862t.01/6: Telegram
The Observer on the Rhineland High Commission (Noyes) to the Acting Secretary of State20
[Received March 8—9:38 a.m.]
Having become convinced that any occupation of Germany beyond perhaps the period necessary to put into effect disarmament provisions will prove a blunder and fraught with serious perils for all the world, I think best to place my resignation in your hands so that you may, if you think best, replace me by a man who still has faith in this method of obtaining reparations. Our struggles to prevent encroachments of the Allied military are now of almost daily occurrence, these discussions will soon reveal my conviction to the French. Recently while making belated apology in behalf of Degoutte for [Page 297] illegal suspension of German economic regulation which commission had approved, Tirard stated that if affairs were not handled more to the satisfaction of the army Degoutte would be recalled as too easy going, “a more energetic man” would be sent and that he himself would be replaced by a more powerful man. I believe it is impossible that a military occupation of Germany conducted largely with French forces can be made such a tolerable burden as the President had hoped. Not this alone however has turned me against the occupation and has caused me to wish America out of it as soon as possible. Two sinister purposes are developing with Allied occupation as basis: first, determination to effect separation of the Rhine territory from Germany; second, plan to use local disturbances or German dereliction in fulfillment of impossible reparations demands, whichever matures first, [as] an excuse for invading and occupying the Ruhr; this last proposition was made in London. As you may know Foch plan called for eight divisions about March 1. Sir Harold works with me always and agrees with above conclusions. I have no wish to shirk, am willing to continue fight which as to detail regulations has been fairly successful, but am cabling that you may decide whether my present feeling disqualifies me for the work.
- Via the Embassy in France.↩