The Great Incompetents

Maoriland Worker, Volume 13, Issue 31, 1 August 1923, Page 11

The Great Incompetents

The most useful contribution to the world's knowledge about the war, which M. Palaeologue makes in "An Arnbassado-r's Memoirs" (Vol. I. Hittchih'son. 18/-), is his reproduction of a conversation he had with Count Witte in September, 1914. He was then French Ambassador in Russia! and" when Count Witte, the most outstanding personality among Russian statesmen, tdld him the war was "madness, forced on the Tsar's pru-dence-by stupid and short-sighted politicians," M. Palaeologue replied: If the world is now on fire, it is in a cause which interested Russia first and' foremost, a cause which :is eminently the Slav cause, and - didrnot affect either Fiance or Eng- : land.

With these words this prominent Frenchman blows away all the sense about the war being in defence of : civilisation,- or in the interest of small nations, or to protect Right against Might.- He abolishes the le~ -gend that Germany was the only criminal. He lets in the truth at last amid the stale and stupid lies Which have befogged so many peop>e for so long a time; -.- ■-• - •

T knew'this' ambassador in Petrdgrad. He was not thought much of. His domed bald head gave him a wise 1 look, but he "was known to be a gos-ssT>;;-a: busybody,, a fearful snob. He relates in this volume his conversation with the Tsar as* if he were Mioses' taking -dawn the language of the Airtight yr "He st-ill cannot see what a ghastly blunder the Russian Foreign Office and War Office committed when they insisted-upon war. He babbles In his :diary'as he babbled in hisfta-lk. Yet- his- book-.is valuable, neve%the-less\---The London "Daily Herald."