[Sailor Steve]

Thursday, March 6, 1919

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE
Day 37

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


1. Mr House hands in the Draft Resolution of Instructions for the Commissions and Committees whose reports are due on March 8th and 15th.


2. Mr Lloyd George announces that he has just received a telephone call from Spa telling him that negotiations relating to the supply of food and stores to Germany and the surrender of merchant ships by Germany has broken off. Germany has refused to surrender any ships until a firm guarantee of food supply has been received. The Allied Delegates refused to accept this demand and will report directly to the Council tomorrow.


3. Marshal Foch reports that he has assembled the combined military, naval and aerial experts to work together as instructed on March 3rd. This leads to a long discussion on the subject of how Germany's ability to wage war is to be restricted while still allowing them to maintain a 200,000-man army. Marshal Foch says that his plan is to let Germany recruit that many men every year but only allow them to serve one year. Mr Lloyd George says that with this plan Germany would have two million men trained for war in ten years. Mr Lansing points out that there are already two or three million trained soldiers in Germany, which makes the question not one of men but of disarmament. The solution is to make sure Germany surrenders the specified arms and armament.

Mr Lloyd George says that this will still lead to Germany's army increasing by 200,000 men every year, so that in twenty years they might muster four million men. It is his opinion that Germany must not be allowed to have a larger army than Britain.

Marshal Foch points out that this was the plan the combined military experts had come up with, and they were all agreed it is the best plan. Mr Lloyd George responds that this is not just a military question, but also a political one, and that heads of government should be able to express their views. M Clemenceau agrees, and states that the subject should be postponed until the British Delegates are able to prepare their own counter-proposal.


4. M Leygues brings up a subject that has been a sticking-point for the French, which is what is to be done with surrendered German warships. The Naval Clause contains the understanding that Germany will hand over warships only if they are subsequently broken up. M Leygues feels that German must by told to hand over ships. What is done with them is the Allies' business alone. This leads to another lengthy discussion concerning the various clauses of the Naval Disarmament plans. By the end of the Meeting most of the clauses have been agreed upon, with some reservations to be discussed later.