Editing Treaty of Versailles (section)

===American aims===
Before the American entry into the war, Wilson had talked of a "peace without victory".{{sfn|Wilson|1917}} This position fluctuated following the US entry into the war. Wilson spoke of the German aggressors, with whom there could be no compromised peace.{{sfn|Trachtenberg|1982|p=490}}
On 8 January 1918, however, Wilson delivered a speech (known as the [[Fourteen Points]]) that declared the American peace objectives: the rebuilding of the [[Economy of Europe|European economy]], self-determination of European and Middle Eastern ethnic groups, the promotion of free trade, the creation of appropriate mandates for former colonies, and above all, the creation of a powerful League of Nations that would ensure the peace.{{sfn|Cooper|2011|pp=454–505}} The aim of the latter was to provide a forum to revise the peace treaties as needed, and deal with problems that arose as a result of the peace and the rise of new states.{{sfn|Slavicek|2010|p=48}}{{sfn|Brezina|2006|p=21}}

Wilson brought along top intellectuals as advisors to the American peace delegation, and the overall American position echoed the Fourteen Points. Wilson firmly opposed harsh treatment on Germany.{{sfn|Cooper|2011|pp=454–505}} While the British and French wanted to largely annex the German colonial empire, Wilson saw that as a violation of the fundamental principles of justice and human rights of the native populations, and favored them having the right of self-determination via the creation of mandates. The promoted idea called for the major powers to act as disinterested trustees over a region, aiding the native populations until they could govern themselves.{{sfn|Slavicek|2010|pp=46–47}}
In spite of this position and in order to ensure that Japan did not refuse to join the League of Nations, Wilson favored turning over the former German colony of [[Shandong Problem|Shandong]], in [[East China|Eastern China]], to the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese Empire]] rather than return the area to the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]]'s control.{{sfn|Slavicek|2010|p=65}}
Further confounding the Americans, was US internal partisan politics. In November 1918, the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] won the [[1918 United States Senate elections|Senate election]] by a slim margin. Wilson, a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], refused to include prominent Republicans in the American delegation making his efforts seem partisan, and contributed to a risk of political defeat at home.{{sfn|Cooper|2011|pp=454–505}}

On the subject of war crimes, the Americans differed to the British and French in that Wilson's proposal was that any trial of the Kaiser should be solely a political and moral affair, and not one of criminal responsibility, meaning that the death penalty would be precluded.{{sfn|Bassiouni|2002|p=271}} This was based on the American view, particularly those of [[Robert Lansing]],{{sfn|Kim|2000|pp=52–53}} that there was no applicable law under which the Kaiser could be tried.{{sfn|Bassiouni|2002|p=269}} Additionally, the Americans favoured trying other German war criminals before military tribunals rather than an international court, with prosecutions being limited to "violation[s] of the laws and customs of war", and opposed any trials based on violations against what was called "[[Crimes against humanity|laws of humanity]]".{{sfn|Bassiouni|2002|p=271}}