ABSTRACT
Thomas Woodrow Wilson's dependence on House was very great. Wilson sent off his appeal with an explanation that it was not inspired by the German proposal. Wilson's appeal brought no concrete result and he was intensely depressed by the failure of his effort. House believed that Wilson should abandon hope of peace and prepare at once for war. Wilson refused to do anything to prepare the United States for war. In spite of House's arguments, Wilson decided to appeal for peace; but House persuaded him to water down his appeal and to delay delivering it. The appeal was ready but Wilson was hesitating about sending it when, on December 12, 1916, the German Government published a statement expressing Germany's willingness to enter a peace conference. Wilson began to believe the German Government was about to allow him to dictate the peace, as he had believed the year before that the British Government was about to allow him to do so.
