Massachusetts. She was later towed into Vineyard Haven, arriving on 10 March.
USS H-1 (United States Navy) The H-class submarine ran aground off Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, with the loss of four crew. She sank during salvage attempts on 24 March.
Lejok (United States) The schooner was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. Her crew were rescued by W. S. Rheem ( United States).
Natenna (United States) The cargo ship was driven ashore at Casablanca, French Morocco and was a total loss.
Vénézuela (France) The cargo liner was driven ashore at Casablanca and was a total loss. Her crew were rescued.

[Jimbuna]

9th March 1920

Anti-Zionist demonstrations occur at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. Deadly fighting broke out between Arab Palestinians and Zionist Jews.
https://i.postimg.cc/HxsgbGVb/ESmis-UYWo-AEuy-E9.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

10th March 1920

Hjalmar Branting becomes the first Social Democratic Prime Minister of Sweden.
https://i.postimg.cc/7YHT3tgx/ESv-Vve7-Ws-AMffq7.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Jutland (Canada) The beam trawler departed Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and was not seen or heard from again. On 11 March, the trawler Lemberg ( Canada) discovered two damaged dories in the Atlantic Ocean 86 nautical miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Halifax, one of them containing the body of one of Jutland′s crew members. No trace of the other 20 men on board ever was found.

[Jimbuna]

11th March 1920

In Guatemala, large-scale demonstration occur in protest against the government and lack of political freedoms. Soldiers use machine guns on the protesters, causing dozens of deaths and injuries.
https://i.postimg.cc/pdmmYskS/ES1k-MSDXk-AESTmi.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Hilda Rachel (Spain) The cargo ship caught fire and foundered whilst on a voyage from Penarth, Glamorgan, United Kingdom to Gibraltar. Her crew were rescued.
Maid of La Have (United Kingdom) The schooner was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean 500 nautical miles (930 km) east of New York, United States. Her crew were rescued by Adriatic ( United Kingdom).
Per Marquette 3 (United States) The passenger ship was crushed by ice and sank in Lake Michigan off Ludington, Michigan. All 35 people on board were rescued.
San Juan #3 )United States) Under tow by a tug during a voyage along the coast of the Territory of Alaska from Port Althorp to Unakwik Inlet in Prince William Sound with a 10-ton deck load of cannery supplies, the 24-ton scow sank in the Gulf of Alaska about 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) offshore at 59°11′N 139°05′W.

[Jimbuna]

12th March 1920

Social Revolutionists protesting in Vladivostok, Russia.
https://i.postimg.cc/P51DyJt1/ES2ot1n-Wo-AEb-KVL.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Carroo (United Kingdom) The cargo ship suffered an onboard explosion in her cargo of benzine with the loss of a crew member. She caught fire and was beached at Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
Commandant Mages (France) The ocean liner ran aground 20 nautical miles (37 km) east of Hong Kong. She was refloated on 25 March.
Henriette (flag unknown) The sailing ship sank at Bordeaux, Gironde, France.
Llai Llai (Chile) The cargo ship collided with O'Higgins ( Chilean Navy) at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States and sank.

[Jimbuna]

13th March 1920

The Kapp Putsch occurs in Germany, as Wolfgang Kapp (pictured) leads a coup to overthrow the Weimar Republic and establish an authoritarian government.
https://i.postimg.cc/zXqrjf8h/ES-pl62-XQAEjz-ZG.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Paramilitary supporters of the Kapp Putsch, wearing helmets with swastika symbols, hand out leaflets in Berlin.
https://i.postimg.cc/RhBz2Stj/ES-pl62-XQAEjz-ZG.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Left-wing workers in the Ruhr region of Germany stage an uprising in response to the coup in Berlin. Armed members of the Red Ruhr Army in Dortmund.
https://i.postimg.cc/yd9HfgDm/ES-pl62-XQAEjz-ZG.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

American submarine USS H-1 runs aground and sinks off the coast of Baja California, leaving four dead.
https://i.postimg.cc/Qtc2Q2zS/ES-pl62-XQAEjz-ZG.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Alexandra (United Kingdom) The tug foundered in the River Humber with the loss of three of her four crew. She was refloated on 10 May.
Alfonzo (United States) The cargo ship was destroyed by fire at Manila, Philippines.
Chatcauqua (United States) The cargo ship ran aground off Bermuda. Her crew were rescued.
Olockson (United States) The cargo ship caught fire in the Gulf of Panama 100 nautical miles (190 km) off Panama City, Colombia. She was abandoned on 17 March. Olockson came ashore at Balboa and sank.
T94 (Reichsmarine) The training ship, a former S90-class torpedo boat, was scuttled by Putschists at Wilhelmshaven. Later raised and broken up.
Yungai (United Kingdom) The cargo ship issued a SOS in the Atlantic Ocean (30°10′N 77°00′W).[110] She was abandoned and her crew were rescued by Limos ( United States).

[Jimbuna]

14th March 1920

Leaders of the Weimar Republic call for a general strike to oppose the right-wing coup in Berlin. Large demonstrations paralyze Germany and prevent the coup leaders from governing.
https://i.postimg.cc/Kjxx0rBB/ETD7-Ac-Ws-AYVwif.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Defending Alexanderplatz. View of soldiers as they guard Alexanderplatz with flamethrowers during the abortive Kapp Putsch, Berlin, mid March 1920. The putsch was an attempt to overthrow the nascent Weimar Republic and reinstall the monarchy.
https://i.postimg.cc/pdjvx1BK/ETD7-Ac-Ws-AYVwif.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

15th March 1920

Allied troops take over the city of Constantinople, beginning the military occupation of the city.
https://i.postimg.cc/sxfMptzS/ETJu3-E0-Ws-AA1-fq.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Street-fighting breaks out across Germany between right-wing and left-wing paramilitary groups. Rudolf Berthold, German ace with 44 victories and Freikorps militia leader, is killed in Hamburg.
https://i.postimg.cc/D0Yw10Bk/ETJu3-E0-Ws-AA1-fq.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Dove (United States) The 26-gross register ton, 48.7-foot (14.8 m) motor cargo vessel was wrecked at Cape Ommaney (56°10′00″N 134°40′20″W) in Southeast Alaska with the loss of two lives. There were three survivors.
Lux (France) The cargo ship departed from Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France, bound for Oran, Algeria. No further trace, presumed foundered in the Mediterranean Sea with the loss of all hands.

[Jimbuna]

16th March 1920

The unveiling of the monument to nurse Edith Cavell, executed by the Germans during World War One, by the Dowager Queen Alexandra in St Martin's Place, London.
https://i.postimg.cc/qqVG2vtZ/ETOPOu-DXs-AEC6ph.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

A recruiting poster for the Royal Air Force.
https://i.postimg.cc/HWqNtpDm/ETOPOu-DXs-AEC6ph.jpg (https://postimg.cc/F1xGrXHC)

Ship Losses:

Balabac (United States) The cargo ship was destroyed by fire at a Trinidadian port.
Dashing Wave (United States) During a voyage from Seattle, Washington, to Taku via Ketchikan in the Territory of Alaska with a crew of nine and a cargo of general cannery supplies aboard, the 1,054-gross register ton barge was wrecked without loss of life off Shelter Point (49.9307°N 125.1849°W) on the coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The steamer San Juan (flag unknown) towed her wreck to shore, but it was declared a total loss.
Rosa Harriette (United Kingdom) The schooner sprang a leak and foundered in the English Channel off St Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight. Her crew were rescued by Odland ( Norway) after 16 hours adrift.

[Jimbuna]

17th March 1920

Crew of the British submarine HMS M3, taken likely around its commissioning today.
https://i.postimg.cc/T3Dy3f0N/ETPh1bn-X0-AEOR-z.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Adolf (Sweden) The cargo ship collided with Moliere ( United Kingdom) in the Bristol Channel off Barry, Glamorgan, United Kingdom and was beached. A fire broke out on 18 March.
Cadrier (France) The cargo ship sprang a leak in the English Channel north of Alderney, Channel Isles and sank. Four of her 23 crew were rescued by Wagland ( Norway).
Tewkesbury (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was driven ashore at Cape Vine, Nova Scotia, Canada and was wrecked. Her crew were rescued.

[Jimbuna]

18th March 1920

Steam cargo ship SS Olockson catches fire off Balboa Harbour.
https://i.postimg.cc/NMdF0Dc8/ETYiao-LXk-AUbqa1.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

USS Althea (United States Navy) The motorboat was sunk by ice at Detroit, Michigan. She was sold for salvage but salvage efforts were abandoned in 1926.
Cordier (France) During her first commercial trip from Nantes (region Pays de la Loire, France) to Rotterdam (Netherlands) loaded with iron ore, sank following a leak at N of Alderney Channel Islands. 19 perished, only 4 sailors were rescued by the Norwegian steamer Wacland.
Eva (Denmark) The cargo ship came ashore on the west coast of Skagen. Her crew survived.
Jeremiah Smith (United States) The schooner foundered in the Atlantic Ocean. Her crew were rescued by Hatteras ( United States).

[Jimbuna]

19th March 1920

A firing squad firing a salute over the grave of Oliver Dyer who fought in many battles on World War I, and was gassed at the Battle of Argonne Forest, New York, New York, March 19, 1920. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery on Long Island.
https://i.postimg.cc/Mp9KZhTH/fiwtvtpbokn41.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

French weightlifter Vasseur Louis demonstrating his strength at an exhibition at the Palais du Trocadéro, Paris.
https://i.postimg.cc/MKbpNcJy/ETdr-NEXs-AAf-Y4t.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Scandia (United States) The 116-gross register ton, 90.8-foot (27.7 m) fishing vessel was stranded in the Gulf of Alaska on the north end of Montague Island at the entrance to Prince William Sound in the Territory of Alaska. All 17 people on board survived. She was salvaged, repaired, and returned to service.

[Jimbuna]

20th March 1920

Tomás Mac Curtain, Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork and an officer of the IRA, is assassinated at his home by members of the Royal Irish Constabulary.
https://i.postimg.cc/B6hHDPyx/ETi1lre-X0-AIt4-IR.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

U.S. Navy kite balloon in a hangar at Pensacola, Florida.
https://i.postimg.cc/RCDwZfwm/ETe-kr-LXs-AA4f-Nt.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Gladys Strut (United Kingdom) The three-masted schooner sprang a leak in the Atlantic Ocean (48°10′N 19°30′W). She was set afire and abandoned; her crew were rescued by Major Wheeler ( United States).
Jerx G. Shaw (United States) The schooner was driven ashore on Block Island, Rhode Island. Her crew were rescued.
White Rose (United Kingdom) The cargo ship collided with Fantee ( United Kingdom) in the Bristol Channel 8 nautical miles (15 km) off Trevose Head, Cornwall and sank. Her crew were rescued by Fantee.

[Jimbuna]

21st March 1920

USS Maryland, one of four super-dreadnought Colorado-class battleships, is launched.

Experimental snow car being tested in Ashland, Maine.
https://i.postimg.cc/76rHy3x9/ETo-M4-Ge-XYAAEMA.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

22nd March 1920

Azerbaijani troops attack the town of Shusha and destroy it, resulting in thousands of Armenian deaths in the following days.
https://i.postimg.cc/q7ZpXrsC/ETt-It-Ed-X0-Acv9g-Q.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Street fighting on the Frankfurter Alles, Berlin during the recent Kapp revolution.
https://i.postimg.cc/XJR3mgDj/ETt-It-Ed-X0-Acv9g-Q.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

France's 'Gueules cassés' (disfigured veterans) are received at the Élysée Palace.
https://i.postimg.cc/FsgmC3bv/ETt-It-Ed-X0-Acv9g-Q.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Ambar (Portugal) The whaler was wrecked in the Congo River at Loanda, Portuguese East Africa. Some of her passengers and crew were rescued.
Kara (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was wrecked off Cape Quintres, Santoña, Spain. Her crew were rescued.
Rock Island Bridge (United States) The cargo ship collided with Iroquois (flag unknown) in the English Channel 8 nautical miles (15 km) south south east of The Lizard, Cornwall, United Kingdom. She was taken in tow by Kenowsha ( United States) beached in the Helford River but subsequently sank. The wreck was sold by auction in May 1920.

[Jimbuna]

23rd March 1920

Edward, Prince of Wales, visiting Sydney during his royal tour of Australia.
https://i.postimg.cc/sxS901FQ/ETtx-63-XYAI0-VE3.png (https://postimages.org/)

Bainbridge Colby (pictured) becomes the new Secretary of State of the United States. Colby had no diplomatic experience was chosen for his loyalty to Wilson.
https://i.postimg.cc/V6hCww9q/ETz-XOXs-Wo-Ag-Ii2m.jpg (https://postimg.cc/wyhv5SGM)

President Wilson making a public appearance five months after suffering his debilitating stroke.
https://i.postimg.cc/3RzFBmqQ/ETtx-63-XYAI0-VE3.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

24th March 1920

HMS Prince of Wales transiting the Panama Canal.
https://i.postimg.cc/wBkjCqWG/ET4g2ke-Wo-AAFCXd.png (https://postimages.org/)

Leon Trotsky addressing a crowd in Moscow.
https://i.postimg.cc/bJNw87WN/ET3b90-Xg-AAWl-Cs.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

City of St. Helens (United States) The auxiliary schooner caught fire and was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean off the east coast of the United States.
Mutlah (United Kingdom) The cargo ship caught fire at Naples, Italy and sank.
Teje (Norway) The cargo ship collided with Mimer ( Norway) off Kristiansand, Norway, and was beached.

[Jimbuna]

25th March 1920

Temporary constables known as the Black and Tans begin arriving in Ireland to reinforce the Royal Irish Constabulary and suppress the Irish War of Independence. They receive a notorious reputation for police brutality, including extrajudicial killings.
https://i.postimg.cc/23N5bqJw/ET9q-XG7-Wo-AEm-G4-W.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Three-wheeler car on the streets of France.
https://i.postimg.cc/FF8DRjF4/ET8li-TPX0-AIm6wy.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Botanist (United Kingdom) The cargo liner ran aground on the Komuriya Reef, off the coast of Ceylon. Her passengers were rescued by Arracan ( United Kingdom). She was declared a total loss on 30 March. Her crew were rescued.

[Jimbuna]

26th March 1920

The German government asks France for permission to use its own troops against the rebellious Ruhr Red Army, in the French-occupied area.

63rd. Infantry, Washington D.C. National Guard of Washington D.C. March 26, 1920.
https://i.postimg.cc/R0LGx6Jf/2-Mig-Ae-Y3q-G4-Xzj-N3x53-E-Ehp-Vmk-QMo0i0-RUi-Ca39-W-E.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

27th March 1920

German 28cm railway gun being displayed in Sydney.
https://i.postimg.cc/4NLM7XVC/EUG4u-Or-Wo-AYs-Bdu.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Inga (France) The cargo ship ran aground at Villa San Giovanni, Calabria, Italy. She was refloated on 31 March.
Ugor (Soviet Navy) The Bars-class submarine was sunk by ice in the Neva. The submarine was later salvaged.

[Jimbuna]

28th March 1920

Royal Navy submarine M3 with a large 12-inch gun.
https://i.postimg.cc/dVt4gc8V/EUMCQVMWk-AERZQI.png (https://postimages.org/)

"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" film released.
https://i.postimg.cc/pd3C993m/Pdkl6-Ckwx02-Yk-YCtj3f-Apy-Eq-My-H9-ZAzoel57-OA5-Rh-AQ.jpg (https://postimg.cc/DWdLHzvh)

Ship Losses:

Crostafels (United Kingdom) The cargo ship ran aground on the Ceiba Bank, off the coast of Cuba. She was later refloated and arrived at Kingston, Jamaica on 5 March.
Moskvityanin (Russia White Movement) Russian Civil War: The Emir Bukharski-class destroyer, sunk in May 1919 and refloated on 10 January 1920 but not repaired, was scuttled by gunfire in the Caspian Sea by ships of the Caspian Flotilla of the White Movement.
Picardie (France) The cargo ship collided with New London ( United Kingdom) in the North Sea and sank.

[Jimbuna]

29th March 1920

Sir William Robertson is appointed the rank of field marshal, becoming the first and only soldier in the British Army to have risen from the rank of private to the highest rank.
https://i.ibb.co/WWG9Y63/EUSC1r-Xs-AAQsv-C.jpg (https://ibb.co/5WGDf69)

King Christian X of Denmark dismisses the government of Prime Minister Carl Theodor Zahle (pictured). The move causes a constitutional crisis known as the Easter Crisis of 1920, and large-scale demonstrations break out against the King.
https://i.ibb.co/YcvxvZV/EUSC1r-Xs-AAQsv-C.jpg (https://ibb.co/hBpSpfT)

Ship Losses:

City of St. Helens (United States) The sailing vessel caught fire and sank in the Atlantic Ocean 80 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
Kitagawa Maru (Japan) The cargo ship sprang a leak and was abandoned off Chōsi, Chica.

[Jimbuna]

30th March 1920

U.S. Navy flyer listing precautions against influenza.
https://i.postimg.cc/MKnsyPcF/EP3-BVf-LWs-AE6zdy.png (https://postimages.org/)

The head of a statue of Tsar Alexander III lies in Moscow after Bolshevik forces toppled it.
https://i.postimg.cc/SNYrXn30/EP3-BVf-LWs-AE6zdy.png (https://postimages.org/)

Grover Bergdoll, known as "the millionaire draft dodger", began a five year prison sentence for desertion at Fort Jay in New York. He would serve only five months before escaping in August while being allowed to visit his mansion in Philadelphia.
https://i.postimg.cc/K8rtLB5W/Grover-Cleveland-Bergdoll-1893-1966.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Prince John (United Kingdom) The cargo ship collided with Prince Albert ( United Kingdom) off Deadtree Point, British Columbia, Canada and was beached. She was refloated on 8 April.

[Jimbuna]

31st March 1920

Thousands of German helmets are used to pave a new road of Croydon, England.
https://i.postimg.cc/x8J6WYwz/EUc-WP9-ZXYAIa-Fvf.png (https://postimages.org/)

General W.W. Harts Chief of Staff of the American forces in Germany who was ordered home to testify before a House war investigating Committee concerning charges of cruelty to America soldiers in the prisons of the Paris district during the war.
https://i.postimg.cc/wxnz3BTn/EUb-RXp-HXQAICv-Am.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

German General Lothar von Trotha, who led German forces in the Herero Wars and the genocide against the Herero and Namaqua peoples, has died.
https://i.postimg.cc/HWrHpMHQ/EUb-RXp-HXQAICv-Am.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Frances R (United States) The 13-gross register ton motor vessel struck a rock, drifted ashore, and was smashed to pieces by the surf at Lyman Point (55°32′30″N 132°16′35″W) in Southeast Alaska after her gasoline engine broke down during a snowstorm with high winds. The two people on board survived.
Prince Pozharsky (Russian Navy White Movement) Russian Civil War: The gunboat was damaged by a mine in the Caspian Sea and scuttled by Dmitry Donskoy ( Russian Navy White Movement).

[Jimbuna]

1st April 1920

The German Workers' Party becomes the National Socialist German Workers' Party.

Members of the 'Red Artillery' or German communists load a trench mortar during disturbances at the Ruhr.
https://i.postimg.cc/htNPhCJn/EUga58-FWk-AEb-AGH.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Toshiro Mifune (future Japanese actor) is born in Qingdao, China, which is currently under Japanese occupation after it was captured from German colonial control.
https://i.postimg.cc/g2x2z924/EUga58-FWk-AEb-AGH.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Murre (United States Bureau of Fisheries) The fishery patrol vessel struck a rock in Keku Strait in the Territory of Alaska and was beached to prevent her from sinking. She was refloated, repaired, and returned to service.

[Jimbuna]

2nd April 1920

German Reichswehr units are sent in to the Ruhr region to crush the Ruhr Red Army. Men of the Red Army preparing to fight.
https://i.postimg.cc/pLY2ffcg/EUlkfi-JUMAIEr-Ob.png (https://postimages.org/)

President of Uruguay José Batlle y Ordóñez engages in a pistol duel with deputy Washington Beltrán Barbat (pictured) and kills him.
https://i.postimg.cc/nLFn0X6M/EUlkfi-JUMAIEr-Ob.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

USCGC Leader (United States Coast Guard) The motorboat was destroyed by fire.
Saffo (Regia Marina) The torpedo boat sank after running aground on the coast of Ottoman Turkey near Scalanova Bay.

[Jimbuna]

3rd April 1920

A wealthy Albanian landowner with his guards.
https://i.postimg.cc/Dwbdgmn1/cap.png (https://postimg.cc/5XbC94Ht)

Ship Losses:

Britannia (United Kingdom) The cargo ship foundered in North Sea off Robin Hood's Bay, Yorkshire. All sixteen crew survived.
Rosegg (Norway) The cargo ship ran aground at Goswick, Northumberland, United Kingdom.
Sologne (France) The tug came ashore at Ryhope, County Durham, United Kingdom and sank.
Steinsund (Norway) The four-masted barque departed Bordeaux, France for Newport News, Virginia, United States. No further trace, presumed foundered in the Atlantic Ocean with the loss of all hands.

[Jimbuna]

4th April 1920

France announced that it would send troops to occupy the German cities of Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Homburg and Hanau, located within the neutral zone in the Ruhr Valley, because Germany had declined to withdraw its troops at French Prime Minister Millerand's request.
https://i.postimg.cc/FR1JJDvx/osov1749f4q5-ROOVn-DVWEXy7r8qxa-EApw4-Lx-OMi-XYsc.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Riots begin in Jerusalem during the Nebi Musa festival as Muslim Palestinians attack the Jewish Quarter. In the following days, five Jews and four Muslim Arabs are killed. Scene from the Nebi Musa festival before the riot.
https://i.postimg.cc/HLYMTTPR/EUv3ntx-XYAAXz-On.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Malabar (United Kingdom) The cargo ship ran aground near the Barns Ness Lighthouse, Lothian. Her crew were rescued. She broke in two on 6 April.

[Jimbuna]

5th April 1920

British and French officers and commissioners in charge of occupying the Rhineland at Marienburg, Germany.
https://i.postimg.cc/SsRVf7rV/EU2-Ts-A6-Xs-AAoy-Ag.png (https://postimages.org/)

An American soldier performs a horse stunt at a field meet in Fort Washington, Maryland.
https://i.postimg.cc/k5nTBdR0/EU2-Ts-A6-Xs-AAoy-Ag.png (https://postimages.org/)

After eight hours of fighting, Japanese Imperial Army troops took control of the Russian city of Vladivostok (Urajiosutoku) in order to stop the advance of Soviet troops. The Japan's imperial flag replaced the Russian ensign over all city government buildings.

Ship Losses:

Aughinish (United Kingdom) The cargo ship struck a submerged object and was beached on Montague Island, New South Wales, Australia. She was refloated on 12 April.
Verdun (France) The auxiliary schooner caught fire in the River Seine and was a total loss.

[Jimbuna]

6th April 1920

Captured German submarine U-111 in drydock at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
https://i.postimg.cc/8CTrX4Vh/EU7dh9m-WAAADPXo.png (https://postimages.org/)

Germany. Immediately after the German troops crossed the line, the French government itself gave orders to its own troops to advance, and Frankfurt was occupied on April 6 and Homburg on the following day. (French troops seize Frankfurt and German cities).
https://i.postimg.cc/fLpcPdCD/YBDfk0pgu-G81xum3w-GPARiy-TE9w-Du-Rb-EPp-Ww-9-Tx-Oh-Y.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Belgian troops on guard at a Rhine River bridgehead in the Ruhr District where the Germans are now fighting the communists in the neutral zone, Ruhr, Germany.
https://i.postimg.cc/VLjq7dCP/YBDfk0pgu-G81xum3w-GPARiy-TE9w-Du-Rb-EPp-Ww-9-Tx-Oh-Y.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

7th April 1920

Edward, Prince of Wales, at the historic Hotel Coronado in San Diego, California during his North American Tour.
https://i.postimg.cc/K8qj5TRm/ZNTz-NLv-Rfudo8-Tuugx-N7b-Abb-Br-Sa-ABdh-PQ6cty-0-LV8.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

British security forces in Jerusalem searching Palestinians after riots broke out against the Jewish population.
https://i.postimg.cc/Ls5YdTrq/EU-Uc-CEXYAE7-Wz.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Olinda (United States) The cargo ship ran aground off Manati, Cuba. She was refloated on 14 April.

[Jimbuna]

9th April 1920

Although the U.S. Senate had failed to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an alternative to officially declaring the end of World War I, voting 242 to 150 "to declare war with Germany at an end".

British troops resting outside the Old City of Jerusalem with the Dome of the Rock in the background.
https://i.postimg.cc/N0JJqgPY/EVEe-C80-Wk-AAAICl.png (https://postimages.org/)

Edward, Prince of Wales, tries out surfing during his visit to Hawaii.
https://i.postimg.cc/zvW0gTDX/EVEe-C80-Wk-AAAICl.png (https://postimages.org/)

Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, participating in a paper chase game outside Washington D.C.
https://i.postimg.cc/XYnQrZR4/EVEe-C80-Wk-AAAICl.png (https://postimages.org/)

Large demonstrations occur in Guatemala City against President Estrada Cabrera. Government troops begin attacking protesters with machine guns and shelling.
https://i.postimg.cc/LsbTQxn8/EVEe-C80-Wk-AAAICl.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

10th April 1920

Germany's government notified all German states to cooperate in reducing the army to 200,000 men as agreed in the Treaty of Versailles.

Ship Losses:

Powel (United States) The cargo ship was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. Her crew survived.

[Jimbuna]

11th April 1920

A damaged DH.9 plane after it crashed in Burma during an attempted journey from Britain to Australia.
https://i.postimg.cc/fbyZv077/EVT6x3-CXQAIz-t-B.png (https://postimages.org/)

Middle East. Campaign of Cilicia: the French garrison of Ourfa evacuates the city after a siege of sixty-one days.

Ship Losses:

Bastia (Italy) The cargo ship caught fire at Naples. She was scuttled the next day.
Roye (France) The auxiliary sailing vessel arrived at Salonica, Greece on fire. She was a total loss.

[Jimbuna]

12th April 1920

Teresa of the Andes (the first Chilean to be declared a Saint) has passed away.
https://i.postimg.cc/RVBfnd7H/EVa-JOEm-Wo-AEIVs-B.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Zilia (Italy) The auxiliary sailing vessel caught fire at Oporto, Portugal and was scuttled.

[Jimbuna]

13th April 1920

Mikhail Tukhachevsky, the 'Red Napoleon', is photographed.
https://i.postimg.cc/yY17P2Ym/VTYm-E2-V4-GEuv-Cg-H3-WEjad-XTCOr-Mhhgp3-C4in5-Dpbt-Oc.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Meditation (United Kingdom) The schooner was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) north of Faial Island, Azores, Portugal.

[Jimbuna]

14th April 1920

After a disability of more than six months because of a stroke, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson met with his Cabinet for the first time since September 2.
https://i.postimg.cc/T33qwK3z/Untitled.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

A delegation of Armenian veterans of the Great War parade in Washington D.C.
https://i.postimg.cc/MpNVtdzD/EVkq-Pb-NWs-AMW6q8.png (https://postimages.org/)

Manuel Estrada Cabrera, President of Guatemala, is overthrown by rebel forces. He spends the rest of his life in prison.
https://i.postimg.cc/qqxWxNns/EVkq-Pb-NWs-AMW6q8.png (https://postimages.org/)

Vilnius, Poland - 14 April 1920: Marshal Jozef Pilsudski (second from the right) at the first anniversary celebrations of the successful Vilna offensive. Vilnius, then Poland (today Lithuania)
https://i.postimg.cc/t4vdV91Y/Untitled.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Flensburg (Germany) The fishing trawler struck a mine and sank in the North Sea off List, Schleswig-Holstein.

[Jimbuna]

15th April 1920

Women wearing hats made out of recycled silk that used to hold artillery cartridges.
https://i.postimg.cc/cCZ5TxXW/EVoh-LYw-U0-AYHMCy.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Eagle Wing (United States) The schooner sprang a leak and was beached at Santa Cruz del Norte, Cuba.

[Jimbuna]

16th April 1920

Lenin and 32 communists rode in a train through Germany, took a ferry to Sweden, another train to Finland finally arriving in Petrograd, Russia, on April 16, 1917. Lenin gave a speech to supporters calling for a continent-wide European revolution. Stalin was not present.
https://i.postimg.cc/7L28xvn2/aacch7t054t41.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

The death sentence of Robert Stroud, who would become famous as the "Birdman of Alcatraz", was commuted to life imprisonment by U.S. President Wilson.
https://i.postimg.cc/V6Pyv7KH/lix-S7-Dq9-H2df3j-LW1-X1-FV5-YPMVSh-W9i8u71-FOTe-y2w.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Svelviksand I (Norway) The auxiliary sailing ship was wrecked on the Knock Sand, North Sea. Her crew sought refuge on the Knock Lightship ( United Kingdom).

[Jimbuna]

17th April 1920

French troops with FT-17 tanks occupying Frankfurt, as leftist paramilitary forces in Germany clash with government troops.
https://i.postimg.cc/6qXdKpmm/EVy0-Y-h-Ws-AAo-Ksu.png (https://postimages.org/)

French Machine Guns in Frankfurt. The Scene of the Firing on a German Mob,' Illustrated London News.
https://i.postimg.cc/2jQQwnqR/nfunt7sl0et41.jpg (https://postimg.cc/pyd5VhYq)

[Jimbuna]

18th April 1920

Prisoner of war welcome ceremony in the Busch Circus in Berlin. On April 18, the Reich Committee of the War Damaged organized a welcoming ceremony for comrades who had returned from captivity, in which well-known artists participated, and a gift was given to each prisoner of war
https://i.postimg.cc/3wLQ9qDc/EV3965-XXg-AAp-TA5.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

William O'Brien (United States) The cargo ship probably foundered on this date. She had issued a SOS that she was leaking in a severe storm and had lost her cargo hatches in the Atlantic Ocean (40°00′N 65°50′W) which was answered by Baltic and Minniekahda (both United Kingdom), some debris was found. Lost with all 40 hands

[Mr Quatro]

Is this okay here? This is a great read (a little long) about the USA a hundred years ago The Nation Calls, 1908-1923 or there abouts. :yep:

If it belongs some where else I will make a new thread :yep:

https://www.fbi.gov/history/brief-history

The United States was, well, united, with its borders stretching from coast to coast and only two landlocked states left to officially join the union. Inventions like the telephone, the telegraph, and the railroad had seemed to shrink its vast distances even as the country had spread west. After years of industrializing, America was wealthier than ever, too, and a new world power on the block, thanks to its naval victory over Spain.

But there were dark clouds on the horizon.

The country’s cities had grown enormously by 1908—there were more than 100 with populations over 50,000—and understandably, crime had grown right along with them. In these big cities, with their many overcrowded tenements filled with the poor and disillusioned and with all the ethnic tensions of an increasingly immigrant nation stirred in for good measure, tempers often flared. Clashes between striking workers and their factory bosses were turning increasingly violent.

And though no one knew it at the time, America’s cities and towns were also fast becoming breeding grounds for a future generation of professional lawbreakers. In Brooklyn, a nine-year-old Al Capone would soon start his life of crime. In Indianapolis, a five-year-old John Dillinger was growing up on his family farm. And in Chicago, a young child christened Lester Joseph Gillis—later to morph into the vicious killer “Baby Face” Nelson—would greet the world by year’s end.

But violence was just the tip of the criminal iceberg. Corruption was rampant nationwide—especially in local politics, with crooked political machines like Tammany Hall in full flower. Big business had its share of sleaze, too, from the shoddy, even criminal, conditions in meat packaging plants and factories (as muckrakers like Upton Sinclair had so artfully exposed) to the illegal monopolies threatening to control entire industries.

[Jimbuna]

19th April 1920

Germany and Soviet Russia agree to the exchange of prisoners of war.

Allied leaders from the UK, France, Italy and Japan meet in Sanremo, Italy to discuss the division of former Ottoman territories in the Middle East.
https://i.postimg.cc/PfwYc82y/EV9-Hc-XVX0-AMh-TOx.png (https://postimages.org/)

April 19–23, 1920: Partition of the Ottoman Empire agreed on by the Allied Powers, with British Mandates in Red, French Mandates in Blue.
https://i.postimg.cc/MK0RZJkj/EV9-Hc-XVX0-AMh-TOx.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

St. Barcran (United Kingdom) The coaster collided with Whinhill ( United Kingdom) at Liverpool, Lancashire and was beached. She was later refloated and taken to Manchester.

[Jimbuna]

20th April 1920

French President Paul Deschanel decorating members of the Gendarmerie.
https://i.postimg.cc/pLVyg8y5/EWDjx5s-X0-AAa1-Zg.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Bayonnaise (France) The schooner foundered in the Bristol Channel. Her crew were rescued by the Mumbles Lifeboat.

[Jimbuna]

21st April 1920

American soldiers posing on 12-inch mortars at Fort Stevens, Oregon.
https://i.postimg.cc/sXxt1bry/EWI7-Nr-YXg-AAWq-RL.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

22nd April 1920

Poland and Ukraine signed treaty of Warsaw that resulted in joined Polish-Ukrainian offensive on Kiev.

Polish General Antoni Listowski (left) and exiled Ukrainian leader Symon Petliura (second from left) following Petliura's alliance with the Poles.
https://i.postimg.cc/hjMhbrK4/Symon-Petliura-and-Antoni-Listowski-during-Polish-Soviet-War.png (https://postimages.org/)

Former Prime Minister of France Joseph Caillaux was acquitted by the French Senate of charges of high treason, but was convicted of "commerce and correspondence with the enemy" during World War One and was exiled for five years.
https://i.postimg.cc/wxf710W0/e-W-Mi-Wn6y-Hx-Ebdf-Fvtwa-Xkiyh-BEWNj22-LAf0-G1yy-Am4.jpg (https://postimg.cc/s1WV89Ch)

Ship Losses:

Matilde (United Kingdom) The schooner was driven ashore at Whitby, Yorkshire and was wrecked.

[Jimbuna]

22nd April 1920

Poland and Ukraine signed treaty of Warsaw that resulted in joined Polish-Ukrainian offensive on Kiev.

Polish General Antoni Listowski (left) and exiled Ukrainian leader Symon Petliura (second from left) following Petliura's alliance with the Poles.
https://i.postimg.cc/hjMhbrK4/Symon-Petliura-and-Antoni-Listowski-during-Polish-Soviet-War.png (https://postimages.org/)

Former Prime Minister of France Joseph Caillaux was acquitted by the French Senate of charges of high treason, but was convicted of "commerce and correspondence with the enemy" during World War One and was exiled for five years.
https://i.postimg.cc/wxf710W0/e-W-Mi-Wn6y-Hx-Ebdf-Fvtwa-Xkiyh-BEWNj22-LAf0-G1yy-Am4.jpg (https://postimg.cc/s1WV89Ch)

Ship Losses:

Matilde (United Kingdom) The schooner was driven ashore at Whitby, Yorkshire and was wrecked.

[Jimbuna]

23rd April 1920

"Plan of Agua Prieta". Three generals, Plutarco Elías Calles, Álvaro Obregón and Adolfo de la Huerta, rebel against the president of Mexico Venustiano Carranza who is assassinated in his flight to Veracruz on May 21.

The Turkish Grand National Assembly meets in Ankara for the first time. Mustafa Kemal and his colleagues praying in front of the Assembly building.
https://i.postimg.cc/zX6B42bL/EWRt5fx-Xs-AAfx9a.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[April 23rd, 1920] Vladimir Lenin is photographed.
https://i.postimg.cc/vTjYFDBR/EWRt5fx-Xs-AAfx9a.jpg (https://postimg.cc/xNvDLfMg)

[Jimbuna]

24th April 1920

A British armoured car patrolling Dublin during the Irish War of Independence.
https://i.postimg.cc/j2kGLmqw/EWXTFr-YXk-AAL30-P.png (https://postimages.org/)

Polish and Ukrainian troops begin an offensive to recapture Kiev from Soviet troops. Polish General Listowski (left) with exiled Ukrainian leader Symon Petliura (right).
https://i.postimg.cc/zGh9Gxsv/EWXTFr-YXk-AAL30-P.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Arthur V. S. Woodruff (United States) The schooner came ashore on the east coast of Barbados. She was a total loss.
Westgate (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean.
Ernst (Sweden) The sailing ship struck a mine at Herthas Flak in Kattegat on April 24 or 25 and sank with all hands, 22 in all.

[Jimbuna]

25th April 1920

Start of Operation Kiev, a Polish offensive in Ukraine. Kiev was taken on May 8, but Polish troops were to retreat on June 12 in front of the Red Army's counter-offensive marching against Poland.

Former Ottoman-Turkish ruled territories in the Middle East are assigned by the Supreme Allied Council as League of Nations mandates to Britain and France: Britain receives Palestine and Mesopotamia (modern Iraq); while France receives Greater Syria (modern Syria and Lebanon).
https://i.postimg.cc/7624LN09/5-Nwj-Abdfnr6-G8-Ks-OI01ru-Yh-Ded-HFd-Rb-MZUDj-IG1x-WLo.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

A group of Samoan chiefs in Suva during the visit of Edward, Prince of Wales.
https://i.postimg.cc/Ls045X79/EWc-BCph-WAAAk-MG3.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

26th April 1920

The Great Astronomy Debate, in which two astronomers debated the universe's size, was held at the Smithsonian.
https://i.postimg.cc/cHGgMWfG/042220-ts-great-debate-feat-1028x579.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
On April 26, 1920, astronomers Harlow Shapley (left) and Heber Curtis (right) presented their views on the scope of the cosmos.

[Jimbuna]

27th April 1920

British soldiers stopping carts for inspections in Ireland as the Irish War of Independence continues to intensify.
https://i.postimg.cc/Kv0SLjfT/EWm-US5-NWk-AACN9n.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Gubitelnyy (Soviet Navy Red Movement) The gunboat was shelled and sunk at Chernobyl on the Pripyat River by Polish artillery. Salvaged post war.

[Texas Red]

April 27th, 1920

Tommy Milton sets the car speed record in the U.S. with his Duesenberg LSR, achieving 156 mph (251 km/h). His car bursts into flames during the attempt:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EWm9n-8WsAAaqFh?format=png&name=small

[Jimbuna]

28th April 1920

A Curtiss R-6L floatplane testing torpedoes at Pensacola, Florida. The torpedo “porpoised,” bouncing off the water.
https://i.postimg.cc/G3x6pg9M/EWsit73-U8-AUi-KB.png (https://postimages.org/)

Yi Un, Crown Prince of Korea, marries Princess Masako of Nashimoto in Tokyo. Korea is currently a colony of Japan.
https://i.postimg.cc/bJjFy1Pc/EWsit73-U8-AUi-KB.png (https://postimages.org/)

Russia. at night from April 27, an uprising began in Baku, the Provisional Revolutionary Committee of Azerbaijan was formed, headed by Nariman Narimanov, the 11th Army of the Red Army entered Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic proclaimed.

[Jimbuna]

29th April 1920

Edward, Prince of Wales, greeting Maori women during his visit of New Zealand.
https://i.postimg.cc/D0Kmnr7X/EWwncb-DWs-AA8ism.png (https://postimages.org/)

PCU "North Carolina" (BB-52) under construction at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. This view is from the ship's bow looking aft.
https://i.postimg.cc/8PNsYmK8/mf-VANw-IDZa6-Dx2-KIOJWZit-3j8v9t-Jafl-Lv-DKv-LSXs0.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

30th April 1920

British soldiers with tanks guard the outside of Mountjoy Prison in Dublin during the Irish War of Independence.
https://i.postimg.cc/y8SryPX9/EW2a-Zq-PWAAM6-BAh.png (https://postimages.org/)

In Dublin, British soldiers hold back a crowd of angry Sinn Fein protestors outside of Mountjoy Prison. Irish Republican Army prisoners are conducting a hunger strike.
https://i.postimg.cc/436Lrx0x/EW1x-Ep-DXg-AMt-Id-D.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Polish troops resting in a Ukrainian village during the offensive towards Kiev against Soviet forces.
https://i.postimg.cc/2y60bFS1/EW1x-Ep-DXg-AMt-Id-D.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

1st May 1920

Riots occur in France as laborers and police clash during May Day.
https://i.postimg.cc/50jMLLrY/EW66oh-FWo-AAHID3.png (https://postimages.org/)

Margaret, the Crown Princess of Sweden and wife to Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf, dies at the age of 38 due to sepsis.
https://i.postimg.cc/Pq5qVLch/EW66oh-FWo-AAHID3.png (https://postimg.cc/VJ21dNmH)

[Jimbuna]

2nd May 1920

Sailors onboard the USS Pennsylvania cheer as they approach New York City.
https://i.postimg.cc/yNg0Kkxz/EXBJBNRXg-AAel93.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Latona (United Kingdom) The barquentine foundered in the Atlantic Ocean 17 nautical miles (31 km) west of Tory Island, County Donegal. Her crew were rescued.

[Texas Red]

Dang it, Jimbuna! Always beating me to the punch! :haha: :arrgh!:

You use the same twitter account, @CenturyAgoToday for this. Lol.

[Jimbuna]

3rd May 1920

Major General Adrian Carton de Wiart (right), chief of the British Mission to Poland, standing next to a Polish pilot during the Polish-Soviet War.
https://i.postimg.cc/QxCWT9X2/EXFNw7x-XYAA6jf4.jpg (https://postimg.cc/KRXzXY3f)

Ship Losses:

Munamar (United States) The passenger ship ran aground on Watling Island, Bahamas. All eighty passengers and crew were rescued by Athenic ( United Kingdom). She was later refloated and beached.Munamar was refloated on 20 May.
Notre Dame d'Arvour (France) The barque came ashore on Wardang Island, South Australia. She was later gutted by fire.
Risør (Norway) The auxiliary schooner caught fire in the Atlantic Ocean (approximately 40°N 68°W and was abandoned. Her crew were rescued by City of Canton ( United Kingdom).

[Jimbuna]

4th May 1920

Awarding of prizes in the Army Essay contest by the Secty. of War, General March, and General Harris.
https://i.postimg.cc/3R2rtjwW/m-RWgb-JNHFt-Ic-Ve-Ybl7y8dr7n-XOT4qw5itir-Rir0rl0.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Joseph Leopold (United States) The four-masted schooner ran aground on the Silver Bank, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the Dominican Republic, and was a total loss.

[Jimbuna]

5th May 1920

Vladimir Lenin, with Leon Trotsky and Lev Kamenev, urging soldiers to fight in the Soviet-Polish War. Poland and Ukraine are currently engaging in an offensive towards Kiev.
https://i.postimg.cc/QtTMzqw5/95840457-2619225831680328-1736392768818774016-n.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Joseph Leopold (United States) The four-masted schooner ran aground on the Silver Bank, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the Dominican Republic, and was a total loss.

[Jimbuna]

6th May 1920

King Albert I of Belgium unveils a memorial to the London Scottish regiment on the road to Messines.
https://i.postimg.cc/Vsr7P2Wx/EXUqqj-JUw-AUQD6.png (https://postimages.org/)

France. "L'Illustration" - riots of May 6, 1920 in occupied Frankfurt.
https://i.postimg.cc/rsxCRXhz/b-SBa-Bi-Hh-LEl-A5zs-Bg-PEOn2kgv-Va-Ra-Sf1v1-J2gb0-ZTa-Y.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Sunshine (United Kingdom) The schooner struck a sunken wreck at Zeebrugge, West Flanders, Belgium and sank. Her crew were rescued.

[Jimbuna]

7th May 1920

The USSR recognizes Georgia's independence.

Polish and Ukrainian troops capture the capital city of Kiev from Soviet forces. Polish troops marching in Kiev.
https://i.postimg.cc/FzVcg6RD/EXZ0-NEFWs-AM3l-Oa.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Olinda (United States) The cargo ship ran aground off Manati, Cuba. She was refloated on 14 April.

[Jimbuna]

8th May 1920

Aviation: Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the German Army's air service, the "Luftstreitkräfte", is dissolved. Germany will not have a military air service again until the establishment of the German Air Force, the "Luftwaffe", in February 1935.

Franklin D Roosevelt and his daughter Anna with their dog on the way to a dog show of the Washington Kennel Club.
https://i.postimg.cc/MK3k2v45/EXfn-I0x-Xs-AA5-ZJO.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

9th May 1920

"Settling scores" (Petit Journal cover)
https://i.postimg.cc/zXL4QfxK/pt78omhdppx41.jpg (https://postimg.cc/2VDHbCRS)

Ship Losses:

Harlsywood (United Kingdom) The cargo ship ran aground at Melilla, Spain. She was refloated on 25 May.
Merkur )Finland) The cargo ship collided with Castro Alen ( Spain) in the Bristol Channel off Barry, Glamorgan, United Kingdom and sank. Her crew were rescued by a pilot cutter. Salvage efforts were abandoned in September 1920.
USAT Northern Pacific (United States) The United States Army troopship ran aground on Collnas Shoal at the entrance to the harbour at San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was refloated and underway again the next day.
Windrush (United States) The barque collided with Buenos Aires ( Spain) in the Atlantic Ocean 1,000 nautical miles (1,900 km) east of Sandy Hook, New Jersey and sank with the loss of five crew.

[Jimbuna]

10th May 1920

Tibermede (United Kingdom) The cargo ship ran aground near the Cabo Carvoeiro Lighthouse, Portugal. Her crew were rescued; the ship was declared a total loss.

[Jimbuna]

11th May 1920

British politician Sir Oswald Mosley (and future leader of the British Union of Fascists) marries Lady Cynthia Blanche Curzon.
https://i.postimg.cc/HsNs3mqh/EXuai-E2-Wk-AA98n-T.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

First NSDAP advertising posters in Munich. Call for the public party rally on May 11, 1920. Speaker: Adolf Hitler
https://i.postimg.cc/hv5gC85d/EXuai-E2-Wk-AA98n-T.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Shusana (United States) The 49-gross register ton, 79.8-foot (24.3 m) sternwheel paddle steamer was wrecked on the Tanana River near Nenana Territory of Alaska. All 11 people on board survived.

[Jimbuna]

12th May 1920

Lenin in Moscow saluting to the graduates of the First Moscow Soviet Machine-gun courses.
https://i.postimg.cc/W4r0vD5k/EXzk-Itm-Xk-AAb-Tyz.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Italian battleship Francesco Caracciolo is launched; however, the battleship is never finished due to budgetary issues.
https://i.postimg.cc/sXr7DVL0/EXz-ql-X0-AUOw-Dl.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Lake Stobi (United States) The Design 1099 cargo ship ran aground off the Koshiki Lighthouse, Gotō Islands, Japan and was wrecked.

[Jimbuna]

13th May 1920

La Targette, France (French military cemetery)
https://i.postimg.cc/x89kXz7N/qpro6b8e6iy41.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Florence Thurlow (United States) The schooner collided with Laramie ( United States) off New York and was abandoned. Her crew were rescued by Laramie.
RIMS Mayo (Royal Navy) The Royal Indian Marine transport collided with Arankola ( United Kingdom) at Rangoon and was run ashore. She became a total loss.

[Jimbuna]

14th May 1920

"The Red Army of the Republic of Soviets. Photographs collected in Moscow by our special envoy, Mr. Albert Londres".
https://i.postimg.cc/8zQV7nh9/4uzh82qjqpy41.jpg (https://postimg.cc/vczKjh2t)

[Jimbuna]

15th May 1920

Officers and crew of the USS Minneapolis, a U.S. Navy Columbia-class cruiser.
https://i.postimg.cc/L692cdnm/h-BA65160-C.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

The execution of four Frenchmen in Vincennes, charged for denouncing others to the Germans during the Great War.
https://i.postimg.cc/s2hrYs04/h-BA65160-C.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Padouk (United Kingdom) The barque ran aground 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) off Bassein, Burma. Her crew abandoned ship in the lifeboats.
Tenzan Maru (Japan) The cargo ship departed Montevideo, Uruguay for Antwerp, Belgium. No further trace, presumed foundered with the loss of all hands.

[Jimbuna]

16th May 1920

Maria Bochkareva, Russian soldier who led the Women’s Battalion of Death during the Great War, is executed by the Bolsheviks.
https://i.postimg.cc/MT77K1TB/EYIKait-Wo-AADZAK.jpg (https://postimg.cc/HcLc6cbW)

Defense Forces Anniversary Parade at Senate Square, Helsinki.
https://i.postimg.cc/m22YBzGc/EYIKait-Wo-AADZAK.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Lake Grafton (United States) The Design 1093 cargo ship ran aground on the Runnel Stone, off the coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom and was wrecked. Her crew were rescued.

[Jimbuna]

17th May 1920

French and Belgian troops leave the cities they have occupied in Germany.

Ship Losses:

Clewbay (United Kingdom) The cargo ship ran aground on the west coast of Mutton Island, County Galway. She was refloated on 2 June.

[Jimbuna]

18th May 1920

A public reception for Edward, Prince of Wales, in Dunedin, New Zealand.
https://i.postimg.cc/k5RJ1ZBm/EYTU1z-VWs-AIq-ELO.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

HSwMS Laxen (Swedish Navy) The submarine sank at Karlskrona, Sweden.

[Jimbuna]

19th May 1920

The Military Cross is awarded to the city of Ypres, accepted by the Mayor of Ypres on the right. Field Marshal Lord John French and King Albert I are on the left.
https://i.postimg.cc/x8gJzDLL/EYXn-Rq7-XQAIvrmh.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

20th May 1920

A diver beginning his descent into the water.
https://i.postimg.cc/rmmQgPXT/EYYelwn-XQAIbx6-K.png (https://postimages.org/)

U.S. Army recruiters during a parade in Washington D.C.
https://i.postimg.cc/D04534wY/EYda-O-w-Xs-AIt9-Ei.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

21st May 1920

American soldiers in the Panama Canal zone engaging in an alligator hunt.
https://i.postimg.cc/L8Cn1Z00/EYi-cfv-XQAM3-Cw8.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Deposed Mexican President Venustiano Carranza is assassinated (possibly a suicide) after fleeing Mexico City.
https://i.postimg.cc/zfy3SXsD/EYh6c2f-XQAA8jv-T.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Lester (United States) The sternwheel paddle steamer was lost at Fairbanks, Territory of Alaska.

[Jimbuna]

22nd May 1920

A burial for sailors lost during World War I in Arlington National Cemetery.
https://i.postimg.cc/cC3QGFzV/2c9q0lbtt8051.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Cordora (United Kingdom) The passenger ship caught fire in the Indian Ocean off Socotra and was abandoned. Her crew were rescued by Umtata ( United Kingdom).
Manoussis (Greece) The cargo ship ran aground on the Carromeiro Rocks, off Corcubión, A Coruña, Spain and was a total loss.
Tafna (United Kingdom) The cargo ship ran aground in the Tunas Channel, Cuba. She was refloated on 26 May.

[Jimbuna]

23rd May 1920

Former Austro-Hungarian field marshal Svetozar Boroević, who distinguished himself defending against Italian offensives at the Isonzo during the Great War, has passed away.
https://i.postimg.cc/dV9YRJxk/EYtg-Mdn-XQAQt-Ji-H.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

French President Paul Deschanel falls out of his presidential train, suffering minor injuries. (His eccentric and strange behaviors lead to his resignation in September).
https://i.postimg.cc/fW0Q2cPh/EYs24ia-Xg-AM7-BZb.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

"Search for treasures submerged during the war. The value of ships sunk by German mines and submarines is estimated at 50 billion"
https://i.postimg.cc/pTw4bSSM/umgn2ukgjh051.jpg (https://postimg.cc/wyk0DwHw)

Ship Losses:

Lurcher (United Kingdom) The cargo liner ran aground 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) south Portpatrick, Wigtownshire. All 53 passengers were taken off.
Mina (Soviet Navy Red Movement) Polish-Soviet War: The minesweeper was sunk on the Pripyat river at Pripyat by mines.

[Jimbuna]

24th May 1920

American soldiers off the coast of Panama on a shark-hunting expedition.
https://i.postimg.cc/nVkbLg2V/EYy-Abod-Wo-AETf-SV.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

John W. Wood (United Kingdom) The schooner was rammed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by Lake Elsah ( United States). Her crew were rescued.
Wasa (United Kingdom) The cargo ship caught fire off Colonsay, Inner Hebrides and was a total loss. Four of her crew were killed.

[Jimbuna]

25th May 1920

The Ganja Revolt breaks out in Ganja, Azerbaijan against the Sovietization of the country, but the revolt is crushed by Soviet forces in the following days. Soviet troops on an armored train in Azerbaijan.
https://i.postimg.cc/Njfz6dxk/EY3zn4-QXQAAlk-Zo.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

An American soldier patrolling the Mexican-American border. Due to the instability caused by the Mexican Revolution, there have been several border raids in the past few years.
https://i.postimg.cc/XYHDQ9HS/EY3-KID1-XQAEq-ORM.png (https://postimages.org/)

Ship Losses:

Albertus (Germany) The cargo ship came ashore at Hustadvika, Norway and was a total loss.
Equity (United Kingdom) The cargo ship ran aground in fog on Alderney, Channel Islands carrying a cargo of potatoes from Jersey. She was refloated on 15 June.
Leota (United States) The 36-gross register ton steamer was crushed by ice during the spring ice breakup while laid up on the bank of a river for the winter of 1919–1920 near Fairbanks, Territory of Alaska.
USFS Osprey (United States Bureau of Fisheries) While beached at Cordova, Territory of Alaska, to have her hull cleaned and copper painted, the fishery patrol vessel settled into the gravel on the beach, rolled away from the shore onto her side, filled with water, and became partially submerged. She was refloated and returned to service.

[Jimbuna]

27th May 1920

Ship Losses:

Deva (United States) The cargo ship caught fire at Faial Island, Azores, Portugal and was beached.
Dunleith (United Kingdom) The cargo ship ran aground at Proudfoot, Caithness. Her crew were rescued. She was refloated on 2 June.

[Jimbuna]

28th May 1920

The bodies of 138 American marines who were buried in Brest, France during the Great War returns to New York.
https://i.postimg.cc/c4tdkhWR/EZHQRHv-XQAUv0i-C.png (https://postimages.org/)

HMAS Sydney at the fleet review in Port Phillip, Australia during the Prince of Wales’s visit to the country.
https://i.postimg.cc/MpyqqGvX/EZHQRHv-XQAUv0i-C.png (https://postimages.org/)