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8. The King of Italy Visits the President
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277 8 The King of Italy Visits the President. The Sorbonne Speech. I Go to Church with Commissioner Henry White. Lansing’s Definition of a League of Nations. DECEMBER 19 The King of Italy arrived today in Paris, but there was no such crowd to greet him as greeted the President. At the President’s request I brought my report on Italy down to date so that he could have it in hand when the Italian delegation called. Admiral Grayson29 told me that when the King arrived at the Murat Palace —which is extremely grand—he looked around him and said to the President: “My God, I can’t give you anything like this when you come to Italy!” We had the first conference of newspaper correspondents at 12:30 with the Commissioners in Secretary Lansing’s reception room. At 3:30 I had a conference with Secretary Lansing, and we outlined my plan of work. I have been given offices at No. 4 Place de la Concorde and am very busy getting the rooms into shape, and employing an assistant and secretarial help. DECEMBER 20 Never busier in my life—getting the new publicity department underway. 10:30 conference with correspondents. Busy all day with conferences. I have plenty of trouble in store for me—with several score of American newspaper correspondents accredited to my department. I know them well, their utter insatiability, and the impossibility of living with them at all unless they trust you. Dined with Rogers and Merz. 29. Cary T. Grayson (1878–1938) was an American naval officer who served as personal physician to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson. 278 | The Paris Peace Conference One thing I have insisted upon in connection with this work—I raised the subject specially with the President and later with Colonel House—and that is that I shall be admitted entirely and completely into the confidence of the Commission and know all that is going on inside. This is not because it is necessary to pass on all this information to the correspondents—that can be decided as the problems arise—but because I myself must know in order to be an intelligent servant. I shall and must insist upon this reasonable demand as a part of my agreement to try out the position. DECEMBER 21 Colonel House’s work with Lord Northcliffe begins to bear fruit. The interview —and it is a good one—with Wilson appears in The Herald. And Lord Northcliffe himself is out with a strong interview in favor of open conferences at the peace table. Good! He is a powerful convert. League of Nations meetings , Northcliffe says, are going forward all over the world. This is a hopeful sign. One must have faith in the best of human beings. I live by it. Very busy settling matters regarding our new news bureau. Conference with Commission at 10:30. To somewhat hasty interviews with George Creel, and conferences with the committee appointed by the new organization of newspaper correspondents, of which Richard Oulahan30 is chairman. The President made a great speech today at the Sorbonne. It was wholly extemporaneous—and for a very interesting reason. The Rector’s speech was sent over here in good time for the President to read in advance. A stupid clerk threw it in the waste basket, so the President went without knowing what the Rector was to say, but his reply nevertheless was an apt response. He said some fine things—which I hope will prove truly prophetic: “There is a great wind of moral force moving through the world, and every man who opposes himself to that wind will go down in disgrace. The task of those who are gathered here, or will presently be gathered here, to make the settlements of this peace is greatly simplified by the fact that they are masters of no one; they are the servants of mankind, and if we do not heed the mandates of mankind we shall make ourselves the most conspicuous and deserved failures in the history of the world.” All the preparations are going forward for the President’s visit to the army 30. Richard Oulahan was a New York Times reporter. [52.90.235.91] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 08:31 GMT) The King of Italy Visits the President | 279 headquarters for the Christmas holidays. It will be a great celebration. The entire delegation of newspaper correspondents met today...