[Sailor Steve]

Monday, March 3, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE
Day 35

M Pichon's hotel suite, Quai d’Orsay, 15:00


1. M Clemenceau opens the meeting asking if the Powers are ready to nominate their delegates for the Financial and Economic Commissions. Mr Lansing, speaking for the United States, asked for a day’s delay. It is noted that the names of the delegates should be communicated to the Secretary-General and that the Commissions should meet immediately, without awaiting the nomination of all the members.


2. Marshal Foch reads a short statement summarizing the report of the Military Commission, covering the Military and Aerial Statutes of Germany.

1) Strength:

A) The land forces of Germany shall not exceed a strength of 200,000 men (officers not included)—that the number of officers and those assimilated from the land forces shall not exceed 9,000;

B) The air forces shall not exceed 1,000 men (officers included) and these forces shall not be maintained after October 1st, 1919.

2) Staffing of large units:

Maximum number of the large units and staffs for the above strength at 15 Infantry divisions and 5 Cavalry divisions, 5 Army Corps HQ and one Army HQ.

3) Recruitment:

The principle of permanent armies is applied to the officers and to the non-commissioned officers of the land forces; they are recruited voluntarily under the obligation to serve a long term, i.e. 25 years for the officers and 15 years for the non-commissioned officers.

The men of the land forces are, on the contrary, taken exclusively in each class of recruiting by drawing numbers, or by any other method chosen by Germany, under the reserve:

A) The total length of these men’s service shall not exceed one year and that the service shall be continuous;

B) The number of trained men, in each class of recruiting shall not exceed 180,000.

(The British Delegation interjects the opinion that they would have preferred a long-term volunteer service, but they accept the above terms so a quick decision may be arrived at.)

4) Armament, War Machines and Ammunition:

Sufficient supplies of these are to be allowed according to the needs of an army of 200,000 men, as indicated in Paragraph 2, taking as a basis the armament of the German divisions shortly before the armistice.

All armament, war machines and ammunition over those amounts are to be handed over to the Allies to be destroyed or rendered useless.

5) Controlling Measures:

A) A Committee of Control is to be established to oversee all of this, and is only to function until the League of Nations is in a position to take over these operations.

Mr Balfour says that there are probably points on which all the Military experts are not agreed. M Clemenceau says there is one. Mr Balfour states that he would like the time to go over the entire document with his own military advisers. Marshal Foch says that all the Delegates had reached a unanimous decision, with the one exception of the British Delegation's desire for a voluntary enlistment system. This, however, had not been pressed, which gave the appearance of unanimous agreement.

B) Baron Sonnino asks if the Military Committees had made any recommendations on the disarmament of Austria-Hungary. Marshal Foch says he has prepared a report on this matter.

C) Marshal Foch says that talks with the Germans should take place by April 1st at the latest. He would actually like to start these talks by March 20th. Mr House says that since the Committees had not been required to submit their reports until March 8th, it might be best to wait until Mr Lloyd George and President Wilson had returned to Paris. Lord Milner points out that two of the Commissions had not been required to submit their reports until March 15th.

Mr Balfour says he had only received the resolutions on the previous day. There are certain large questions which do not exclusively affect one or other of the fighting services. There is one question which might be discussed immediately, the question of the period during which the various proposals were to be enforced. The Aviation authorities wish to enforce their terms until the final conclusion of peace. The Naval authorities wish to enforce theirs until Germany has fulfilled all the terms of the armistice. The Military authorities wish to enforce theirs for all time. It might be desirable, therefore, to discuss the principle here and now in the Council.

D) Duration of terms to be imposed on Germany:

Mr Balfour points out that due to the differing time limits from the different services nothing can be done until an agreement is reached concerning how long the conditions are to last. They can't tell the Germans three different time periods, one for each service.

Lord Milner says he understands from the notes of the discussions on February 12th that President Wilson and Mr Balfour both desire that the terms have no time limits, and be required to last forever. Mr Balfour says this point needs to be cleared up by the Council without further delay. M Clemenceau proposes that this be discussed further in the meeting on the following Thursday. He also says it is his impression that all conditions are to remain in force until the League of Nations takes over from the Peace Council and makes new arrangements.

It is agreed that these discussions be postponed until Thursday. It is also agreed that the three Military Committees need to meet and come to some agreement among themselves on a time limit for the Disarmament Terms.

It is also brought up that the case of Montenegro needs to be heard, and this is placed on the agenda. The meeting is then adjourned.