MY DEAR COL.  HOUSE:  Since you kindly lent me the text of the proposed treaty of peace, I have tried to convince myself that some good might come of it and that I ought to remain in the service of the Department of State to labor for its establishment.

It is with sincere regret that I have come to the conviction that no good ever will issue from a thing so evil and that those who care about a permanent peace should oppose the signature and ratification of it, and of the special understanding with France.

I have therefore submitted my resignation to the Secretary of State and have written the appended note to the President.  I hope you will bring it to his attention; not because he will care what I may think, but because I have expressed the thoughts which are in the minds of many young and old men in the commission—­thoughts which the President will have to reckon with when the world begins to reap the crop of wars the seeds of which have here been sown.

I feel sure that you will agree that I am right in acting on my conviction and I hope that this action will in no way affect the relationship between us which has always been so delightful and stimulating to me.

     With my sincerest personal regards, I am, Very respectfully,
     yours,

     WILLIAM C. BULLITT.

     To the honorable EDWARD M. HOUSE,
     Hotel Crillon, Paris.

Senator KNOX.  Did you get a reply to that?

Mr. BULLITT.  Col.  House sent for me, and after that we had a conversation.  That was the only reply that I had.  I had a conversation with Col.  House on the whole matter, and we thrashed it all out.

Senator KNOX.  Was anything said during this conversation which you feel willing or disposed to tell us, which will be important?

Mr. BULLITT.  I made a record of the conversation.  Inasmuch as the conversations which I had with various members of the commission on the occasion of my resignation touched on a number of important issues, I kept a record of those conversations, that is, those I had at the time when I resigned.  They are the only conversations of which I made records, and I made them simply because we did deal more or less with the entire question of the peace treaty.  On the other hand, they are personal conversations, and I hesitate to repeat them, unless the committee considers it particularly important.

Senator KNOX.  I would not press you on the personal conversations which you had with Col.  House after you resigned.  I leave the matter to your own judgment.  I wondered whether there might have been something which transpired which you would care to tell us; but I withdraw that suggestion.  I should like to ask you this one question:  I suppose your letter of resignation to Mr. Lansing was merely formal?

Mr. BULLITT.  My letter of resignation to Mr. Lansing was a formal letter.