The Harrison times., 1914-12-05

After a tweuty-minute wait. which
impressed me as being different from
the slam.inandslam,ou methods OF
ths Wilhelmstrasse, was shown up
a flight OF stairs The attendant
knocked on the door, opened II and
announced, the gentleman"
| was facing Sir Edward Grey
Il presume you are familiar with
Germanys naval activity"
Up to certain point, sir"
What point?" he asked quickly
Il am familiar only with the intel.
ligence department Of the admiralty"
replied
Their SYSTEM" he asked, rs It so
extensive and efficient as we have
been led to believer"
THAT canont be exaggerated"
A Startled Foreign Minister.
Al this Sir Edward began to
throw out innuendoes TO which | re-
piled In like vein The interview was
not progressing Finally he came out
with what was in his mind
'Do you know I! any officials or ma
val officers are selling or negotiating
to sell information to foreign lntelli-
gence Departmental"
Although he had not said English
officers or officials, I knew what he
meant but made up my mind not to
tell everything knew.
There are such | replied
It had the effect OF making him
look at me IN a most startled man.
ner.
How do you know that? On what
grounds do you make that as.
sertlon?" His agitation was illCon-
Cealed
Il have no specific proof" | replied
(which | had)-"but from informa.
ton that has been gained from plans
that have been secured-plans like
those Of your dreadnaughts Queen
Mary and Ajax--it Is obvious that
these things have been done with the
cooperation Of high officials OF your
country"
He pressed me for further details,
but | withheld them
Were you ever present at confer.
ences attended by high oficials2
We're you, for instance, at the Schlan.
genbad meeting? Have you any data?
Any documentary evidence OF having
been there2"
was not bit startled had
guessed II would be that, Ills very
question showed that It was useless
for me TO deny that | had been at tho
Black Forest conference where Ger
many had tried her best TO isolate
France by winning over England. Pos.
sbly Churchill, recalling my meeting
him during the Boor war, had dropped
n word about this coincidence to his
Lordship.
Naturally told him possessed no
such data Stlll did not like tho
trend Of his talk began 10 suspect
that this British minister was doing
ono OF two things Either he did not
now everything about the Black For
e. meeting at all improbable
VIA the conditions existing In Eng.
lands cabinet at that tlme)--or elsO
he wanted to learn II | knew the tenor |
OF that conference, In either case, II
was one OF those occasions where I
deemed II Wise to keep my own eoun.
sci
After many searching questions
upon the French system and her army
and navy, he began TO try to lead me
to make comparisons between their
strength and EnglOnd'B, these being
based upon my personal observations.
This, and the whole trond OF his
thought, led me 70 suspect that Sir
Edward Grey was In noways Huro In
his own mind Of, or favorable to, tho
GemOn.EnglIsh alliance,
win men like his Lofdship personal
plays powerful part In
such matters
Unsatisfactory Fishing.
ITO then began to try 10 mako mo
dlyulgo the oontonta OF any poraonRl
dispatches | had carried for the Ger.
man emperor
no YOU know" no asked abruptly
m the German emperor ever commu.
nicatod with VlBcount llaldaneG
"YoB SIR"
llo leaned forward eagerly,
How, and under what eroum.
uahooB9'
why I thought It common knowl
,dgo that they often Corronp0ndod,
fhoy are good friends"
Not that | mean direct secret
communications between them con-
'efnIng affairs Of the Hlate,'
I denied any knowledge Of this, nj.
hough know II TO ho no.
lIo began fishing around again,
md his hints found me very stupid.
My unsatisfactory answers seemed
o dsplrase Sir Edward Grey, for
With true british diseourtesy he alb
uptly began working at something