A TALL STORY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11215, 22 October 1914, Page 2

A TALL STORY.

KITCHENER RAGING IN FRANCE. FORCES CABINET RESIGNATION. NEW YORK, September 23. Tim "Evening World" to-day published an interview with Dr Fred 6. Mason, of New York, who returned on the Olympic, in which the physician claims to have beon informed by a high French official that it w;is Lord Kitchener, Britain's Minister of War, who forced the resignat.oa of the French Cabinet shortly after the outbreak of the war.

Dr Mason, 'according to the ''Evening World," k a close friend of Sur-geon-General Bell of tho British Expeditionary Force in France. Genera! Bell introduced him to the French official, Dr Mason said, and the following is a report of the facts as they were told to him :

" When 100,000 British under General French were opposed by 225,000 Germans of General von Kluck's army at Mons, General French saw that he was in a desperate situation. After the first day's fighting and when the overwhelming forces of tho Germans threatened to surround the entire British Expeditionary Force, General French sent an earnest appeal for aid to the French military commander of that district. He asked that 40,000 French troops be rushed to his assistance at once.

" The French commander did not respond to General French's appeal foxthree days, and by that time tho British'lnd managed to cut their way out of the German trap by almost uperhuman effort and at a tremendous loss. They were in full retreat away from Mens when tho reinforcements arrived. Though General French made casual mention of tho French forces' refusal to aid him in_his_ official report, designed for publication, he sent a more complete and bitter complaint direct to Lord Kitchener, saying that the failure of the French to answer his plea had put tho whole army in jeopardy.

"Lord Kitchener was furious. He made a secret trip to Para and laid his complaint against tho dilatory French comma"dev before President Pcincnre and the French Minister. Tho latter, who was a of the General complained against, refused to punish him. Then Kitchener threatened the _ President of Franco with practical withdrawal of the British expeditionary forces from the field unless the General were court-martialled.

"President Poincare, eager to imke every concession to Lord Kitchener, forced the resignation of his whole Cabinet, which _ was disposed to back ur> the War Minister in opposition to Kitchener. This was on August 26, about a week after tho battle of Moiis. A very serious crisis in. the affairs of the All : es was thus averted, and Kitehener triumphed."