763.72119/8216½
The French Ambassador (Jusserand) to the Secretary of State
My Dear Mr. Secretary: As agreed this morning, I am sending you herewith a brief summary of what I said, commending it to your most serious and friendly attention.
My Government who has every reason to count on American goodwill, considers that the departure at the present juncture of the American delegation in Paris would have a deplorable effect. The fact that [Page 674] the treaty is held here in abeyance, its fate being doubtful, and no action having been taken with the French one, has awakened among the Germans the hope that our intimacy and therefore our force is on the wane. The ratifications which were to be exchanged by us with them on December first have been postponed by them and new and unexpected objections raised to our requests for a strict observance of the clauses of the armistice.
If now, when important questions remain to be solved, and will be in a short time, your delegates were to shake the dust of France off their feet the Germans would feel still more encouraged, and your allies the reverse.
There are more than one question the solving of which may be delayed and for which there would be no need for your delegates to stay: the Russian, the Turkish or even the Italo-Adriatic ones. But others, of the gravest import, will be settled in a few days, and no one would understand our being left before that moment. Of that number are, the exchange of ratifications with Germany which will mark the real beginning of the peace; the signing, which seems imminent, of the Austrian and Bulgarian treaties, by the Serbs and the Roumanians, the signing of the Hungarian treaty greatly desired by the American delegation: a new democratic Government has been established in Hungary; its delegates are soon expected in Paris and no difficulties are foreseen.
A brief delay would surely suffice for all this work, and the continued presence of your representatives would cause the enemy to understand that they vainly hoped that there was any friction between us and they could take advantage thereof. They would cease to refuse for instance, handing to us for judgment those men whose names we know, who captured some honorable French girls and sent them away to be used as white slaves. No worse crime can be imagined.
My Government cannot believe that, when you have done so much with such splendid effect, this little supplementary help will be denied us and it wants me to beseech you to grant it. “No one in France, my telegram reads, where the gratitude is profound towards the United States as well as the trust in them, would understand their failing at this juncture the cause which they have so nobly defended”.
Hoping that you will see your way to grant us a favor which I solicit in the most earnest fashion, I beg you to believe me, my dear Mr. Secretary,
Most sincerely yours,