BEFORE THE WAR.

Clutha Leader, Volume XLI, Issue 41, 4 December 1914, Page 6

BEFORE THE WAR.

A LAST YEAR'S CONVERSATION. SOME STARTLING DISCLOSURES. PARIS, Nov. 30. A "Yellow Book" just issued shows that the German military party is aggressive in resolve and also in formation and methodical development. Throughout Germany public opinion is in favar of the war. The book contains, in a section headed "Warnings," a striking despatch dated November 22, 1913, in which M. Jules Cambon narrates a conversation which took place a fortnight earlier between the Kaiser and the King of the Belgians in Count Von Moltke's presence. M. Cambon describes King Albert's astonishment at finding the Kaiser no longer a champion of peace. The Kaiser then regarded war with France as inevitable, and believed in the overwhelming superiority of the German army and its certain success. KAISER IRR[TABLE AND OVERWROUGHT. Count Von Moltke took the same view, and was even more confident of success than the Kaiser. King Albert protested that they were travestying the French Government's intentions and mislead regarding the French nation's sentiments. The Kaiser and Von Moltke none the less persisted. The Kaiser, moreover, appeared overwrought and irritable. M. Sam'bon added: "As the Emperor grows older the family traditions and reactionary sentiments of the court, and especially the impatient military easte, gain more and more hold upon his mind. Possibly he feels some jealousy of the popularity of his son, who flat, ters pan-German passions, and does not

find that the Empire holds a position in the world commensurate with its power. Perhaps France's reply to the latest increase in the army, 'the aim of , which was to establish Germanic superiority beyond question, explains some of the bitterness. Possibly the Kaiser meant to impress King Albert I and induce him to oppose no resistance ito a Franco-German conflict. Whatever his object, the revelation reflects | the precariousness of the situation, and I it will be well to take into consideration 1 a new fact —namely, that the Kaiser is familiarising himself with a train of i ideas that was once repugnant to him." j AN OFFICER'S ADVICE. ' , The same section contains a secret official report dated May 11), 1913, from an officer on the German General Staff, justifying the increases in the army and urging the accustoming of the nation to the idea of an offensive war. "There are so many matters —such as powerful armaments involving considerable sacrifices, and the strained political" situation, to cause the drawing of the sword to be viewed with relief. Germany must prepare for war financially without arousing the mistrust of the financiers. We should stir up trouble in Egypt, Tunis, Algeria, Morocco, and Russia. Risings must be prepared, especially in Egypt." He adds: 'Small States like Holland and Belgium must be constrained to follow Germany or be broken.'' Various documents prove the perfidy of German diplomacy at critical movements, and Austria's deliberate provocation of war at Germany's instigation.