BINDING Vol. V The binding design on this volume is an authorized facsimile the original art binding on the official Polish copy of the Vwswiles P«ce Treaty, which was signed by President Pdsudsk, and Premier Paderewski and deposited .n the Archives Of th« new Govcrrvnent of PoUnd. ^Remnant of to \^ich the British and Canadians clung throughout the war- The famous ao^tVsHal) and Church of St. Martin are in the upper lrfbABL£ SOURCE RECORD OF THE WORLD'S GREAT WAR, EMPHASIZING THE MORE IMPORTANT EVENTS. AND PRESENTING THESE AS COMPLETE NARRATIVES IN THE ACTUAL WORDS OF THE CHIEF OFROALS AND MG6T EMINENT LEADERS ••OW-fAtTmH HOK^MCnOKAl. >Mt«*StCtA«AN PRESENTING DOCUMENTS FROM GOVERNMENT ARCHIVES AND OTHER AUTHORITATIVE SOURCES, WITH OUTLINE NARRATIVES. INDICES. CHRONOLOGIES. AND COURSES OF READING ON 5000. LOGICAL MOVEA«NTS AND INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL ACTTVrTJES EDITOR-IN^CHIEP CHARLES F. HORNE, Ph.D. DIRECTING EDITOR WALTER F. AUSTIN, LL.M. 0'ui a suf ,f tpMuliiU VOLUME F National Copyright, 1923, National Alukhi Printed in U.S. A. CONTENTS VOLUME V— 1917 America Roused at Last An Outline Narrative of Hotv Russia Pell and Western Europe Held the Line Until America Could Come . CHARLES F. KORHB. ! Germany Defies the Neutral Nations (Jan. ji) The Renewal of Unlimited Destruction by U-boals COVnr VOM BBRNSTORFF. C«rmtn AmbMudor if, V. & VON BBTKMANN.HOLLWEG. Ch4iK«ltor of C«riujiy. FRESIDENT WILSON. (he United Sutn. COUNT ROMANONES. Prime MleilMer oi Stmii,. LAURO MULLER. Pordcn l^linfMer o( Brvfl. II The Hindenburg Retreat in France {Feb. 24- Mar. j8) Utter Devastation of the Abandoned Region KARL ROSNER, OAci«l German eye>wl(iw«a. GEORG OUBRL, German partieipani. ^AYBLLE, Pre«id«n« of Prcneh Inveeticitlni C«m> FREDERIC C. FENFIBLO. V. 8. Ambaimdor to Aoetria. ni The Zimmermann War Scheme Exposed (Feb. 28) Germany Urges Mexico and Japan to Attack the United States ALFRED ZIMMERMANN. Foreifn Mmbter of Germany. THEODOR WOLFF, lending German news editor COUNT TERAUCHI. Prime Mioirter of Japan. IV The Fall of Bagdad (March ii) Britain Pierces to the Heart of Asiatic Turkey GASTON BODART. official Teuton invenligalor. MAUDE. British General Jn command. EDMUND CANDLER, official eyt-witnem. VM FACI xiii I 20 4 ^ 48 CONTENTS FACB V Russia Prociaims a Rf(>ub!ic {March JJ-15) Autocracy Disappears front Among the Allies 68 JOHN l>OtLOCK. Brithhdiptomat' n CZAR NICHOLAS II OF RUSSIA. COLONEL STANISLAUS l>e UAZOVERT, Rushan array o«c«r. BORIS BAKHMETCPF. RussiaP Ambaaiador to U. S io 1917. VI The United Slates Extends Us Territory {March 3^) Purchase of the Virgin Isles from Denmark . 93 THEODOR DB BOOV. AmericaB teocnpUeal autbority. RT. RBV, CHARLES CURRIER. Daniah BWio» latT) The Great Canadian Assault on Passchendaele . GENERAL DAVIDSON. Britkh miliurv oUSc. WWF. CennaB Cb« Cennan official observer. SIR DOUGLAS HAIG. BritUi SIR DAVID WATSON. Canadian The Italian Attack on the Isonzo {Aug. 24) The Storming of MonU Santo 243 268 303 X CONTENTS XVIII XIX XX XXI XXII XXIII XXIV Italy's Military Breakdown at Caporetio {Oct. 2i) Germany and Austria Smash the Italian Front . GERMAN OFFICIAL BULLETIN. COUNT CADORNA. ItAJy’c ^eiMraJ la cpnBund. PERCIVAL GIBDQN. Bri(Uli «ye*witnes<. GEORGES CLEMENCEAU. Prime Miaiiur oi Frvice. GENERAL VON CRAMON» Cermaa cenenl with the Aueiilese. Bolskeoism Triumphs in Russia {Nov. 7) Socialism Overthrown by Anarchy and Mob Tyranny NICOLAI LENINE, founder aM leader of Bebbevlem. E. H. WILCOX. British eye-wUocm. Italy's Great Rally on the Piave {Nov. 28) The Heroic Stand which Saved the Nation JOHN BUCHAN. MM«d BriiUh htttorbn. NAlJLaTIVesOF ITALIAN PARTICIPANTS. GENERAL BMILtO CUCLIELMOTTI. ot the lc»Uan Stai. LUIGI VILLARI. lultoa The Surprise Attack at Cambrai {Nov. /p) Byng Leads the British to Victory and a Repulse. SIR A. CONAN DOYLE, noted British author. hlARSHAL HINDBNBURG. Cerioan Commander In Chief. Bolshevist Russia Accepts an Armistice {Dec. 2) Russia's Dismemberment begins at Brest-Litovsi RICHARD VON KUEHLhlANN. Foreian MiaUter of Germany late in l9tL LEON TROTSKY. Foreian UlniMer of Bolsbevlh Rustla. OFFICIAL RUSSIAN AND GERMAN REPORTS. The Conquest oj Jerusalem {Dec. IT) British Troops Win the Holy City . GASTON BODART, ofteial Teuton loveetiaator. C. W. UASTERMAN. Secretary of the firitirli PaleiUne Society. GENERAL SIR EDMUND ALLBNfiY. Brltieh Commander. The Vast Reorganizini oJ America for War The Entire Nation Prepares for Labor and Battle D. F. HOUSTON. U. S. Secretary of Acriculiure DANIEL WILLARD. Chairman. U. & RaUroadr* War Board. GENERAL JOHN PERSHING. U. S. Coaounder in Prance. eaea 315 331 365 386 393 40X 418 ILLUSTRATIONS VOLUME V VpTfs (pQgf g6S) race Frontispiece Official Australian Photof raph. A ShaiUted Relic e 9 % ^ ^ 40 * a a Unitad Sutes Government Pholograph. The Ilclian Disaster at Caporetto • • .1*0 Painting by Thao Matejko. Charge c/ the Tanks at Cambrai . Crayon by Muirbead Boat. ki 1917 AMERICA ROUSED AT LAST AN OUTUNB NARRATIVE OF HOW RUSSIA FELL, AND WESTERN EUROPE HELD THE LINE UNTIL AMERICA CAME BY CHARLES F. UORNC N ot since the opening months of the Great War had there been such varied ups and downs, such wide alternations of confidence and despair, as swept men's minds during the changeful year of 1917. The terrible misery bom of the War, the desolation which it was spreading over the whole of Europe, had gradually raised up against Civilization an- other foe, a survival from the forgotten days of beasthood. an ancient rival more horrible than the specter of German domination. This second hideous monster, which now began to display its growing strength, was Anarchy. Everywhere the Ignorant masses were losing faith in a civilization which brought them only starvation and this seemingly endless slaughter. What wonder if they listened to each trickster, each dreamer, each madman who promised them an easy and immediate escape from the welter of blood in which the ancient civilization seemed perishing! Germany, now in desperate case, sought to Uke advan- tage of the growth of this senseless monster, reborn of igno- rance and despair. Could he not be lured into dealing his •" Germany’s batUe? Germany tho^ught hmdf the nation le«t likely to suffer from mob violeiSe; A^d f"!** ®^dient army could always crush a mob. I ‘he natural antithesis to result from mankind s revulsion against Anarchy? So the German Gov fSTSlil tWn dangerous gamT^^ fe^ng tat a devil-thing m hope of using it By cunning propaganda xiv AN OUTLINE NARRATIVE OF the Germans encouraged anarchy everywhere among their foes : until the new monster had made the desolation of the universe double what it was before. Civilization stumbled as near to destruction from the one beast as from the other ; and in the end Germany also had to suffer from this second monster she had br^. In 1917, however. Anarchy seemed to work wholly in her service. It caused the t>vo great Ally disasters of the year; first, the complete disappearance of the mighty Rus* sian army and collapse of the Russian front ; and second, the temporary crumbling of an Italian army, which almost wrought similar disaster in the West. At the opening of the year Germany had no hope of such an ally. Her position seemed to her leaders desperate. For their people they still kept up their boast of many vic- tories ; but for themselves they knew that another year like 1916 meant their complete defeat If the Allies had the will to continue such destructive fighting as that of Verdun, the Somme, the Isonzo and the long battling on the Russian front, then the Allies could afford the awful sacrifice of life and the stupendous expenditure of ammunition as Germany could not. Nowhere could she break through the encircling ring; and not for long could she persuade her deluded peo- ple to continue in the hopeless death-fight. THE ttEKEWED SUSMAKINE WARFARE Therefore at the beginning of 1917 Germany, or her leaders, resolved to make an effort In a new direction — the submarine, In the previous year she had abandoned her sub- marine destruction of neutral ships partly because of the American ultimatum demanding it, partly because her stock of submarines had been sadly depleted by the British navy. But now she had built new and much more powerful U-boats. She had tested the strength of these, and she had good rca- son to hope that by turning them loose to destroy cver\' ship in European waters, she might really starve Britain, as the British blockade was seeking to starve Germany.* No question of the righteousness of such de.M ruction of * See § I, "Cefmaoy Dcties tli« Neutral Nations,'' by Bernstorff, etc RUSSIA'S FALL AND AMERICA'S ENTRY 3CV neutral people bothered the German leaders. We have told our story of this deadly War to little purpose if the reader has not fully realized that German Kultur was wholly com- mitted to the Nietzschian doctrine that there is no right but German might, that the superman seeks success by whatso- ever means, and that honor and truth and mercy and the equal rights of other men are but words to juggle with in outplaying an opponent. Not only did the German leaders act upon this basis, but they took it for granted that all other men did the same. In studying an opponent they always asked, what is the falsity in his words, and what the private profit which will direct his action?" So now, their only doubt about their renewed submarine attack was, how would the neutrals take it. Would the United States Gov- ernment really stand by its ultimatum of 1916, and go to war for a mere principle? Germany thought not. She saw that American merchants and manufacturers were growing wealthy on the profits of the War. She knew that President Wilson had just been reelected by the Ameri- can laboring masses on the slogan "He kept us out of War!" Surely he would strive to continue In popularity by continu- ing to avoid the fight. Moreover, the German leaders looked also to the other alternative. Even if these comfortable and prosperous Americans should be so angered as to plunge foolishly into the war, surely they were not to be dreaded Few of them would care really to fight in person; and their ^ Democracy, would not force them to en- list. Theirs would be but an amateur war-making The utter and imiversal sacrifice to which Europe had been bowed perforee these ^ericans could not be expected to assume voluntarily, merely of their own judgment and desire Brit- wh- Xl arch^««y. the mighty pillar of strength on mS.rh ° submarine dStruc- m rmght bring Britain to her knees long before Amer- So^laU ** action. So, falsely reasoning upon American selfishness and narrown«s and stupidity, Germany on January-j IQ17 nro chimed her new U-boat campaign of iniver 7 al^de?t ui^T At the same time she planned to make her year on lanJo^ xvi AN OUTLINE NARRATIVE OF of merely defensive fighting. She would save her war-worn soldiers all she could » so that they might still be strong, and might triumphantly enforce her will, when Britain should be exhausted and ready to abandon the European continent to Germany. THE EARLY YEAR UPON THE WESTERN FRONT Thus the first great military movement of the year was the remarkable “Hindenburg retreat.” During the winter the German armies of the west under Hindenburg's com- mand deliberately planned to evacuate a considerable section of the French territory which they had held for over two years. This was in the Somme region where both British and French had been so vigorously attacking them. There the long trench lines wound in and out with many angles, just as the last assault had left them. By a general withdrawal a much stronger line could be made, and a much shorter one, requiring not nearly so many troops to defend it. Gradually therefore, Hindenburg, or really his able chief- of-staff, Ludendorff, directed the withdrawal of all his stores and almost all his men to the great “Hiiidenburg Line” of strong defenses ; and when late in February the British launched attacks against the old trench line they found it but lightly held. They soon realircd the truth, and then step by step and often at bitter cost from the machine guns which lay in wait for them, they pressed on. until by mid- March they found before them the new and sterner defenses.' In this retreat, the Germans had turned the land they left into an utter desert. Part of this desolation had a mili- tary excuse. It was intended to make the French and Brit- ish occupation more difficult and to leave the foe only an utterly unsheltered region from which to attack the Hinden- barg line. In part, however, the destruction was openly tnalevolent; that is, It was planned so as to ruin France through all the years of peace that might come afterward. This destruction without military value was held by France as one of her severest indictments against German cnmi- *See S 11. "The Hindenburg Retreat in France,*’ by Rosner, etc* RUSSIA’S FALL AND AMERICA’S ENTRY xvii nality, the wrong for which she most demanded recompense after the War. The very successful HIndenburg retreat was celebrated by the Germans as a triumph. They knew that both France and Britain had been grimly determined to keep up the terri- ble “Somme fighting” of the preceding fall, that huge prepa- rations had been made and that, as soon as the spring weather permitted, a tremendous assault was to ha\'e been begun against them. Now, they had made all these preparations of no value. The Allies, however, were not wholly discon- certed. The new Hindenburg line had been built from the city of Arras on the north to St. Quentin on the south. The Britons now began an attack at Arras, while the French launched one to the south of St. Quentin along the Aisne River. Neither of these huge but perhaps somewhat too hastily arranged attacks met with any large success. The Britons began the Arras battle with a successful assault on “Vimy Ridge,” in which the Canadian regiments won widespread fame.' Moreover such was the concentration of the long prepared British bombardment of Vimy Ridge, that the whole summit was literally obliterated. No earlier year had seen such a deluge of great shells. It necessitated another innovation in military tactics. No trench could be perma- nently held against a foe who could thus annihilate it. The old deep trenches were supplanted by widespread systems of slighter defenses, meant to be costly in the taking rather than to be permanently held. Beyond Vimy the British at- tack died down with enormous bloodshed on both sides, but little further progress. In June the Britons made another valiant and spec- tacular effort. South of their old battle ground of Ypres lay a long hill known as Messincs Ridge.* The Germans had held It for two years, and from its summit their guns “strafed” all the Ypres sector savagely. For over a year British enei- rMrs patienUy mined an underground way to reach beneath the ridge. They stored tons and tons of explosives in their aee a a ill. The Man-made Earthquake,” hy Haig. etc. xviil AN OUTLINE NARRATIVE OF deep “dug galleries, and at last, on June 7 th, they blew up the mine. Never elsewhere has man created such an earthquake. The ground rocked for leagues. The whole top of the ridge was blown off. British troops easily seized possession of the shattered hills held only by the fragments of the dead de- fenders. Yet even then the indomitable Germans charged up the eastern slopes in an effort to regain the still quivering ground. They were driven back, and Britain held Messines Ridge. The German casualties for that single day exceeded thirty thousand. But beyond Messines the British could not gain. The French attack along the Aisne was an even more costly hurricane of slatighter.' General Nivelle, the suc- cessor of Joffre, believed that he could really break the Ger- man line, that previous efforts had failed because they had not been pushed to the bitter end. He, therefore, on April i6lh launched his tremendous attack. The Germans had expected it, were fully prepared, and repulsed the assailants with terrific losses. Still Nivelle persisted, and France suf- fered here her chief disaster of the war. Even the long enduring poilus protested at last. There were impressive scenes of despairing mutiny, carefully hidden until after the War. Nivelle was hastily replaced by another general, Petain; but only after months of effort did Petain succeed in bringing his forces back to their high efficiency, THE FIRST RUSSIAN REVOLUTION While Germany was thus making good her policy of de- fense upon the western front, events happened both in the east and in America which totally changed her plans of war. In the east came the Russian Revolution. This took place really in three stages. First came the revolution of March, in which Democracy overthrew Autocracy. Then came the revolution of July, in which Socialism supplanted Democracy ; and then the revolution of November, in which Anarchy triumphed over Socialism. As only the first of these preceded America’s entry into the War, let us for the moment look only to that earliest revo- * 5kc § IX, “Great Biilish-Krcnch .\uack,“ by Ludendorff, clc. RUSSIA’S FALL AND AMERICA'S ENTRY xix lution in March. It sprang from Russia’s utter loss of faith in the Czar's weak government. The by no means strong- minded Czar was himself devoted to Russia ; but he was ruled almost wholly his German Czarina, and she was ruled by the monk Rasputin. There is no need to regard the Czarina as a traitress to Russia, though her people almost universally did so. But of Rasputin there is small doubt that he was directly in the enemy employ; and through obeying him, the Czarina did much to ruin Russia. As each new rascality in the government was brought to light, the people protested, and the Czar obligingly changed his ministers. But each new Prime Minister was named realty through Rasputin, and each was as worthless as the other. To Boris Stunner the betrayer of Rumania, there succeeded a courtier general, active only in the palace ; and then, in January. 1917. came Prince Golxtzin. a leader of the “reactionaries" or staunch adherents of absolutism against ei'ery suggestion of representative government. Goliczin's appointment was caused by the slaying of Ras- putin. A number of Russian patriots of highest rank had determined that in his death lay the only hope of Russia, and they killed him on the last night of 1916. At this the Czar and Czarina were infuriated, and resolved on the severest measures. Hence Golitzin was made premier, and there was more or less deliberate incitement of the people, $0 that any who revolted might be seized and punished. The Duma or Russian parliament, a purely advisory body, met in Feb- ruary ; but its advice did not please the angry court, and on March nth the Czar ordered the Duma to dissolve. The Duma refused, and instead took command of what it now deemed an absolutely necessary revolution.* I*'’*''* '« the streets ; k" refused. Disobedience by the army means the downfall of autocracy fn? Ihe r"* attacking and destroy- trlfdlv welcomed most gladly the proffered leadership of the Duma. A temporary >Sth tS See I V. Russia Proclaims a Republic" by tbe C*ar. etc. XX AN OUTLINE NARRATIVE OF Czar was notified that he was deposed. He accepted quietly; indeed, he could do no otherwise, with his army already in revolt and his police slain or scattered. The labor leaders and the Duma now united in forming a more permanent go\’ernment. They named as Prime Min- ister Prince Lvoff, the leader of the upper class patriots, business men and nobles who had aided in the revolution. His Minister of Foreign Affairs was Professor Paul Milyu- kof, leader of the Democracy in the Duma; and his Minister of Justice was the Socialistic lawyer orator Kerensky, who had sprung Into power by hts oratorical influence over the soldiers and laborers, It was a '^coalition" government; and its first step was to assure the .\IHes that now at last Russia was to be a Power indeed, and would give her whole strength to the War. AMERICA ENTERS This first Russian Revolution had unquestionably an enormous influence in America. The people of the United States had held back from the War not from any overmas- tering desire to profit by the world's suffering, and certainly not from any fear of Germany. Impossible as it was for the German Government to believe, they had been controlled by a principle. The fundamental fact about a Democracy is that it really believes in equal opportunity for all men, and has no desire for subjugating others. Hence for a Democ- racy, war can never come as a policy, but only as a cruel and terrible necessity. Indeed, the contrast of Democracy's more peaceful and profitable methods of expansion was illustrated strikingly just at this time. For years the United States had been negotiating for Denmark's island possessions in the West Indies. The Danish Government was eager to sell, and the United States to buy; but beforehand the latter insisted on consulting the wishes of the islanders themselves. *1 hey voted to join the United States; and on March 3 ^^^* the very moment when war with Germany was hanging in the balance, the islands were formally transferred to tJie American flag. The islanders quietly continued the pros- RUSSIA'S FALL AND AMERICA'S ENTRY XXI perous self-government they had enjoyed for years. That IS Democracy's way.* The American people had ever been resolutely devoted to maintaining such self-government among themselves. If in all the years that came after 1914, the American masses had but once clearly seen the Great War for what it truly was, the final issue between Democracy and Tyranny, they would have entered it at once, without questioning the cost. But always the issue had been beclouded by the fact that Russia, the most populous and most ignorant of European autocra- cies, fought upon the Allies’ side. Now. that Russia too proclaimed herself a Democracy, men saw clearly the mean- ing of Germany's domineering attitude towards neutrals. She meant to rule or ruin. Her submarine note of January 31st called forth a gen- eral protest from all neutrals. The protest of the United States was, however, the most decisive in tone; because with the United States the position reverted at once to the ulti- matum of the previous year, in which she had declared for war If the submarine murders were continued. Now she broke off diplomatic relations with Germany. Such action IS a diTOt threat of war; and the German leaders, while profewing a great desire to please and satisfy aggrieved ^ W 1, P^^rined to involve America in trouble at Iwme. hoping thus to keep her out of Europe Their Thf.. r ^ destruction of every kind 1^2 anticipated the coming events and the Ame ° ®tire to harden etc Sta.« Extends Its Territory.” by De Booy, WolS’wP* War Scheme Exposed.” by Zimmer- XXII AN OUTLINE NARRATIVE OF was intercepted by the U. S. Secret Service, and was promptly made public to the American people. It was the last word necessary to overcome their earnest pacifism. Obviously Germany meant to strike them, whether they struck back or no. At once on top of this came the news of Russia’s Revo- lution. Her conversion to Democracy cleared the last con- fusion from the decision. There was no genuine Ameri- can who still protested against answering force with force. On April 2nd the President proclaimed the necessity of war; and on April 6th Congress in solemn session and with prac- tical unanimity voted the declaration of the war “which has thus been thrust upon the United States.” ‘ In that Congress there sat for the first time a woman member, and she voted against the war. weeping as she did so. But she too declared that she saw the necessity of this war and that she meant her vote only to voice the anguished protest of her sex against all war with its horrors and its agony. Indeed the Great War has this distinction in Ameri- can history, that tlie American people have entered no other among all their wars with such unanimity as they displayed in this. Even the He volution of 1776 had been opposed by many devoted British Loyalists. In the Civil War, a large party in the North had wished to let the Southerners with- draw in peace. But now even the German- Americans ad- mitted sadly that their fatherland had transgressed beyond endurance. The great majority of them made decisive choice. an