The intimate papers of Colonel House arranged as a narrative by Charles Seymour.

FRENCH IDEA OF THE PRESIDENT

417

Colonel House to Secretary Bryan
PARIS, April 15, 1915
DEAR MR. BRYAN:... Everybody seems to want peace, but nobody is willing
to concede enough to get it. They all also say that they
desire a permanent settlement so that no such disaster may
occur hereafter, but, again, there is such a divergence of
ideas as to how this should be brought about that for the
moment it is impossible to harmonize the differences.
Germany is not willing to evacuate Belgium at all, nor
even France, without an indemnity, and Count von Bernstorff's suggestion that this could be arranged was wide
afield. The Allies, of course, will not consent to anything
less; and there the situation rests.
With warm regards and good wishes for Mrs. Bryan and
you, I am
Faithfully yours
E. M. HOUSE
'April 16, 1915: I can see from my interviews [wrote
House], not only with Delcasse and Poincar6 but with others,
that I would have made a mistake if I had attempted to talk
peace at this time. France as a whole has an idea that the
President is not altogether in sympathy with the Allies and
that he is inclined to be pro-German, and that it is for that
reason he has tried to push peace measures and in order to
save Germany's face. It is very discouraging to have to talk
to intelligent people and argue with them about such a
matter, but that is what I have to do.
'Another impression they have here is that the President
is catering to the pro-German vote. I explain to them that
a man of the President's intelligence would hardly cater to
fifteen per cent of the American vote in order to lose eightyfive per cent of it. This they had never thought of. In fact,
it seems to me they do not think much at all.