Before I get into what I would rather have had happen, here's a few things :
=> Destroying Germany : Not an option. Not only does it guarantee Germany will be back, more revanchist and militarist than ever, it will make the West even more complacent.
=> Giving in to Germany's wants : Not an option either. Germany isn't happy with its loss regardless of what conditions it's getting; making it stronger in absolute terms than it was pre-war when its primary continental rival has been crippled is just not an option.
=> Don't overstate the ability of the US to twist France and Britains' arms behind their backs. Their leaders both have internal objectives to fulfill.
=> Some things, such as Alsace-Lorraine, are non-negotiable.
The dumbest take being this one, as far as I'm concerned :
Tell the French to fuck off from the negotiations and let Britain and America hammer out the terms.
That guarantees an extreme hostile retaliation from France AND that whatever Britain and America hammer out will go unenforced.
Why ? Because the primary actor of the enforcement of the treaty of Versailles would never have been navel-gazing America or fickle Britain. It would have been those who had to live next to Germany.
Otl the Austro-Hungarian and the Ottoman empires where completely destroyed and if germany where added to the list it sets the president for the complete destruction of the opposing side which up until this point in europian history was unheard of among great powers.
For comparison revolutionary France despite decades of conflict was not only not destroyed but in terms of tarritorial losses barely even punished, seeing its frontier largly roled back to the pre revolutionary borders.
(I have always found the lack of self reflection on this hypocritical when looking at proposals of the destroy Germany camp in france since they were vary much the same position as the current defeated contential antagonist just barely over 100 years prior)
For this exact reasion I would argue inversely a more lenient peace that leaves germany stripped of its conquests in the east and its over seas tarritory but otherwise largly intact on the continent offers a better chance for germany to reintigrate into the europian system in much the same way a post Napolionic France was enabled to with a more lenient peace.
The adequate comparison starting point for the losses of post-Napoleonic France at Vienna is not 1789. It's 1802/3.
It's the loss of Belgium, Piedmont, and the Rhineland, as well as all of their influence. It's the creation of several barrier states with the sole purpose of containing them.
It's the occupation of the capital city.
Even then, the losses of Germany would best be compared to those they decided to inflict on Russia at Brest-Litovsk.
Overall, my personal tweaks :
1) Having separate treaties for each of the loser powers was imo a bad move. Allowed each power to complain that some shared clauses were unique and unfair (cough war guilt cough)
2) No professional army for Germany. Allow Germany a middle-sized purely conscripted army of 250k strong.
3) Ensure that each and every restriction on Germany is timed and tied to the proper repayment of their reparations.
4) Internationalize the Vistula. Danzig might stay German, but the Poles wouldn't be cut from the sea. (not Memel though, the Lithuanians need a port)
5) Institute a pan-European commission for the settlement of war debts and reparations and allow obligation swaps.
6) Try and convince France and Britain to give Togo or Cameroon to Italy as compensation for the lesser territorial gains in Dalmatia.
7) Ensure that the defeated powers' representatives do get a voice, even if it's purely symbolic.
8) Don't fuck with Japan. They can have their racial equality clause if they want.
9) The bit about supporting pan-Europeanists is a good move, but I sincerely doubt it'll go all the way. Still, if you can support the idea of the French and the Germans reconciliating even if it's to shake off US-UK trade and financial influence, it'll be a win in the long run.
10) Bavaria should be allowed to break off from Germany if they desire to, taking a proportional share of German reparations payments if they do, but no other restrictions.
Replace Clemenceau as French delegation/government leader prior to ToV discussions. He's fighting the 1870 conflict in his head from 50 years ago; France needs someone that doesn't have their head in the clouds or in the past, but I don't know if that's possible.
That's... not up to America... And even then he often had to make demands pro forma because they were pushed by his cabinet when he knew they were stupid.
