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Joseph Cook
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===Overseas activities=== [[File:Treaty of Versailles signatures - Australia, South Africa, New Zealand.jpg|thumb|right|Cook's signature on the [[Treaty of Versailles]], situated after that of Hughes and before those of [[Louis Botha]], [[Jan Smuts]], and [[William Massey]]]] Cook and Hughes represented Australia at the 1918 [[Imperial War Conference]] in London. They left together on 26 April 1918, with [[William Watt (Australian politician)|William Watt]] as acting prime minister in their absence.{{sfnp|Murdoch|1996|p=127}} Cook participated in all fifteen sessions of the conference, but found that the most important work was being undertaken by Hughes behind closed doors; he was generally not consulted.{{sfnp|Murdoch|1996|p=128}} After the conference concluded he paid an extended visit to the Western Front, accompanied by his adviser [[John Latham (judge)|John Latham]], author [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], and war correspondent [[Charles Bean]]. They were taken within {{convert|1000|yd|m}} of the [[Hindenburg Line]], near [[Bullecourt]], and at one point a shell exploded less than a minute before they arrived at a meeting point.{{sfnp|Murdoch|1996|p=129}} Cook visited Australian Army camps in South England and toured the British dockyards, consulting with Admiral [[John Jellicoe]] about the future of the Royal Australian Navy.{{sfnp|Murdoch|1996|p=128}} He also visited his home town of Silverdale for the first time since he left England in 1886, and paid another visit to celebrate the signing of the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918]].{{sfnp|Murdoch|1996|p=129}} Cook was one of the Australian delegates at the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919]], which was led by Hughes. Although Australia and the other [[Dominion]]s signed the [[Treaty of Versailles]] separately and became individual members of the [[League of Nations]], for the preceding negotiations their representatives (and those of the United Kingdom) were considered to form one single [[British Empire]] delegation.{{sfnp|Murdoch|1996|p=129}} Cook was chosen as the lead British delegate on the Commission on Czechoslovak Affairs, which was tasked with determining the final borders of [[Czechoslovakia]]. He was hampered by his lack of knowledge of European geography and inability to speak French, the contemporary language of diplomacy.{{sfnp|Perman|1962|p=149}} According to [[Charles Seymour]], one of the American delegates, he was "blissfully ignorant of everything European and practically every word of our discussion was Greek to him". [[Harold Nicolson]], the other British delegate, said that he assumed an attitude of "benevolent boredom" during meetings.{{sfnp|Perman|1962|p=149}} Cook was generally in favour of an enlarged Czechoslovakia, believing that the lands of the [[Sudeten Germans]] had to be included in Czechoslovakia for security reasons. He and Nicolson had a difference of opinion over [[Great Schütt]], but French delegation was in agreement with Cook and the island was awarded to Czechoslovakia.{{sfnp|Perman|1962|p=151}} The [[Treaty of Versailles]] was signed on 23 June 1919 with Cook and Hughes signing on behalf of Australia. Cook had some private misgivings about the final document. Although he believed Germany needed to be punished, he thought some elements of the treaty were too vindictive.{{sfnp|Murdoch|1996|p=130}} He was strongly in favour of the creation of the [[League of Nations]], and [[David Lloyd George]] considered him to be the most fervent supporter of the League in the entire British delegation. Lloyd George considered him "a man of calm and balanced judgment".{{sfnp|Murdoch|1996|p=129}} Cook and Hughes arrived back in Australia on 24 August 1919, after an absence of nearly 16 months. They travelled from [[Fremantle]] to [[Melbourne]] via the [[Trans-Australian Railway]], and Cook particularly enjoyed their stop at the small settlement of [[Cook, South Australia]], which had been named in his honour a few years earlier.{{sfnp|Murdoch|1996|p=131}} Hughes was feted upon his return, but Cook did not receive similar adulation and returned to Sydney relatively quietly. [[1919 Australian federal election|An early election]] was called to capitalise on the prime minister's popularity, which saw the Nationalists win re-election with a reduced majority.{{sfnp|Murdoch|1996|p=132}}
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