Robert Conroy - 1920 - America's Great War

Luke laughed, “Touché.”

“I will cheerfully admit to being a British officer in 1914 and to fighting the Huns in France. I will admit to being in trenches, wounded, and serving time as a prisoner before being returned to England and then becoming, ah, a reporter.”

Luke was impressed. “Now, from nothing more than a reporter’s perspective, what do you think of our fortifications?”

Carville took another swallow and again handed it to Luke. “Potentially excellent, but totally inadequate. I love the fact that you actually have three separate defensive lines mutually supporting each other. Someone paid attention during classes at West Point. Obviously, you hope that the Huns will destroy themselves trying to force their way through and, in a different world, you might be right.”

“But this is not that world, is it?”

“Not hardly, as you people so ungrammatically put it. You don’t have enough machine guns or artillery to hold the Germans at bay and you don’t have enough ammunition for the guns you do have. And you certainly don’t have enough planes to keep theirs from bombing and strafing your trenches. You can harm their planes, but you can’t stop them. Also, your men are, for the most part, enthusiastic amateurs, most of whom haven’t been in the army more than three months. To say their training has been inadequate would be a gross understatement. I have it from good sources that many of your men have never fired a rifle in their lives. Oh yes, and there aren’t enough men to compensate for their inadequacies. You can’t overwhelm the Germans by weight of numbers like the Russians tried. This can’t be news to you.”

“Not hardly,” Luke agreed sadly.

Carville went on to say that the trenches lacked proper drainage, although the bombproof bunkers were quite strong, and that much more barbed wire was needed.

Another shell landed reasonably nearby, causing both men to duck. “However, Luke, the Hun may be doing you a favor with this very sissified shelling. Most of your men have never been under fire, and now they will have been when the big German attack comes, and they will know that it is indeed possible to survive.”

The flask was empty. Luke handed it back. “Will they survive a real barrage when it comes?”

“You’re the intelligence man, so you tell me. You and Eisenhower have gotten information from clandestine observers at Los Angeles; therefore, you know that the Germans have landed some very large pieces of artillery, the type that broke up the Belgium fortifications and the kind that crushed us, I mean the British, south of Paris.”

My, my, Luke thought, the Brit was on the ball. Was someone in his office feeding him information? The Germans had just landed a number of 210mm howitzers and 170mm artillery pieces.

Carville read his mind. “General Liggett and Admiral Sims some time ago decided that, ah, my people and yours should share information. You should be congratulated, Luke. You, Ike, and the late General Logan have set up a first-class intelligence gathering apparatus in an astonishingly short period of time.”

“Two things astonish me, Carville.”

“And what might they be?”

“One is that we share such sensitive data with reporters who are known to blab, and, second, why you brought such a bloody small flask.”

Sir Edward Grey had been Great Britain’s foreign secretary in 1914 and was now ambassador to the United States. He was admitted to the Oval Office by a beaming Hedda Tuttle. He had been waiting but a few moments and had charmed her to the point where she was weak-kneed and giggly. In 1914 and as Foreign Secretary, Grey had been the author of the comment that the “lights were going out all over Europe.” They hadn’t quite. After the defeat in France, England’s lights were indeed dimmed.

Robert Lansing rolled his eyes at Hedda’s immature behavior and bade the ambassador to take a seat. “To what do I owe the honor, Ambassador?”

The world of diplomacy is a small one, and the two men had known each other for years. While not exactly bosom friends, there was a high degree of mutual respect between the men. There was also a realization that England was supportive of the United States in its war with Imperial Germany, even though the British were understandably reluctant to provide more than advice and information. The Royal Navy was still mainly intact and superior to the kaiser’s, but the British Army remained small in comparison to the hordes that Germany could unleash if she could somehow cross the Channel and invade England. Discretion, therefore, was the British policy of the moment. Action might come later.

“Mr. President, I have the honor of representing Mexico as a third-party honest and honorable peace broker. Insofar as Mexico no longer has an embassy here, they have asked me to discuss certain matters with you.”

Lansing nodded thoughtfully. It was interesting that the Mexicans had asked a de facto American ally, England, to be its spokesman rather than another Hispanic country, such as Brasil or Argentina.

Mrs. Tuttle served tea and departed, flushed and happy. “And what matters do you wish to discuss?” Lansing asked.

“You will not be surprised to know that Mexico wants peace. They desire a return to the status quo antebellum, or at least as close as they can get to it. They feel that, with a new administration in Mexico City, bygones can be bygones and the past essentially forgotten. They wish to move on in mutual harmony to a new and bright future.”

Lansing snorted. “Is that what they told you?”

Grey smiled benignly. “Yes.”

“Did you tell them they had a snowball’s chance in hell of it happening?”

“Of course, but they had to try. They are in a desperate situation and want out of it. Let’s face it, they’ve lost nearly half their army of almost two hundred thousand men killed wounded, captured, and missing, and they’ve lost a large part of a major province as well as the vital city of Monterrey. They feel they have suffered very badly.”

“As have we, Ambassador. At last count, at least fifteen thousand American soldiers were killed or wounded fighting Mexico, and approximately three thousand civilians were killed or wounded, most in the massacre at Laredo. And may I remind you that both Laredo and San Antonio were utterly destroyed. Laredo, in particular, was treated savagely. Her people were brutalized and civilian homes were burned. Of course we will have peace, but Mexico will pay a price for us to withdraw.”

Grey sighed and began to take notes. “Mexico is pathetically poor. If you want money, she doesn’t have it.”

“She has mineral wealth and we will have concessions to exploit those resources. I hope Senor Obregon realizes that it will also provide jobs for Mexicans.”

“He will.”

“Aside from consolidating our defenses at Monterrey and scouting out Mexican positions, we will not advance any farther south except in response to Mexican attacks. In return, we expect Mexico to expel the Germans from Vera Cruz.”

“The Germans may be too strong for Mexico to accomplish that. Obregon might not even be able to get his army to attack the Germans.”

“Then tell Obregon that Vera Cruz must at least be isolated. Further, there are approximately twenty thousand Mexican soldiers performing support duties for the Germans in California. They must be recalled to Mexico immediately.”

Grey understood fully. The Mexicans were helping to guard the mountain passes as part of their support duties. “They will simply be replaced by Germans. Of course, Mr. President, that will weaken the main German force by the number they have to use to hold the passes and perform other guard duties.”