their ground. The French threaten Laon and the Chemin des Dames and in these regions are driving the Germans back.
On the Balkan Front
the Bulgarians are totally defeated
and are still retreating. The French and Serbian troops have advanced 20 kilometres. Many thousands of Bulgarians have surrendered. The prisoners ascribe the blame for Bulgaria's disastrous situation to Germany.
The Austrian proposal that representatives of the belligerent nations should hold a secret conference in order to discuss
the possibilities of peace
was described by the representatives of the Workmen's and Socialist parties assembled at the London Conference as inspired more by the anxiety to strengthen the monarchy than by the desire to help effectively to put an end to the world-war.
No voice was raised for the acceptance of the Austrian proposal.
Leaflet No. 7 (between pages 96 and 97).
TO-DAY WE ARE IN RETREAT.
Next Year we shall be destroyed.
America, which has now 1,750,000 men in France, had made arrangements to send 3,500,000 troops by next year.
But now, in view of the refusal of the German Government to make a genuine peace proposal, America has decided to increase the number.
By next year America will have 5,000,000 men on the Western Front.
What do our leaders say to this—our leaders who declared that America was not a danger to us because our U-boats would prevent them from sending troops to Europe?
What do we say to this, we who will be completely crushed by the huge superiority of numbers?
[Diagram]
The increase of the American Army on the Western Front.
| 1917. | 1918. | 1919. |
| 100,000 | 1,750,000 | 5,000,000 |
