April 16, 1920
My dear Miss Addams:
Mr. McDonald has gone down to Washington and has asked me to send you a report of the conference last Friday.
First of all let me say how sorry we all were that you found it impossible to be here. I believe you would have helped to make it a much more constructive and worth-while meeting than it was. As it was, I am afraid that most of the people went away feeling it had been rather fruitless. I am enclosing a copy of the minutes with a list of those present.
The agenda was perhaps too long to be considered at such a conference, especially as those present had not had a chance to go over it beforehand. At any rate the question of an international conference, as you will see, was summarily disposed of. After adjournment, however, a number of the most liberal and constructive people discussed it seriously and were of the opinion that we should sound out other liberal associations to see how far they would cooperate with us in calling such a group together.
Many of the members of our Executive Committee feel that the treaty with Germany is already being rewritten or rather, as some of them put it, is disintegrating because of its inherent weakness; and that since it is unlikely that a new governmental conference can be called at this time to consider formal revision, the informal conference is the next best step.
Sincerely yours,
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