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

392 INTIMATE PAPERS OF COLONEL HOUSE

about the blockade of Germany. I have as yet no official
information.
The Chancellor is not boss now. Von Tirpitz and Falkenhayn (Chief of Staff) have more influence, especially as the
Chancellor bores the Emperor, and there are great intrigues
going on among all these conflicting authorities. The people
who were in favor of accepting a reasonable peace proposal
were, strange to say, the military general staff end, and it
was von Tirpitz who did not want our last proposals accepted.ll...
I hate to write in these spy times and do most earnestly
hope you are coming soon, or, if you are going to Italy, I will
run down and report to you there if you want....
Ever yours
JAMES W. GERARD
'March 7, 1915 [conference with Grey]: We both think the
time has come for me to go to Germany. I have decided to
go via France, and I asked his opinion as to whether I should
see Delcasse. At first he thought not. He said Delcasse was
decidedly of the opinion, when he was here, that it was no
time for peace parleys, and he did not believe he had changed
this point of view. I was afraid he would consider it a discourtesy if I did not see him. Looking at it from that viewpoint, Grey thought I was right and it would be best to see
him, though he cautioned me to be guarded in what I said.
I assured him he need have no fear of my being indiscreet.
'Grey thought France would insist upon Alsace-Lorraine. The French believe the Allies will win and that they
can impose terms of peace upon Germany; later, perhaps,
they would find that to impose peace conditions upon Germany would necessitate continuing the war for a number of
1 The United States proposed that Germany should give up the submarine war zone around Great Britain, provided the British relinquished
the food blockade.