Page:Armistice Day.djvu/101

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SIGNING OF THE ARMISTICE
79

A.M., November 10. The Kaiser, who had held back the armistice delegation from going to the front until he was overruled by Hindenburg, was appalled when he read the terms and bitterly reproached the supreme army command with having misled him. But Hindenburg insisted upon the necessity of immediate compliance, and the courier was sent back with this message.

The German delegation reappeared in Foch's car at one A.M., Monday, and the next four hours were occupied in discussing the terms. Slight alterations were made in eighteen of the thirty-five articles as a result of arguments of the German delegates that in their original form the stipulations were impossible or undesirable. For instance, the time for evacuation and delivery of cars was extended from twenty-five to thirty-one days; the German troops from Russia were not to be withdrawn immediately but when the Allies decided that it might safely be done; "all submarines now existing" was substituted for the original demand for "160," probably because there were not so many left; and in response to the demonstration of the food experts accompanying the delegation that ships and cars were necessary to prevent famine and anarchy, a special clause was added to Article 25 providing for provisionment. Foreign Secretary Solf sent a special plea to the President for a mitigation of