November 18th

I had another talk with Senator Hitchcock today in regard to the battle for ratification of the Treaty and the Covenant which under his leadership is about to be resumed. I admire Hitchcock greatly and I regret that I am not permitted to be as frank with him as he is with me. House still holds that in view of the fact we have no way of knowing that the President received his letter, based on my interview with Lodge and urging the acceptance of his slightly diluted reservations, it would not be fair to make him (the President) publicly responsible for what House considers one of the main difficulties in the situation. Having frequent contacts with Lodge, and also with Kellogg, Hitchcock is in the best possible position to know what they are driving at, and he urged me to communicate these, his impressions, to House, which I did.

“I and most of the members of our party in the Senate,” he said, “are personally in favor of getting the Treaty ratified in almost any form. In any form, if even in one of the least desirable forms, it would, we think, end the present disastrous anarchy that prevails in world relations. I have to act under instructions, but those in control at the White House prevent me from receiving instructions direct. I am merely told ‘the President will not budge an inch.’ His honor is at stake. He feels he would be dishonored if he failed to live up to the pledges made to his fellow delegates in Paris.”

As to his relations with Lodge, Hitchcock could shed but little light. “I confess,” he said, “the Massachusetts Senator is an enigma to me. At first I had the impression that he merely wished to weave into the Covenant some of his great thoughts, so that this world charter would not, in the future, be regarded as a party document. His hatred of Wilson is very deep and his talking point is that, as the President did not permit any real Republicans to participate in the drafting of the Treaty, they have a perfectly free hand in the matter of ratification, also a greater responsibility than would have been theirs had they been consulted during the drafting process.

“I admit that in some of my unofficial cloakroom talks with Lodge he expresses views which even to me seem reasonable, but when I ask him to get down to cases and state what changes he would suggest, his attitude stiffens and his face hardens. I think he would like to induce me to offer changes and concessions. Of course, by my instructions, although, owing to the President’s illness, they are somewhat out of date, I am precluded from doing so. So my conviction deepens that whatever may have been his purpose two months ago, today Lodge has decided to defeat the Treaty and the Covenant—if he can. Please tell Colonel House that this is my firm impression and further assure him that unless we agree to compromise on what so many of us think are minor points, the Treaty will fail of ratification.”