WAR SECRET.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 9 July 1925, Page 8

WAR SECRET.

GERMAN AMBASSADOR’S VAIN APPEAL. A striking account of his last interview with the German Ambassador Lichnowsky is given by Viscount Grey in the Westminster Gazette. This interview, took place in the Foreign Office at the embarrassing moment on Monday, August 3, 1914, when Grey was about to leave for the House of Commons to make his famous speech. Lord Grey writes: “It was hardly- possible that the Ambassador had come with anything from the German .Government, for surely they had nothing .more< to say to us; hut if lie had it was my business to hear it and essential to know what it was before I spoke. Time must he made to see him-. “He came in, and his first words told me that he brought nothing from Berlin. He asked what had the Cabinet decided? What was I going to sav in the House of Commons? Was it a declaration of war? “I answered that it was not a declaration of war, but a statement of conditions.

“He asked very earnestly what were the conditions. I would have told him personally anything, for no man had worked harder to avert war than Lichnowsky, or more genuinely hated this coming war; but he was bound to telegraph, whatever was said to Berlin, and the German Government, of all people, must not know an hour in advance- of others abroad what was to be said.

“I replied that in an hour’s time the whole world would know, and I could say nothing in advance. “He asked was the neutrality of Belgium one of the conditions? T could only repeat that I could say nothing before 1 spoke. “He then implored that we should not make Belgian neutrality on© of the conditions; he knew nothing (110 said) of the plans of the German General Staff; he could not suppose that*' a serious violation was one of them; but it might he that it was part of the plan for German troops to go through one- small corner perhaps of Belgium ; if so they could not alter that now. “T was sure what he said of his own want of knowledge of German military plans was true; he. at least, was no party to the violation of Belgium, hut [ could say nothing. “There was no time to make any record' of the conversation, and there is none, hut what is set down here. It was the last time that T saw him in the Foreign Office, and the vision of it is clear no\v*-Mie standing in front of the- door that he had entered, T standing with him. hard pressed for time and ready to go out.”