sociation for the delay or prevention of wars and the preservation of
the freedom of the seas. Later speeches contained doctrines most of
which were eventually written into the League covenant, and were based
on the central theory that all nations must act together to prevent the
next war, as otherwise they would all be drawn into it. On Oct. 26 he
had declared that "this is the last war the United States can ever keep
out of."

_The United States in the War_

_Declaration of war, April 6, 1917._

_American warships in European waters, May 4, 1917._

_First Liberty Loan offered, May 14, 1917._

_Selective Service act operative, May 18, 1917._

_First American troops in France, July 1, 1917._

_Fourteen Points speech, January 8, 1918._

_"Force to the utmost" speech, April 6, 1918._

_Americans in action at Cantigny, May 28, 1918._

_Chateau-Thierry, June 1-5, 1918._

_Marne-Aisne offensive, July 15-August, 1918._

_St. Mihiel offensive, September 12, 1918._

_Meuse-Argonne offensive, September 26-November 11, 1918._

_Austrian peace proposal, September 15, 1918._

_First German peace note, October 4, 1918._

_Armistice ending the war, November 11, 1918._

Yet the President also had ideas on the nature of the peace terms by
which the war then going on should be concluded, though he felt that no
good could be obtained by the proposal of such terms from a neutral. On
Dec. 18, accordingly, he addressed the belligerent Governments with an
invitation to state the specific conditions which each of them regarded
as essential to a just peace, in the hope that they would find they
were nearer agreement than they knew. Unfortunately, the President made
the observation that the objects of the two alliances, "as stated in
general terms to their own people and the world," were "virtually the
same." That was true; each side had said that it was fighting in
self-defense in order to preserve international justice, the rights of
nationalities, and a number of other worthy interests. But the public,
both in America and in the allied countries, saw in this renewed effort
at "impartiality of thought as well as of action" an indication that
the President saw no moral difference between the two sides. From that
moment any good result of the President's suggestion, in America or in
the allied countries, was out of the question; and if any hope had
remained,