EMPEROR KARL'S LETTER

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 114, 18 May 1918, Page 5

EMPEROR KARL'S LETTER

REGARDING ATSACE-L-ORRAINE.

QUESTIONS IN HOUSE OF COMMONS.

STATEMENT BY MR BALFOUR.

(Reuter's Telegrams.)

LONDON, May 16.

In the House of 'Commons, Mr E-un-ciman asked if the Emperor Karl's letter quoted by M. Clemenceau on April 9th was communicated to the other Allies; did Mr Lloyd George inform the Eoreisn-Office at the time such letter was shown him, and was the subiect dropped 'because Franca wanted ■the Alsace-Lorraine of 1814 or even of 1790? „■ • i. * -n •Mr A. J. Balfour, Minister of I»or-. Affairs, replied that there was ,a tendency to treat this subject as if it concerned Britain alone. It was really a delicate question of international policy and could not foe discussed as 'a domestic matter. Tnis was a private letter written by Karl to a relative. It was conveyed >by the latter to thp French Government under seal of the strictest, secrecy, and without permission to communicate it to anyone in Britain except Mr Lloyd G'eorge and the Sovereign. This was a n inconvenient way to deal with a great trans- ' action, but it was not the fault of the British Government. Mr Balfour added that the restoration of the Alsace-Lorraine of 1814_ or 1790 had never been an Allied war aim. Mr Rnnciman must be referring to a conversation 'between the Czar and a 'French representative early in 1917, which was unknown to the British Government until much later, and which had no international bearing and in no way pledged the British Government. Proceeding, Mr Balfour said it was impossible to know what .actuated Karl, iCzernin, and the Kaiser in these transactions. He was inclined to think it was part of a peace offensive with the object of dividing their opponents. Mr Balfour concluded by saying that ', M. Clemenceau dealt effectively with

these cynical methods -by publishing Karl's letter. The French Chamber had already concluded that the letter .did notT~provide an adequate or satisfactory basiT tor peace. The House of Commons might well be content with that verdict. Nobody was more desirous than the British Government to bring the -war to an honourable conclusion, and if any method whereby that could be accomplished were shown them, it would be accepted. There was no evidence now "or any time that the

German governing classes contemplated the possibility of what we could regard as a reasonable peace.