The Supreme Control at the Paris Peace Conference 1919 (Routledge Revivals) by Donald Hankey

Author:Donald Hankey [Hankey, Donald]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Military, World War I, Modern, 20th Century, General, World
ISBN: 9781317567561
Google: MPzOBAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2014-10-14T01:24:42+00:00

After Clemenceau had added ‘German Austria’ to President Wilson’s list of urgent questions, Lloyd George, the real originator of the plan, accepted the proposal and expanded a little on ‘reparations’ which was the most difficult question, the only one he thought (prophetically) that was likely to embarrass the Council, and one on which the experts were never likely to reach agreement. He concluded by proposing that the meetings between heads of Governments should take place twice a day, if that was necessary to speed up the Conference, and should begin next day. This was accepted by his colleagues.

Before leaving that historic day (Monday, March 24th) it should be mentioned that at 4 p.m. they, all four of them, appeared at the Council of Ten and with the exception of Lloyd George, who left the presentation of British interests to Balfour, took some part in the proceedings. But not a hint was dropped about the all-important decision they had just taken, or that the Council of Ten was to be superseded by a Council of Four in the Supreme Control of the Peace Conference. Presumably that information was left to the Heads of Delegations to pass on direct to their deputies, as Lloyd George did in the case of Balfour. But when the meeting ended nothing was said about the date, time, place or agenda of the next meeting of the Council of Ten. Such was the modest and almost furtive inauguration of the famous Council of Four.

At this point, however, it is necessary to mention that three days later the Big Four changed their minds, while assembling for their sixth meeting, and in a short exchange of views decided to set up in addition a Committee of Foreign Ministers of the five Inviting Powers; this came to be known as the Council of Five. Mantoux, in his usually reliable and full notes of this meeting of the Council of Four, does not mention this episode, which probably took place before his arrival. The only official record of it is in the following note, drafted by myself, at the head of the printed minutes of the first meeting of the new Committee of Five on March 27th, after the list of those present and in brackets:

(Note.—This meeting was arranged at short notice at the beginning of a meeting between President Wilson, Mr Lloyd George, Clemenceau and M. Orlando held at 11 a.m. at President Wilson’s house at the Place des États-Unis.)

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