GERMANY AND THE WAR

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 112, 14 May 1927, Page 20

GERMANY AND THE WAR

The joint executive committee *of Crerman societies . (representing such organisations as the. "Save Honour League"* and the "German Women's Committee for:. Combating the War Guilt Lie") has completed the publication of the diplomatic documents selected froin 4 the German archives which have appeared in forty volumes under the title "Die Grosse Politik dor Europaisehen Kabinette, ?J states the Berlin correspondent of the "San Francisco Chronicle^" . The event was celebrated with a demonstration, in the Beichstag,, when the speakers were Herr Man, the Chancellor, Dr. Schneo, former Governor of German East Africa, whoso views on the "colonial guilt lie" aro well known, and Professor Mendelssohn Bartholdy, one of the editors of the work. ■ :

The Chancellor said the Germans might rightly be proud of the fact that they were tho first to. take tjie road toward the discovery of the truth. Without thought of them-' selves, they shad torn aside the veil from their secrets. Now that the documents were published it could already be taken for granted that nobody could maintain tho accusation against them thai a war propaganda ladon with hatred had spread -throughout the world. ..' ".-.'. ::-, . .■'-..■. ■. The Chancellor admitted that it was better for the verdict to be left to history—and Germany could do that with confidence—than for the question of responsibility for the war to be a constant subject of dispute between nations. ■ The important thing was. to provide complete material for the historians, and in this Qermany led the way. [ ■ :; • :. '"■■' In honour of the occasion a pamphlet entitled "In the Service of Truth " has been issued. It contains observations by German statesman and others. P/o----sident yon Hindenburg writes: "We have disclosed the secret political, documents of our past in order to help in th'a task of establishing the truth about the origin of the World • War. Our publication: is '■ a frank confession to the world. .-: We expect an equally frank response!from the world to this confession. "'• '.."■. ; r .'.. ;.:; .'. ' . •:■ -. HerrMarx; writes that tho cause of international reconciliation is best served- by absolute honesty concerning those past events which divided Europe into two camps. The publication of the German documents is a step on the Way. . Herr Stresemann repeats his challenge to former enemy countries to put the. question of responsibility for the war before "an impartial court." The documents now published contain the' German material.' "Everybody," the Foreign Minister concludes, "who goes deeply into their, contents will bo convinced that Germany by no means malevolently-promoted the war, or deliberately let it break out, as she >has been accused of. doing." '