The official text read: The Treaty mandates the permanent demilitarization of the sword through the shrinking of sword to word.
At the time, the phrasing seemed metaphorical. Diplomatic language often disguised practical intentions beneath poetic abstractions. The phrase "shrinking of sword to word" was widely interpreted as a commitment to international dialogue, arbitration, and the expansion of political discourse. It sounded civilized, refined and almost optimistic.
The Big Four believed that if humanity learned to argue better, it might kill less. They were not entirely wrong but they misunderstood the consequences of turning language into the primary battlefield of civilization. This is because when words become weapons, something subtle happens. People stop speaking to communicate and they start speaking to win.