VIII
It was but a few days thereafter that the President of the United Statesreceived the official note from Count von Koenitz, on behalf of theImperial German Commissioners, to the effect that Germany would joinwith the other Powers in an armistice looking toward peace andultimately a universal disarmament. Similar notes had already beenreceived by the President from France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy,Austria, Spain, and Slavia, and a multitude of the other smaller Powerswho were engaged in the war, and there was no longer any reason fordelaying the calling of an international council or diet for the purposeof bringing about what Pax demanded as a ransom for the safety of theglobe.
In the files of the State Department at Washington there is secreted theonly record of the diplomatic correspondence touching these momentousevents, and a transcript of the messages exchanged between the Presidentof the United States and the Arbiter of Human Destiny. They arecomparatively few in number, for Pax seemed to be satisfied to leave alldetails to the Powers themselves. In the interest of saving time,however, he made the simple suggestion that the present ambassadorsshould be given plenary powers to determine the terms and conditionsupon which universal peace should be declared. All these proceedings andthe reasons therefore were kept profoundly secret. It began to look asthough the matter would be put through with characteristic Yankeepromptness. Pax's suggestion was acceded to, and the ambassadors andministers were given unrestricted latitude in drawing the treaty thatshould abolish war forever.
Now that he had been won over no one was more indefatigable than VonKoenitz, none more fertile in suggestions. It was he who drafted withhis own hand the forty pages devoted to the creation of the commissioncharged with the duty of destroying all arms, munitions, and implementsof war; and he not only acted as chairman of the preliminary draftingcommittee, but was an active member of at least half a dozen otherimportant subcommittees. The President daily communicated the progressof this conference of the Powers to Pax through Bill Hood, and receiveddaily in return a hearty if laconic approval.
"I am satisfied of the sincerity of the Powers and with the progress made. PAX."
was the ordinary type of message received. Meantime word had been sentto all the governments that an indefinite armistice had been declared,to commence at the end of ten days, for it had been found necessary toallow for the time required to transmit the orders to the various fieldsof military operations throughout Europe. In the interim the warcontinued.
It was at this time that Count von Koenitz, who now was looked upon asthe leading figure of the conference, arose and said: "YourExcellencies, this distinguished diet will, I doubt not, presentlyconclude its labours and receive not only the approval of the Powersrepresented but the gratitude of the nations of the world. I voice thesentiments of the Imperial Commissioners when I say that no Power looksforward with greater eagerness than Germany to the accomplishment of ourpurpose. But we should not forget that there is one menace to mankindgreater than that of war--namely, the lurking danger from the power ofthis unknown possessor of superhuman knowledge of explosives. So far hisinfluence has been a benign one, but who can say when it may becomemalignant? Will our labours please him? Perhaps not. Shall we agree? Ihope so, but who can tell? Will our armies lay down their arms evenafter we have agreed? I believe all will go well; but is it wise for usto refrain from jointly taking steps to ascertain the identity of thisunknown juggler with Nature, and the source of his power? It is my ownopinion, since we cannot exert any influence or control upon thisindividual, that we should take whatever steps are within our grasp tosafeguard ourselves in the event that he refuses to keep faith with us.To this end I suggest an international conference of scientific men fromall the nations to be held here in Washington coincidently with our ownmeetings, with a view to determining these questions."
His remarks were greeted with approval by almost all the representativespresent except Sir John Smith, who mildly hinted that such a coursemight be regarded as savouring a trifle of double dealing. Should Paxreceive knowledge of the suggested conference he might question theirsincerity and view all their doings with suspicion. In a word, Sir Johnbelieved in following a consistent course and treating Pax as a friendand ally and not as a possible enemy.
Sir John's speech, however, left the delegates unconvinced and with thefeeling that his argument was over-refined. They felt that there couldbe no objection to endeavouring to ascertain the source of Pax'spower--the law of self-preservation seemed to indicate such a course asnecessary. And it had, in fact, already been discussed vaguely byseveral less conspicuous delegates. Accordingly it was voted, with buttwo dissenting voices,[2] to summon what was known as Conference No. 2,to be held as soon as possible, its proceedings to be conducted insecret under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences, with thepresident of the Academy acting as permanent chairman. To thisconference the President appointed Thornton as one of the threedelegates from the United States.
[Footnote 2: The President of the United States also voted in thenegative.]
The council of the Powers having so voted, Count von Koenitz at oncetransmitted, by way of Sayville, a message which in code appeared to beaddressed to a Herr Karl Heinweg, Notary, at 12^{BIS} Bunden Strasse,Strassburg, and related to a mortgage about to fall due upon some of VonKoenitz's properties in Thueringen. When decoded it read:
"_To the Imperial Commissioners of the German Federated States:_
"I have the honour to report that acting according to your distinguished instructions I have this day proposed an international conference to consider the scientific problems presented by certain recent phenomena and that my proposition was adopted. I believe that in this way the proceedings here may be delayed indefinitely and time thus secured to enable an expedition to be organized and dispatched for the purpose of destroying this unknown person or ascertaining the secret of his power, in accordance with my previous suggestion. It would be well to send as delegates to this Conference No. 2 several professors of physics who can by plausible arguments and ingenious theories so confuse the matter that no determination can be reached. I suggest Professors Gasgabelaus, of Muenchen, and Leybach, of the Hague.
"VON KOENITZ."
And having thus fulfilled his duty the count took a cab to theMetropolitan Club and there played a discreet game of billiards withSenor Tomasso Varilla, the ex-minister from Argentina.
Von Koenitz from the first had played his hand with a skill which from adiplomatic view left nothing to be desired. The extraordinary naturalphenomena which had occurred coincidentally with the first message ofPax to the President of the United States and the fall of Cleopatra'sNeedle had been immediately observed by the scientists attached to theImperial and other universities throughout the German Federated States,and had no sooner been observed than their significance had beenrealized. These most industrious and thorough of all human investigatorshad instantly reported the facts and their preliminary conclusions tothe Imperial Commissioners, with the recommendation that no stone beleft unturned in attempting to locate and ascertain the causes of thisdisruption of the forces of nature. The Commissioners at once demandedan exhaustive report from the faculty of the Imperial German University,and notified Von Koenitz by cable that until further notice he must seekin every way to delay investigation by other nations and to belittle theimportance of what had occurred, for these astute German scientists hadat once jumped to the conclusion that the acceleration of the earth'smotion had been due to some human agency possessed of a hithertounsuspected power.
It was for this reason that at the first meeting at the White House theAmbassador had pooh-poohed the whole matter and talked of snowstorms inthe Alps and showers of fish at Heidelburg, but with the rending of thenorthern coast of Africa and the well-attested appearances of "The Ring"he soon reached the conclusion that his wisest course was to cause sucha delay on the part of the other Powers that the inevitable race for thesecret would be
won by the nation which he so astutely represented. Hereasoned, quite accurately, that the scientists of England, Russia, andAmerica would not remain idle in attempting to deduce the cause andplace the origin of the phenomena and the habitat of the master of theRing, and that the only effectual means to enable Germany to capturethis, the greatest of all prizes of war, was to befuddle therepresentatives of the other nations while leaving his own unhampered intheir efforts to accomplish that which would make his countrymen, almostwithout further effort, the masters of the world. Now the easiest way tobefuddle the scientists of the world was to get them into one place andbefuddle them all together, and this, after communicating with hissuperiors, he had proceeded to do. He was a clever man, trained in thedevious ways of the Wilhelmstrasse, and when he set out to accomplishsomething he was almost inevitably successful. Yet in spite of thesupposed alliance between Kaiser and Deity man proposes and Goddisposes, and sometimes the latter uses the humblest of humaninstruments in that disposition.