On the morning of September 18, 1918, the Arms Control Conference formally convened in a meeting room at the German Prime Minister's residence. Representatives from every nation arrived on time. Everyone knew that this conference would surely be filled with verbal sparring and would not proceed smoothly.
"Gentlemen, thank you for coming to Berlin to attend this Arms Control Conference and make an effort for world peace. The German Empire is a peace-loving nation. We hope the tense international situation can be eased. We hope every nation can work alongside us!" Imperial Prime Minister Bülow said with a smile.
However, the representatives of the other nations dismissed Bülow's words with a snort. If Germany could be considered a peace-loving nation, then the last World War would never have broken out. Germany's vast colonial empire would not exist either.
"Now, let everyone discuss the specific matters of this Arms Control Conference!" After saying this, Chancellor Bülow left the meeting room. Germany's representatives at this conference were Foreign Minister Wachth and First Sea Lord Admiral Scheer. Chancellor Bülow had merely presided over the opening of the conference. Of course, this was mainly because Germany's senior leadership did not believe the conference could succeed, so Chancellor Bülow would not waste too much time on it.
"Gentlemen, we have discovered that every nation's investment in naval armaments is continuously increasing. This has not only placed enormous pressure on the finances of every nation, but has also seriously affected world peace and stability. Therefore, we hope to begin by controlling naval armaments," German Foreign Minister Wachth said.
"Your Excellency, what does Germany propose?" US Secretary of State Bryan asked.
"The German Empire hopes that there will be precise figures for each nation's Capital Ship tonnage, aircraft carrier tonnage, and cruiser tonnage. Once those figures are