Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-05
NO AFFRONT MEANT
BY KING OF GREECE
Speech Which Almost Cost Him
Friendship of France Said to
Be Misinterpreted.
RESPONSIBILITY PLACED
ON TRICKERY OF KAISER
Royal Relative in Copenhagen Lets
Cat Out of the Bag Telling Of
International Incident.
Foreign Correspondence of The Star.

Foreign Correspondence OF The Star
BERLIN. September 2s. 1918.
IL all that is heard is true.
poor King Constantine OF Greece has
been more sinned against than he
has sinned In the unfortunate speech
which so nearly cost him the vaIuab BILE
friendship OF France, without whose
financial help Greece would very soon be
bankrupt.
Oncial secrets. especially such which
involve the kaiser's impulsive doings. are
as rule very well kept In Germany. and
as long as the King OF Greece remained
on German sou he continued to appear
In the eyes of the world as a most un-
lucky blunderer.
Little by little the true circumstances
are leaking out. Unfortunately for the
kaiser. King Constantine has other re,a-
tives besides his wife. the kaiser's sister.
ana some or these, certain royal person
ages who live In Copenhagen. and who
possess the full confidence OF King Con-
stantine, are not overload OF the kaiser.
Seeing evidently no reason why the
world should continue to look upon King
constantine as a fool and an migrate.
one or these royal relatives has undoubt-
eoiy let the cat out Of the bag. At any
rate. q story comes from Copenhagen
Wnlch mas every appearance Of being the
true version OF this much-discusse I'm
ternational incident.
IL one is to believe the Copenhagen
story King Constantine did not commit
even an impulsively foolish act which
mignt nave been pardoned in a young
man more versed In the use of the sword
than familiar with the slippery ways of
diplomacy. The words did not fall ag
omeiany reported at all, and such words
as ne actually did say were practically
laid upon his tongue by the kaiser. who.
pc 1t said, In his excuse merely acted
from the highest patriotic motives.
Charges Hurt Kaiser.
Nothing has ranked deeper in the
kaisers breast than the accusation that
the defeats suffered by the Turks In the
nrst Balkan war were due to the inferior
iy OF German to French military
tactics. and ever since this statement
was nrst made and exultantly comment
ed upon in the French press he has been
racking his brain to find a way of
positively refuting It.
When the royal hero of many bloody
battles arrived in Berlin the kaiser saw
MS iong-looked-for chance. He must
secure from King Constantine, who be-
fore his sad experiences during the
AuAhO-1fcCidn war QaQ studied the
science Of strategy IN Berlin, some use
RAJ statement, SO when only a small
circle of royal German princes and high
generals was gathered in the privacy
OF the royal waiting room of the An
halter Bahrehol ne sprung his trap on
the unwary King of Greece In such q
manner that his thanks for the marshals
baton must necessarily refer to the time
when he was military student here
When he royal party left the railroad
station King Constantine had no idea of
the cloud that was gathering about his
head. being conscious only Of having said
q few commonplace courtesies within q
narrow private circle. But after the
banquet the same night the imperial
editor went to work on tho speech and
gave II the form In which Il was syndi-
Gated to the whole German press, which
Immediately saw its immense value as a
means OF restoring Germany's lost mill
tary prestige. According to the Copen-
hagen version no man was more sur
prised than King Constantine when the
whole French press pounced upon him.
and kilograms poured In from his own
responsible ministers in Athens, who
were at their wits end to find a way to
conciliate France, which has been q
stanch friend Of Greece ever since the
year which saw the battle OF Navarino