The Paris Peace Conference afforded an opportunity for the Zionist Organization to explain its reasons for a Jewish national home. Israeli historian Tom Segev called the peace conference “the pinnacle of Weizmann's diplomatic achievements.” Segev wrote that Weizmann “managed to ensure that the British would remain in Palestine.” Segev explained Weizmann's success: “Weizmann, at the head of the Zionist delegation, pleaded for the international ratification of the Balfour Declaration. As a result, the League of Nations agreed to grant a mandate to the British, empowering them to govern Palestine, that included an explicit responsibility to help the Jews establish a national home in the country. The mandate was Weizmann's own personal achievement.”

Segev's assessment reflects what the Narrative came to reflect, that the Zionist Organization succeeded at the Paris Peace Conference in convincing the world to promote its objectives. The reality was far different. In Paris, the Zionist Organization did not move the international dial on the topic of Zionism. Nor did it ensure that Britain would remain in Palestine. Britain had its own reasons for doing so. Neither did it gain agreement from the League of Nations, which was not yet in existence. And when the League did address Palestine, as we shall see, it did not empower Britain to govern there or to promote a Jewish national home.

Weizmann gave himself less credit than did Segev for his performance in Paris. In his memoir, Weizmann, who was not known for understating his own successes, could find nothing more positive to say about his achievements in Paris than that the Zionist participation resulted in some “good press in France.”

The invitation issued to the Zionist Organization to make a statement at the Paris Peace Conference did afford it a chance to state its case in a forum that could shape events. The major powers were gathered to arrange peace with Germany and Turkey and to make decisions about territory being taken from them. The Zionist Organization made both a written and an oral presentation.

In its written plea, the Zionist Organization laid out a plan for Britain to control Palestine, quite a bold move for a non-governmental organization.