Source: Bliss, Personal Correspondence, Box 244, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Gen Hines of the War Department starts for Washington this evening and says he will gladly take you this letter and see you in person. I enclose two or three photos recently taken by the Signal Corps photographer. There are a number of others of which I shall have 6 dozen in a few days. Then I'll send part of them to you and you can, if you will please do so, send some to the different ones of my family. I hope by this time my oil painting, which went with the luggage of the President, will have reached you. I am anxious to know how you like it. It has to be looked at from a distance of at least 15 feet. The other one which is still here and which is to go to the War Department, has been framed by the Red Cross with a magnificent carved frame costing F. 4700. There is still another one of the Military Representatives. I hope to send you photos of these shortly. Those, together with Mr. Chase's portrait for the W.D., a life-mask taken a few days ago for the W.D., and Mr. Davidson's bust (which is really very good) sufficiently preserve my lineaments! I asked Mr. Davidson what he would charge me for a copy of the bust in bronze. He said "2,000". I said "that lets me out." Last Saturday night I dined at the British Embassy to meet the Prince of Wales. About 60 guests were there. Most of them wore gorgeous decorations and orders. All men, except the Countess of Derby. A brilliant reception followed. A great many of the old French families were represented. I met Lady Hood who has come over with her children from London. She asked me to dine next Monday night, March 3. I have been swamped with committee work. I am on a committee - Marshal Foch is President of it - to prepare the final military terms of peace with Germany. It has been one continuous fight. I made reservations against what the French regard as a sine qua non condition, viz. Perpetual military occupation of Germany under the guise of a great military commission. It would mean that the United States might be dragged into war over any trivial dispute 10 years from now. I know that our Senate will not stand for it and I told the Marshal that it was silly for him to expect me to agree to it when it would do no good if the Senate rejected it. He said he would not submit any report to which I made any reservation because that would give me the right to oppose it before the Supreme Council. I told him I would enter a reservation because that would give me the right to oppose it before the Supreme Council. I told him I would enter a reservation against anything that I thought was radically wrong. Today he has receded and we have agreed on a draft. It remains to be seen what the rest of the committee will do. But I think they will do anything he wishes. Yesterday Mr. Balfour asked me to be present with the Supreme Council when they discussed the Polish situation, involving the question whether American troops would go there. I wish
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they had given me an opportunity to speak on that point. I can think of nothing more insane than to ask the United States to send its troops on another war before we have finished this one. But they found that they had not received a lot of data they needed for the discussion and I had no occasion to speak. I am beginning to think that the world is in for another 30 years war. This one really began in 1911 and so 7 years of it are gone. The 'submerged nations' are coming to the surface and as soon as they appear, they fly at somebody's throat. They are like mosquitoes - vicious from the moment of their birth. All their energies are devoted to raising armies and all begging the United States for troops, for money, for arms and what not. I wish we could withdraw, gag and baggage and leave them to themselves. It looks as though the French were at last ready to listen to reason about their 'Reparation and Indemnity' claims. I think the reason is that they are beginning to fear that if they don't settle the matter quickly they will get nothing. I think that we are approaching a grave crisis. The military peace terms on which Marshal Foch and I agreed today are necessarily drastic. But we must have a 'show-down' right away. We must know whether the Germans or we are to impose the final terms. But the long and intolerable delay has played into the German's hands. I think they may decline to sign. I doubt if they will fight. But they may allow occupation of their country and lit it go Bolshevik. Then Europe will go Bolshevik. But, as old Homer says "Tanta theon en gounasi keitai" - '"these things lie on the knees of the gods." Now, sweetheart, I must say good night for Gen. Hines is here for the letter.
P.S. Mr. Lansing is quite an artist. At the conference meetings he amuses himself with making pencil sketches such as I enclose and dropping them on the floor when made. I have picked up a number and here they are.