A complete surrender to Germany followed.  Lenine and Trotzky stating that they would sign the peace treaty on the German terms, which included all the territory claimed by Germany along the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, comprising the western part of Esthonia, Courland with the Moon Islands in the Gulf of Riga, most of the provinces of Kovno and Grodno, and nearly all of Vilna, with a huge indemnity.  Despite the surrender, the Germans continued their invasion of Russia, with an eye to booty, and captured without organized resistance of any kind thousands of guns and vast quantities of rolling stock, motor trucks, automobiles, and munitions of war.  The invasion continued well into the month of March in the general direction of Petrograd, while to the south Austria, at first seemingly reluctant to join the German incursion into helpless territory, also invaded the Ukraine on the pretense of “restoring order.”

SINKING OF THE “TUSCANIA.”

The first serious disaster to American troops on the voyage to France occurred on February 5, when the steamship “Tuscania,” a British transport with 2,179 United States troops on board, was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine off the north coast of Ireland.  The close proximity of British convoy and patrol boats enabled most of those on board to be rescued, 1912 survivors being landed within a few hours at Buncrana and Larne in Ireland.  The lives lost included 267 American soldiers besides a number of the crew.  The attacking submarine is believed to have been destroyed by the British patrol before the “Tuscania” sank.

LONG-DISTANCE PEACE TALK

Early in 1918, while the Russian debacle complicated the war situation in Europe and the United States hummed with war activities, a series of speeches by statesmen of the powers at war resulted in demonstrating the futility of all hopes of a general peace.

In an address to Congress on January 8 President Wilson, following and indorsing a notable speech by the English premier, Mr. Lloyd-George, laid down fourteen definite peace and war aims of the United States, closely agreeing with the expressed aims of the European Allies; “and for these,” said Mr. Wilson, “we will fight to the death.”  Subsequently, in February, Mr. Wilson stated four general principles on which the nations at war should agree in seeking a satisfactory peace.  The German chancellor, Von Hertling, addressing the Reichstag, declared that Germany could agree to Mr. Wilson’s basic principles of peace, but British and French statesmen promptly pointed out that the German practices in Russia, and elsewhere as opportunity offered, failed to agree with Von Hertling’s profession of the Wilson principles.  German suggestions of an informal discussion of peace terms were therefore declined by the allied powers, and in March, 1918, all eyes were turned toward the Western front in anticipation of a long-threatened German drive.