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

436 INTIMATE PAPERS OF COLONEL HOUSE

States to come in on their side, he said, "Nobody but a damn
fool could think it would not be of benefit to us, and I am
surprised that any Englishman could question it." This
was apropos of the editorial I showed him from the St.
James Gazette, and of conversations I had had with some of
his countrymen.
'He said, "God forbid that any nation should come into
such a war," and he asked me to say to the President that he
did not want him to think that Great Britain either made
the request or had a desire for us to enter, but if we considered it necessary to do so, in his opinion it would greatly
shorten the war and would save innumerable lives, not only
of the Allies, but of the Germans as well.
'He said the war was one of attrition and the moment we
entered, the Germans, unless they were totally mad, would
know that the end was a certainty and would endeavor to
make the best terms they could. It was a case of a mad dog
turned loose, and every one trying to do his share toward
stopping him. If we entered, and I would let him know, he
would at once put his mind upon the problem and would aid
us not only as to organization but in any other way we desired. He paid a magnificent tribute to American valor and
said: "With American troops joined with the British, we
will not need French troops on the West Front, but can
keep them as a reserve."
'He has 2,200,000 men under arms, and of these 500,000
are now in France and 650,000 are ready to go the moment
they are needed. In addition, there are 120,000 in the Dardanelles. He spoke of the army and the war as if it were his
army and his war, and very much as a monarch would speak.
'We talked for the best part of an hour, although I tried to
leave repeatedly because I knew how busy he must be and
how valuable his time was to his country. When I got up to
leave, he arose, but continued to walk up and down the room
and talk. He repeated time and again that the war would