“STRUTTING KAISER”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21599, 21 March 1932, Page 7

“STRUTTING KAISER”

SIDELIGHTS ON HISTORY LONDON, March 10. Because ho was sure that the exKaiser, an honorary admiral of the British Navy, would strut and take command of both fleets, a proposal to send a British squadron to Germany in 1911 was cancelled at the feverish request of the German Foreign Minister. Clear evidence is furnished also that Germany was preparing for war. This is revealed in the seventh volume of British documents concerning the origins of the war.. The ex : Kaiser figures prominently in some of his documents. lie appeared to be a chief source of anxiety to Ministers in Germany and other countries through his vagaries of temperament. A touch of comedy occurred amid the impending tragedy when Sir Edward Gosehen, Ambassador to Berlin, in a letter to the British Foreign Office, revealed that Herr Kiderlinwaechter, German’s Foreign Minister, had urged the prevention of the British naval squadron meeting the German squadron at the Mole in 1911 by a timely fog or other means known to sailors, because “the Kaiser, as admiral of both navies, will amuse himself by putting himself at the head of the combined squadrons, and Organising manoeuvres, ending in a banquet and toasts, and God konws what! ”

Sir Edward Goschen replied that there was hardly time for more than official visits, but Herr Kiderlinwaechter retorted, “ You do not know the Emperor. He will entirely lose his head if he sees the squadrons together. He will organise a big tra-la-la, and furnish food for all the quidnuncs in Europe. Probably after three days the fleets will be either over-fraternising or shaking fists, which would be an equally disturbing result.”

The British visit was eventually cancelled.