Peace Ship
[4] Five days after Oscar II arrived in Norway, a beleaguered and physically ill Ford abandoned the mission and returned to the United States.
[7] Ford made an announcement to the press that he would fund an effective peace initiative that would assist in mediating and ending World War I.
[8] Rosika Schwimmer, Hungarian activist, heard the news through a colleague, Louis P. Lochner, fellow feminist, pacifist, and acting secretary of the International Federation of Students, who soon set up a meeting.
[9] By November, Lochner and Schwimmer approached Ford, now commonly recognized as a pacifist, with a proposal to launch an amateur diplomatic mission to Europe to broker an end to World War I.
[2] On 24 November 1915, he announced to a New York City press conference that he had chartered the ocean liner Oscar II for a diplomatic mission to Europe, and he invited the most prominent pacifists of the age to join him.
[6] In particular, they quarrelled over the proper response to send to the media after they received news of Wilson's 7 December address to Congress, which called for considerable increases to the US Army and Navy.
Ford and Marquis slipped out of their hotel, took the train to Bergen and sailed on the steamer Bergensfjord back to the United States on 24 December, arriving in New York 2 January 1916.
[6] The Neutral Conference for Continuous Mediation began in Stockholm on February 10, 1916, gathering representatives from the United States, Denmark, Holland, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Ford continued to pay for the ship's expenses and the Conference until early 1917, when it became clear the US was edging closer to entering the war.
[12] The New York Times warned that an immediate peace would entail German possession of Belgium and part of France, but concluded that Ford's plan would do "as little harm as good".
[20] The Baltimore Sun noted that "All the amateur efforts of altruistic and notoriety-seeking millionaires only make matters worse" while the New York World stated that "Henry Ford says he would give all his fortune to end the war.
[21] Even activists who did agree to be a part of the expedition quickly became disappointed with Ford's antics, as his affinity for the press suggested his was more interested in gainings publicity than participating in meaningful mediation planning.
[22] Also critical of Ford's endeavor were former United States Senator Chauncey M. Depew and one- time presidential candidate Alton B. Parker.
[4] The correspondent for The New York Times stated that the reporters on the ship earned "an immense respect and liking for the character and abilities of Henry Ford".
[16] Schwimmer was known to lean into the caretaking feminine stereotype as was characteristic of the Women’s Peace Party during the first world war, however her identity made her a large target in other ways.
[16] Despite this critique, activists aboard the Peace Ship continued their radical campaigns on a number of subjects such as women’s suffrage, civil rights, and education policy, largely undeterred from their altruistic missions.
[25] The Peace Ship's mission was ultimately a failure, producing only inconsequential meetings with "quasi-official representatives" from several European governments.
