y pleased; they
could also, if they pleased, send their own answer separately to the
proposal, but no further alteration would be made in the draft which
we, Kuehlmann and I, had drawn up. As no settlement could be arrived
at, the plenary sitting was postponed to the 25th, and the Bulgarian
delegates wired to Sofia for fresh instructions.

"The Bulgarians received a negative reply, and presumably the snub we
had expected. They were very dejected, and made no further difficulty
about agreeing to the common action. So the matter is settled as far
as that goes.

"In the afternoon I had more trouble with the Germans. The German
military party 'fear' that the Entente may, perhaps, be inclined to
agree to a general peace, and could not think of ending the war in
this 'unprofitable' fashion. It is intolerable to have to listen to
such twaddle.

"If the great victories which the German generals are hoping for on
the Western front should be realised, there will be no bounds to their
demands, and the difficulty of all negotiations will be still further
increased.

"_December 25, 1917._--The plenary sitting took place to-day, when we
gave the Russians our answer to their peace proposals. I was
presiding, and delivered the answer, and Joffe replied. _The general
offer of peace is thus to be made, and we must await the result._ In
order to lose no time, however, the negotiations on matters concerning
Russia are being continued meanwhile. We have thus made a good step
forward, and _perhaps_ got over the worst. It is impossible to say
whether yesterday may not have been a decisive turning point in the
history of the world.

"_December 26, 1917._--The special negotiations began at 9 A.M. The
programme drawn up by Kuehlmann, chiefly questions of economical matters
and representation, were dealt with so rapidly and smoothly that by 11
o'clock the sitting terminated, for lack of further matter to discuss.
This is perhaps a good omen. Our people are using to-day to enter the
results of the discussion in a report of proceedings, as the sitting
is to be continued to-morrow, when territorial questions will be
brought up.

"_December 26, 1917._--I have been out for a long walk alone.

"On the way back, I met an old Jew. He was sitting in the gutter,
weeping bitterly. He did not beg, did not even look at me, only wept
and wept, and could not speak at first for sobs. And then he told me
his story--Russian, Polish, and German, all mixed