The Challenge of the United States, 1922–24

Abstract

The problems that D’Abernon faced as a result of the United States’ involvement in European affairs have not received any historical attention. Within the wider context of American relations with Europe in the early 1920s, scholars remain divided about whether the United States government did pursue a policy of isolationism after the First World War, or whether American businessmen and financial experts seized the opportunity to find new markets in Europe.1 D’Abernon himself believed the latter to be the case.2 Some historians have taken a more sympathetic view of American motives, suggesting that the United States only became involved in European affairs when it became apparent that the Allies would not receive adequate reparations payments from Germany.3 But D’Abernon’s experiences in Berlin reveal little evidence of such American loyalty to the Allies. For example, France owed the American government considerable sums in war debts and it was in American interests to ensure that the French economy was strong enough to make restitution.