File No. 763.72Su/23
The Diplomatic Liaison Officer with the Supreme War Council ( Frazier) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 24, 4.11 a.m.]
11. The French Minister for Foreign Affairs sent for me this morning and showed me a telegram just received from Mr. Jusserand which I saw at a glance embodied the President’s note as communicated to the Embassy in Department’s telegram No. 3197 of the 18th instant.1 The Minister for Foreign Affairs said he could not understand the objection of the President to the resolution of the Supreme War Council of February 2, as the latter had expressed practically the same sentiments in his address to Congress of the 11th instant. I repeated to him the communication which I was instructed in the Department’s No. 3149, February 5,2 to make to the military representatives at Versailles; it was plain that he saw the force of the argument but he stated that it would be very dangerous if the Central Powers thought that the Allies were divided in matters of policy. I replied that this danger could be obviated in the future by submitting resolutions to the President for his approval in advance of their publication or by an explicit statement that they represented the views of only such of the Allies as had political or diplomatic representative present.
[Page 133]The Minister for Foreign Affairs said he had no idea when the next meeting of the political representatives of the Supreme War Council would take place but thought, in deference to the wishes of Mr. Lloyd George, the meeting would be held in London.
The contents of this telegram are known to myself only.