The Supreme War Council was a central command created by British Prime Minister David Lloyd George to coordinate Allied military strategy during World War I. It was founded in 1917, and was based in Versailles. The council served as a forum for preliminary discussions of potential armistice terms and peace treaty settlement conditions.

[edit] Formation

Lloyd George had grave concerns regarding the strategy of Sir William Robertson, chief of the Imperial General Staff, and Sir Douglas Haig, the Commander in Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, in response to the Allied losses at the Somme and at Battle of Passchendaele.

Following the Italian defeat at the Battle of Caporetto, in which the Germans and Austro-Hungarians surprised the Italian forces, Lloyd George proposed the formation of the Supreme War Council at the Rapallo Conference of 5–7 November 1917. Each Allied nation would appoint a senior military officer to sit on the council.

The French representative was Ferdinand Foch, later replaced by Maxime Weygand and Joseph Joffre. The British were represented by Robertson, who resigned and was replaced by Sir Henry Hughes Wilson. Italy was represented by Luigi Cadorna, and Tasker H. Bliss represented the United States.

[edit] Meetings

[edit] 14–16 January 1920 in Paris, France

This meeting was held four days after the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles. Lloyd George proposed dropping the blockade of the Russian Socialist Federal Soviet Republic by starting negotiations with the "Russian people" in the form of the centrosoyuz, which at that time was not controlled by the Bolsheviks. This was agreed, with a communique from the Council being published on 16 January. In the event, the negotiations soon became simply between the United Kingdom and a bolshevised centrosoyuz, known as the Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement.

[edit] 6–16 July 1920 in Spa, Belgium

This was attended by German delegates to discuss reparations. Related documents:

• "Agreement between the Allies for the settlement of certain questions as to the application of the Treaties of Peace and complementary agreements with Germany, Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria"^[1]
• "Protocol of the Conference at Spa on July 16, 1920"^[2]
• "Inter-Allied Agreement in regard to advance to the German Government in accordance with Protocol of July 16 regarding coal deliveries"^[3]

[edit] References

• The Supreme War Council, First World War.com, accessed 6 August 2009

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