Having fulfilled the obligation of universal service in the ranks, it is not strange that in 1916 he was recalled to serve the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For a time he rendered great service in Switzerland, where from the beginning of the war an acute but ever-lessening controversy has raged between the pro-German and the pro-Ally interests.

He was then chosen for a much more important mission. In October, 1916, he came to the United States as head of the "Official Bureau of French Information," and here he has remained until the present hour. As such, he has been an unofficial ambassador of France. His position has been not unlike that of Franklin at Passy in the period that preceded the formal recognition by France of the United States and the Treaty of Alliance of 1778. As with Franklin, his weapon has been the pen and the printing press, and the unfailing tact with which he has carried on his mission is not unworthy of comparison with that of Franklin. No one who has been privileged to meet and know M. Lauzanne can fail to be impressed with his fine urbanity, his savoir faire and his perfect tact. Without any attempt at propaganda, he has greatly impressed American public opinion by his contributions to our press and his many public addresses. In none of them has he ever made a false step or uttered a tactless note. His words have always been those of a sane moderation and the influence that he has wielded has been that of truth. Apart from the vigor and calm persuasiveness of his utterances, his winning personality has made a deep impression upon all Americans who have been privileged to come in contact with him. The highest praise that can be accorded to him is that he has been a true representative of his own noble, generous and chivalrous nation. Its sweetness and power have been exemplified by his charming personality.

Although he has taken a forceful part in possibly the greatest intellectual controversy that has ever raged among men, he has from first to last been the gentleman and it has been his quiet dignity and gentleness that has added force to all that he has written and uttered, especially at the time when America was the greatest neutral forum of public opinion.

If "good wine needs no bush and a good play needs no epilogue," then a good book needs no prologue. Therefore I shall not refer to the simplicity and charm, with which M. Lauzanne has told the story with which this book deals. The reader will judge that for himself; and unless the writer of this foreword is much mistaken, that judgment will be wholly favorable. There have been many war books—a very deluge of literature in which thinking men have been hopelessly submerged—but most books of wartime reminiscences do not ring true. There is too obvious an attempt to be dramatic and sensational. This book avoids this error and its author has contented himself with telling in a simple and convincing manner something of the part which he was called upon to play.

I venture to predict that all good Americans who read this book will become the friends, through the printed pages, of this gifted and brilliant writer, and if it were possible for such Americans to increase their love and admiration for France, then this book would deepen the profound regard in which America holds its ancient ally.

James M. Beck.

CONTENTS

PAGE
I
Why France Is Fighting [1]
The declaration of war and the French mobilization—Theinvasion and the tragic days of Paris in August andSeptember, 1914: personal reminiscences—The premeditatedcruelties of Germany: new documents—The German organizedspying system in France
II
How France Is Fighting [51]
France fighting with her men, her women and her children—Themen show that they know how to suffer: episodes of the Marneand of Verdun—The women encourage the men to fight and tosuffer: some illustrations—Sacred Union of all Frenchmenagainst the enemy—all, without any distinction of class orreligion, die smiling—Letters of soldiers—The organizationin the rear: the work in the factories
III
France Suffering But Not Bled White [94]
Despite her sufferings, France is able to pay 20 billions ofdollars, for the war, in three years—French commerce andFrench work during the war—France is helping her allies froma military standpoint and financially—The saving of Serbia
IV
The War Aims of France [138]
Restitution: Alsace-Lorraine—Restoration: The devastated andlooted territories. Guarantees: The Society of Nations
APPENDICES
Appendix I.—How Germans Forced War on France [179]
Appendix II.—How Germans Treat an Ambassador [183]
Appendix III.—How Germans Are Waging War [196]
Appendix IV.—How Germans Occupy the Territory of an Enemy [200]
Appendix V.—How Germans Treat Alsace-Lorraine [206]
Appendix VI.—How Germans Understand Future Peace [229]