LICHNOWSKY MEMOIRS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12325, 23 May 1918, Page 2

LICHNOWSKY MEMOIRS.

MY MISSION TO LONDON, 1912-14, BY PRINCE LTCHNOWRKT, LATE GERMAN AMBASSADOR IN ENGLAND, . I The following test of the Lichnowgkv pamphlet, ha. been ® Gnfe BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE CONCERNING THE AHTHOR. ln T ko RNbor of the following page,., Karl Mas Prince LicliJR j" l n, ' ? J n l ser ,°f 9 family which holds e,.tales both in DpHonto^nf S tV* 5 ,l p^' !,p,)3 ' n- fi hafs an hereditary seat, in the i ppei .House of the Prussian Diet, The father of the Present punee and his predecessor in the title, was a Prussian cavalry genoia 1 who at, the end of lus life sat for some years in the R-eiohs-lag as a. member of the, free Conservative Party. XT3 ' elcc+ed I’n 1 ’ n 1848 tn represent He wa’ lVtf* aenna \^ at TS l A^ at Brankfort-on-Main. Iho TeiVmnh " emb T-i° f 4 hp Conservative wing, and during ! 2£;n while ndmg with General Auerswald fr the rnof. ° °° ( ° f t,he Clt ' y ’ was attacke<l auf] murdered hy whirh ifonf I° + P nn(l T, after serving in the Prussian array, in 55 I -J to- f , be ran ! k «*«»* the diplomatic service, hi i ci n shor , t f P e at ’ tached to the German Embassy ViennM v anf ?QQoT 1 1rtr¥? oTne Ooi,ncillor klm Embassy in Fo Xn rm™ 11 1891 10 was employed in the German i oieign Office, and received the rank and title of Minister Plenipotentiary. n. hj • " ,ired to ] V S S i lppia “ estate... arid, as he informs ' ’ • ; 01 . p,, ?.ht years the life of a country gentleman, hut. HA,',C"If nm,Sly ; ?•' ocoMiom,] political artifloi. i, ,i SC> i 1 pommC the circumstances in which he was appointed BiebersTeln 1 L ° n< °” 0n ths death of Baron Mn.rschall von M ii rScl ! nl5 ' ho , lml been Secretary for Foreign nndni P - d ° r of CoHll t Caprivi, and for a time .adrfr p™ had achieved great success as A inline 'A 0 r 111 °P , niu a hso. from the German point of ew. as chief German plenipotentiary at- the second Hague Conference in 190 . IW* Marschall was. to use an expreJnn „ I la , lc ,| . R ’ 4,10 host horse in Germany's diplomatic stable,” and great things were expected of him in London. But he lived only a tew months after his appointment. i Cmhnowsky ! ,s high social rank, his agreeable manners and the l generous hospitality which he shmved in London gave him a position in English society which facilitated the negotiahTfi f i^ PP !V 1, ; 1 T in i lfl a,lfl Gf™"*- and did much to diminish the ir ciion that, had arisen during the time that, Prince Billow lichMhe post, of German Chancellor. , ihe pamphlet, which is here translated, gives an account of his London mission. After his return to Germany he lived in reiremenf, ui the country hut has contributed occasional articles, to ■he -1(1 css. Ihe pamphlet, which was written in August. 1916, was not intended for publication, but was distributed confidentially to a few friends. The existence of it, had Jong been known, hut it was only m March of tins year that for the first time extracts trom it wore published m the Swedish paper “ Politiken ” -ongor extracts have since appeared in the London Press. For the nrst. time a complete translation, made from the German original, is now placed before the public

In September. 1912. Baron Marshall died after he had heen at his post in London for n lon months only. His appointment, which no doubt was principally \iue to his ago and the desire of his subordinate to-go to London, was one of the many mistakes of our policy. In spite of his striking personality and great reputation, lie was too old and too tired to adjust himself to the Anglo-Saxon world, which was completely alien to him. He was rather an official and a lawyer than a diplomat and statesman. From the very beginning he was at great pains to concince the English of the harmlessness ut our fleet, and naturally this onlv produced the contrary effect. Much to my surprise 1 was offered the post in October. 1 had retired to tiip country as a ‘'personal referent” alter many years ot activity, there being then no suitable post, available fnr me. I passed my time between flax and turnips, among horses and meadows, read extensively, and occasionally published political essays. Thus 1 had spent eight years, and it was thirteen years since I had left the Embassy at Vienna with the rank of Envoy. Thai, had been my last real sphere ot political activity, as in those days such activity was impossible •unIcss one was prepared to help a halfcrar.y chief in drafting his eroehety orders with their crabbed instructions. 1 do not know who was icsponsihle for my being appointed to London. It was certainly not due to the Emperor alone - 1 was not one of his intimates, though ho was at all times gracious to me. I also know hv experience that, Ids nominees generally met. with sitccossful opposition. Herr von Kiderlon had really wanted to send Herr von htuiiun to London! He immediately manifested unmistakable ill-will toward me, and endeavoured to intiutii date mn by bis incivility. Hen- von j Rfiiiiu.ann-Hollwcg was at that time | kindly disposed inward me, and had I I'I’'d 1 ’ 'd me a visit at Grata only a short, I time before. 1 am therefore inclined j t.o think that they all agreed on me, : la cause >u> other candidate was avail- : able at the moment. But ter Baron I Maischalks unexpected death. 1 should j no more hare boon called mil of rci tirement then (ban at any other tjmo | during all those previous years. | MOROCCO POLICY. It was certainly the right moment for a new effort to establish better relations with England. Our enigmatic -Morocco policy had repeatedly shaken confidence in our pacific, intentions. At the very least it had given rise to the suspicion that we did not quite know 1 what we wanted, or that it was our ohjeiu. to keep Europe on the qui viye, ; and, when opportunity offered. In humiliate trance. An Austrian colleague who had been in Baris for a long tnno said to me, \t henever the French begin to forget about 'revanche' vou always remind (hem of it will) a. jackboot. ’’ After we had repulsed M. Delcasse's ! eftorts to arrive a.t an understanding with us about More coo, and prior to that had formally declared that wo had no political interests there. which contermed to the traditions of the Bis-| inarckian policy, we suddenly discov- i ererl a second Kruger in Abdul Aziz. We assured him also, like the Boers, of ( the protection of the mighty German I Empire, with the same display, and uiln tliTt samp result. Both dpivton* si rations terminated with onr retreat, as they worn hound to do if we had not already made up our minds le etu- I hark on the world war. The distress- I tog congress at Algeriras could not. '■ha lice this in am- wav, still Hie (all of M. Dnloasse, ibir attitude promoted the Busse.La pa nose, and, ! a ie.r. the Anglo. BusSian rapprochement.. f n iV O of “the •tenuan peril all ether difference* tro-ted into the background. The pcs. facility of a new Franco.Gennan war bad become apparent, and r-uch a war conid not, as j,, i£;n i«, TO either hussia nr England unaffected. i lie. uselessness of the Triple Alliance had already been shown at Algeciras, bite that, of the agreements arrived ai 1 hero was demonstrated shortly af tcrnarrU lay the crill,apr.o n f rh* Sultanetc, which, of course, could not he p]m rented Among flm r.'cvinap ■ j.le however, the belief gained greuntj that

our foreign policy was feeble, and was gning iv,ay before the "encirclement" --that high-sounding phrases mere sueneeded by pusillanimous surrender. it is to the credit of Herr von Kiderlen, who is otherwise overrated as a, statesman, that he wound up our Moroccan inheritance and. accepted as they were the facts that could no longer bo altered. "Whether, indeed, it was necessary to alarm the world by the Anadir incident I will leave others to say. It was jubilantly acclaimed in Germany, but it had caused all the more nisfjuiet, in England because the Govermnent was kept, waiting for three teehs for an explanation of our intentions. Ho,vd George's speech, which was meant as a, warning to ns, was the consequence- Before Delcasso’s fall am before Algecira-s we might have had a harbour and ternlQryon the west poShle" 1 8 f<?r lll0 " P events i( ' " as im - RIR R - GB-HY’S PROGRAMME. , AVii r" I 0ß , n,e to London in Novcmhci. the excitement over Morocco had subsided, ~s ; 1M agreement . inth -ranee bad been reached i„ Herin. It is true that Haldane's mission had tailed, as Wo had required the assurance ot nenlrnlitv instead or hcing content with a (reafv seenring ns against British (?) attacks with British support. Yet Sir Edward t’i ey had no!: relinquished the idea of arriving at an understanding with us, and ui thedirst place tried to do this in loimiml and ecnnmnic questions. Conversations were i n progress through •ho medium ot the capable and bustnessluo envoy, r on Kuhhnnnn, concerning the renewal of the I’ortngMcso colonial agreement and the MesnpoLa nun-Bagdad railway, the unarowed ohiect of which was to divide both the colonics and Asia Minor into spheres ot influence. Ibe British statesman, afler having settled all outstanding points of difference wilh Era nee and Mu«ia Wished to make .similar agreements }Mth us, hj wa-. not hji s object to isolate us, hut to (he best of his power to make ns partners in the existing association. As lie had succeeded in overcoming Anglo-French and .WloHussiaii differences, so he also wished to do his hestMn eliminate tho AngloGerman, ami h’y a network of treaties which would in the end, n ,» doubt, have included an agreement about the' troublesome question of naval armaments to ons I ,ire (tie peace of the world alter our previous policy had ) PC ) , 0 fl|l „ SMI . elation —the Entente -which represented a mutual insurance against tlm risk of war. This was .Sir K. Grey's plan, ]„ bj,, own words: Without interfering with our existing friendship with France and Kussifl, whicji lias no aggressive aims and does not, entail any hindine obligations on England, to arrive at a friendly rapprochement and nndcrr.landing with Germany “to bring the. iwo groups nearer.” As ,villi ns, there were two parlies in England at that time. (| u . optimisti, nho believed in an imclrrM a tiding, ami the pessimists, who thought'’ that sooner or later war was inevitable. The former embraerd Mr TL ||' ~\s _ qnith. Sir Edward Grey, l.nrd Haldane, and must of the Ministers in j|,o cal ('a hi net, also the leading Liberal papers, such as the ” Westminster Gazette, the “ Mnnehosier Guardian,” and the -‘Dailv Chronicle.” The pess'i mists were mainly Conservative poli- i lician? like Mr A. J. Ballon,-, who j pcahullv made this clear to me, also i leading army men like Lord Huberts ii ho pointed o-;it. the. necessity of nni- ' versa I military service the writing i or the wall”; further, the NortlmHfTe | Cress and Ihp eminent English jour, ralisr., Mr T. L, Garrjn, of the "Ob. server.” During my period n f office, bewover, they abstained from a|) at' lacks and maintained both personallv and politically a friendly attitude. Knt oor naval polmv aP.d nnr iittit.mjo in T.E'o, 100? and 1.011 bad aroused , n them tlio conviction that, arte,- ap ,) would some day come to war, ,D r .t ns it 1S with UP. the former are now being accused in England of short sightedness and Duplicity, whereas Hie latter are looked on ns the true prophets. Further instalments of Hu-s? Alc. ni ,-.i,wdl b- voiblnlK-d m the ■ y.t,ai- ' { rc v n day to day.