SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE. In January, 1919, when the representatives of the Allied Powers and those nations which had been associated with them in the war against the Central Empires, as sembled in Paris to draft the terms of peace, the delegates of the four powers, England, the United States, France and Italy, assumed the function of a com mittee to arrange preliminaries. Later, the delegates of Japan were allowed to join this conclave. This supreme council became known as the Big Five, or, more officially, as the Council of Ten. It at once began its task of arranging pre liminaries; decisions and communiques were issued in its name, and it drafted the rules which were later to guide the main conference. It also assumed the power to fix the representation of the various states which were to participate. Its sessions were held in secret and its proceedings carefully withheld from the public. The members of the Council were: Representing the United States, Presi dent Woodrow Wilson; Robert Lansing, Secretary of State; Henry White, ex Ambassador to Rome and Paris; Col. Edward M. House, and General Tasker H. Bliss.
Representing Great Britain, David Lloyd George, British Premier; Andrew Sonar Law, Arthur James Balfour, Viscount Milner, and George Nicoll Barnes.
Representing France, Georges Clemen ceau, French premier; Stephen Pichon, Louis-Lucien Klotz, Andre Tardieu and Jules Cambon.
Representing Italy, Vittorio Orlando, Italian Premier, Baron Sonnino, and Antonio Salandra.
Representing Japan, Marquis Saionji, Baron Makino, Viscount Chinda, K. Mat sui and H. ljuin.
The decisions of the Council regarding representation at the conference caused considerable dissatisfaction among the smaller nations. As an instance, Bel gium, which had borne the brunt of the German attack, was allowed only two delegates, whereas Brazil, which had not actively participated in hostilities, was allowed three delegates. Because of the protest of the Belgian representatives Belgium was finally allowed the same number of delegates as Brazil. Other smaller nations likewise found cause for protest, but the Council showed itself dis posed to yield in their favor and conces sions were made, whereby the smaller nations were allowed joint and separate representation.
After the withdrawal of President Wilson and his party from the peace ne gotiations, the Supreme Council contin ued to function, largely through the premiers of the four remaining big powers.