Primary Documents - 1919
Updated - Saturday, 12 June, 2004

This page of the Primary Documents section of the website collects together archive source documents originating in 1919, the year which saw the Treaty of Versailles forced upon a reluctant Germany.  Included among the following documents is the text of the Versailles treaty, plus the text of prominent U.S. opposition to President Wilson's enthusiastic backing for a post-war League of Nations.

The list presented below - with each entry accompanied by a brief summary of its significance -  is sorted by date, with earlier documents listed first.

	Poincare's Welcoming Address at Versailles (click here) January - French President's welcoming comments
	Wilson's Opening Address at Versailles (click here) January - U.S. President's initial comments
	Lloyd George's Opening Address at Versail. (click here) January - British Prime Minister's initial comments
	Sonnino's Opening Address at Versailles (click here) January - Italian Prime Minister's initial comments
	Clemenceau's Opening Address at Versail. (click here) January - French Prime Minister's initial comments
	Huddleston on Opening of Peace Conf. (click here) January - British observer's account of initial session
	U.S. Recognition of Polish Government (click here) January - Robert Lansing's announcement
	Pres. Ebert's Opening Assembly Address (click here) February - New German President's initial address
	Pres. Ebert's Second Assembly Address (click here) February - New German President's follow-up address
	Saunders on the New German Constitution (click here) February - British eye-witness journalist's account
	Ludendorff on Being 'Stabbed in the Back' (click here) February - Former German leader's allegations
	Newspaper Interview with Josef Pilsudski (click here) February - French journalist's interview with Polish leader
	Hindenburg on Kaiser Wilhelm's Abdication (click here) March - German Army Chief of Staff's account
	Douglas Haig's Final Despatch (click here) March - British Commander-in-Chief's final war report
	Bulgarian Peace Delegation on Atrocities (click here) May - Statement repudiating charges of atrocities
	Commission to Determine War Guilt (click here) May - Formal report blaming Central Powers
	German Protest at Peace Terms (click here) May - Germany's response at proposed terms
	Allied Reply to German Protest on Terms (click here) May - Clemenceau's reply to German protests
	Dutch Editorial Against Versailles (click here) May - Neutral newspaper's stance against peace terms
	Ignace Paderewski on Paris Peace Conf. (click here) May - Polish Prime Minister's positive assessment
	Treaty of Versailles (click here) June - Allies' peace terms with defeated Germany
	Account of Versailles Signing Ceremony (click here) June - Account by U.S. newspaper journalist
	President Wilson on League of Nations (click here) July - One of Wilson's final speeches in support of League
	Henry Cabot Lodge on League of Nations (click here) August - Senate majority leader's opposition
	Herbert Hoover on Polish Reconstruction (click here) August - Hoover's pessimistic assessment
	Pershing's Despatch of September 1919 (click here) September - U.S. AEF Commander-in-Chief's official report
	Pershing on Ferdinand Foch as Commander (click here) September - U.S. C-in-C's view of Foch's appointment
	Ignace Paderewski on League of Nations (click here) September - Polish Prime Minister's lobbying in favour
	Pershing on Meuse-Argonne Offensive (click here) November - U.S. C-in-C's account of key offensive
	Maurice on Why the Allies Accepted Peace (click here) 1919 - Former British Director of Military Ops' account
	Ludendorff on Second Battle of the Marne (click here) 1919 - German strategist's post-war view of Allied attacks
	Covenant of League of Nations (click here) 1919-24 - 26 articles of the covenant

A "body snatcher" was the sardonic Australian nick-name given to stretcher-bearers.

Original Material © Michael Duffy 2000-09, SafeSurf Rated