OTD in history 100 years ago – the League of Nations was given a covenant, stamped and signed with seals of approval from all the attending allied powers that had taken so long to reach this decision. The first two weeks of February 1919 had indeed been eventful and exhausting for many, but this here was the first piece of true, genuine progress that had been reached. It was Woodrow Wilson’s greatest achievement, and it was also the culmination of several days of very intense meetings, not to mention a mountain of paperwork.

The dreamers, schemers and idealogues that had crafted the covenant all deserved mention, but on this day in history a century ago, before a packed audience in Quai d’Orsay, it was the American President and he alone that became its figurehead. Perhaps, when one looked deeper though, they could detect an element of anxiety on the part of Wilson. It had been created, but now it would have to be defended, before a suspicious and frustrated series of audiences back home in the United States. The real question then remained not how had it been done, per se, but could it be preserved after Wilson presented his baby to Congress. Spoiler – Wilson had another series of intensive weeks ahead of him.

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