Paris Peace Conf. 184/35a: Telegram
The Commission to Negotiate Peace to the Acting Secretary of State
1. From Grew. In building up an organization for the American Commission to Negotiate Peace in order that the Commission upon arrival may be in a position to enter unhandicapped upon its proper functions, I have with Colonel House’s approval availed myself of the offer of the Army and the Navy to place at our disposal the personnel necessary to supplement those coming from the United States. This organization is now nearly perfected and includes the following divisions or bureaus each under a chief responsible either directly to the Commissioners Plenipotentiary, or to the Secretary, or to one of the Assistant Secretaries, who in turn will be responsible to the Commissioners:
- (1)
- The “Inquiry.”
- (2)
- The Technical Advisors.
- (3)
- The Secretariat, including the keeping of the minutes of the Conferences, expert drafting, files, registry, indexing, routing, receiving and dispatching mail, coding, transmission, answering general correspondence, et cetera.
- (4)
- Publicity and distribution of information, printing, et cetera.
- (5)
- Political and Economic Intelligence, including editing of daily bulletin.
- (6)
- Negative Intelligence, including counter-espionage and protection.
- (7)
- Executive Offices including personnel, assignment of rooms and offices, hotel management, supplies, courier service, upkeep of buildings, et cetera.
- (8)
- Disbursing Office.
- (9)
- Ceremonial office, including the receipt, distribution and return of visiting cards, formal calls, entertainments, invitations, precedence, et cetera.
- (10)
- Liaison and Diplomatic Intelligence, including liaison with General Headquarters American Expeditionary Force, Commanding General in Paris, French Government, Diplomatic Corps, Foreign Peace Commissions, American civilian activities, Representatives of newly formed governments, et cetera.
- (11)
- Medical Staff.
Up to the present we have for this purpose drawn upon the Army and Navy for a considerable number of officers, especially fitted for the particular duties allotted to them, who have been temporarily assigned to the Commission and who have necessarily been quartered provisionally in the Hotel Crillon as other quarters in Paris are practically unobtainable. Rooms in the Crillon have already been assigned to all of the persons listed in the Department’s 75, November 26, 7 p.m., and 92, November 29, 5 p.m., as well as to Colonel and Mrs. House, General Bliss and staff, including several officers and assistants, Admiral and Mrs. Benson and the Admiral’s staff, Major General Kernan and staff (at the request of General Bliss) and General McKinstry, and to the Secret Service men accompanying the President. AH of the foregoing officials have also been assigned offices either in the Hotel Crillon or in the buildings at 4 Place de la Concorde or 3 Rue Royale mentioned in my 200, November 29th,36 to which no reply has yet been received from the Department, and to which I request an early answer. Today 8 officers from the Military Intelligence Division of the War Department under Captain Pier have reported to me under instructions from General Bliss and they inform me that 6 more are soon to arrive and that General Churchill is coming with 5 more, making in all 20 officers. I have received no instructions whatever regarding the assignment of these officers to the Commission and am considerably embarrassed by their unannounced arrival, having already proceeded with the organization of our political intelligence [Page 180] section by drawing upon the personnel already in Europe according to the plans elaborated in Colonel House’s 99 approved by the Department’s 36.37 In view of General Bliss’ request that they should be quartered with the Commission I have provisionally assigned rooms to them at the Crillon and office space at 4 Place de la Concorde. Please instruct me further in the premises.
As matters now stand we are in a position to offer the Commissioners Plenipotentiary on the day of their arrival every possible facility which could have been foreseen. However the offices in the two buildings at 4 Place de la Concorde and 3 Rue Royale have now all been allotted and the available bedrooms, salons and offices in the Hotel Crillon will not permit us to expand much further unless we oblige some of the officers assigned to us to find accommodations elsewhere which is now practically impossible in Paris. I cannot foresee until the Commission arrives and enters upon its work whether further expansion will be necessary but should this prove to be the case we shall be obliged to endeavor to requisition another small hotel in the vicinity.
All of these steps have been taken after consultation with and approval by Colonel House.