It was but a few days thereafter that the President of the United States
received the official note from Count von Koenitz, on behalf of the
Imperial German Commissioners, to the effect that Germany would join
with the other Powers in an armistice looking toward peace and
ultimately a universal disarmament. Similar notes had already been
received by the President from France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy,
Austria, Spain, and Slavia, and a multitude of the other smaller Powers
who were engaged in the war, and there was no longer any reason for
delaying the calling of an international council or diet for the purpose
of bringing about what Pax demanded as a ransom for the safety of the
globe.
In the files of the State Department at Washington there is secreted the
only record of the diplomatic correspondence touching these momentous
events, and a transcript of the messages exchanged between the President
of the United States and the Arbiter of Human Destiny. They are
comparatively few in number, for Pax seemed to be satisfied to leave all
details to the Powers themselves. In the interest of saving time,
however, he made the simple suggestion that the present ambassadors
should be given plenary powers to determine the terms and conditions
upon which universal peace should be declared. All these proceedings and
the reasons therefore were kept profoundly secret. It began to look as
though the matter would be put through with characteristic Yankee
promptness. Pax's suggestion was acceded to, and the ambassadors and
ministers were given unrestricted latitude in drawing the treaty that
should abolish war forever.
Now that he had been won over no one was more indefatigable than Von
Koenitz, none more fertile in suggestions. It was he who drafted with
his own hand the forty pages devoted to the creation of the commission
charged with the duty of destroying all arms, munitions, and implements
of war; and he not only acted as chairman of the preliminary drafting
committee, but was an active member of at least half a dozen other
important subcommittees. The President daily communicated the progress
of this conference of the Powers to Pax through Bill Hood, and received
daily in return a hearty if laconic approval.
"I am satisfied of the sincerity of the Powers and with the
progress made. PAX."
was the ordinary type of message received. Meantime word had been sent
to all the governments that an indefinite armistice had been declared,
to commence at the end of ten days, for it had been found necessary to
allow for the time required to transmit the orders to the various fields
of military operations throughout Europe. In the interim the war
continued.
It was at this time that Count von Koenitz, who now was looked upon as
the leading figure of the conference, arose and said: "Your
Excellencies, this distinguished diet will, I doubt not, presently
conclude its labours and receive not only the approval of the Powers
represented but the gratitude of the nations of the world. I voice the
sentiments of the Imperial Commissioners when I say that no Power looks
forward with greater eagerness than Germany to the accomplishment of our
purpose. But we should not forget that there is one menace to mankind
greater than that of war--namely, the lurking danger from the power of
this unknown possessor of superhuman knowledge of explosives. So far his
influence has been a benign one, but who can say when it may become
malignant? Will our labours please him? Perhaps not. Shall we agree? I
hope so, but who can tell? Will our armies lay down their arms even
after we have agreed? I believe all will go well; but is it wise for us
to refrain from jointly taking steps to ascertain the identity of this
unknown juggler with Nature, and the source of his power? It is my own
opinion, since we cannot exert any influence or control upon this
individual, that we should take whatever steps are within our grasp to
safeguard ourselves in the event that he refuses to keep faith with us.
To this end I suggest an international conference of scientific men from
all the nations to be held here in Washington coincidently with our own
meetings, with a view to determining these questions."
His remarks were greeted with approval by almost all the representatives
present except Sir John Smith, who mildly hinted that such a course
might be regarded as savouring a trifle of double dealing. Should Pax
receive knowledge of the suggested conference he might question their
sincerity and view all their doings with suspicion. In a word, Sir John
believed in following a consistent course and treating Pax as a friend
and ally and not as a possible enemy.
Sir John's speech, however, left the delegates unconvinced and with the
feeling that his argument was over-refined. They felt that there could
be no objection to endeavouring to ascertain the source of Pax's
power--the law of self-preservation seemed to indicate such a course as
necessary. And it had, in fact, already been discussed vaguely by
several less conspicuous delegates. Accordingly it was voted, with but
two dissenting voices,[2] to summon what was known as Conference No. 2,
to be held as soon as possible, its proceedings to be conducted in
secret under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences, with the
president of the Academy acting as permanent chairman. To this
conference the President appointed Thornton as one of the three
delegates from the United States.
[Footnote 2: The President of the United States also voted in the
negative.]
The council of the Powers having so voted, Count von Koenitz at once
transmitted, by way of Sayville, a message which in code appeared to be
addressed to a Herr Karl Heinweg, Notary, at 12^{BIS} Bunden Strasse,
Strassburg, and related to a mortgage about to fall due upon some of Von
Koenitz's properties in Thüringen. When decoded it read:
"_To the Imperial Commissioners of the German Federated States:_
"I have the honour to report that acting according to your
distinguished instructions I have this day proposed an international
conference to consider the scientific problems presented by certain
recent phenomena and that my proposition was adopted. I believe that
in this way the proceedings here may be delayed indefinitely and
time thus secured to enable an expedition to be organized and
dispatched for the purpose of destroying this unknown person or
ascertaining the secret of his power, in accordance with my previous
suggestion. It would be well to send as delegates to this Conference
No. 2 several professors of physics who can by plausible arguments
and ingenious theories so confuse the matter that no determination
can be reached. I suggest Professors Gasgabelaus, of München, and
Leybach, of the Hague.
"VON KOENITZ."
And having thus fulfilled his duty the count took a cab to the
Metropolitan Club and there played a discreet game of billiards with
Señor Tomasso Varilla, the ex-minister from Argentina.
Von Koenitz from the first had played his hand with a skill which from a
diplomatic view left nothing to be desired. The extraordinary natural
phenomena which had occurred coincidentally with the first message of
Pax to the President of the United States and the fall of Cleopatra's
Needle had been immediately observed by the scientists attached to the
Imperial and other universities throughout the German Federated States,
and had no sooner been observed than their significance had been
realized. These most industrious and thorough of all human investigators
had instantly reported the facts and their preliminary conclusions to
the Imperial Commissioners, with the recommendation that no stone be
left unturned in attempting to locate and ascertain the causes of this
disruption of the forces of nature. The Commissioners at once demanded
an exhaustive report from the faculty of the Imperial German University,
and notified Von Koenitz by cable that until further notice he must seek
in every way to delay investigation by other nations and to belittle the
importance of what had occurred, for these astute German scientists had
at once jumped to the conclusion that the acceleration of the earth's
motion had been due to some human agency possessed of a hitherto
unsuspected power.
It was for this reason that at the first meeting at the White House the
Ambassador had pooh-poohed the whole matter and talked of snowstorms in
the Alps and showers of fish at Heidelburg, but with the rending of the
northern coast of Africa and the well-attested appearances of "The Ring"
he soon reached the conclusion that his wisest course was to cause such
a delay on the part of the other Powers that the inevitable race for the
secret would be won by the nation which he so astutely represented. He
reasoned, quite accurately, that the scientists of England, Russia, and
America would not remain idle in attempting to deduce the cause and
place the origin of the phenomena and the habitat of the master of the
Ring, and that the only effectual means to enable Germany to capture
this, the greatest of all prizes of war, was to befuddle the
representatives of the other nations while leaving his own unhampered in
their efforts to accomplish that which would make his countrymen, almost
without further effort, the masters of the world. Now the easiest way to
befuddle the scientists of the world was to get them into one place and
befuddle them all together, and this, after communicating with his
superiors, he had proceeded to do. He was a clever man, trained in the
devious ways of the Wilhelmstrasse, and when he set out to accomplish
something he was almost inevitably successful. Yet in spite of the
supposed alliance between Kaiser and Deity man proposes and God
disposes, and sometimes the latter uses the humblest of human
instruments in that disposition.