CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
RETURNING FROM OUR eye-opening tour of the battlefields, the President resumed his labours to speed the work on the Treaty. He still hoped to get things far enough along to obviate the necessity of a second trip to Paris following his return home for the closing of Congress in March, 1919. As the days rolled on this became a vain hope. So we made plans to go, calculating on an absence of a little more than three weeks, allowing nine days for the trip each way and seven days in the United States.
This brought to my husband's mind the question of who should be in charge of the United States delegation during this absence. Mr. Lansing was next in official rank, but by this time the President had begun to feel that the Secretary of State was not in sympathy with the League of Nations ideal. At one time Mr. Wilson considered asking Mr, Lansing to resign. He discussed this with Colonel House and with me. There were many reasons against such a course. The disruption might hinder rather than help. In the end Mr. Lansing was not asked to resign. It was decided that he should remain as the titular ad interim head of the American Commission, though the actual authority should be in the hands of Colonel House.
Up to this time, Colonel House had been of inestimable help to the President. He had worked with and for him. But the one thing which had disturbed me was that Colonel House so seldom disagreed with my husband. Of this I had spoken to Woodrow, saying: "It seems to me that it is impossible for two persons always to think alike, and while I like Colonel House immensely, I find him absolutely colourless and a 'yes, yes' man." My husband said: "No, I don't think that is altogether true. You forget that it is my constitutional duty to formulate policies and take the responsibility for them. House thinks straight, and can gather public
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