The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-12-17
German Diplonacy's
Mistake and Breakdown. :

Henry S. Browne, the London cor
respondent of the New York Herald
and New Orleans Times Picayune
whose news cablegrams and comments
on the war are read with absorbing in
terest by thousands of people, has fur
nisAed a new side of the conflict which
makes interesting reading and which
bears the semblance of containing
considerable truth. In a recent cable
gram Mr.. Brown says:
The revelations made In the French
yellow book have resulted In serious
criticism of German craftsmanship and
German diplomacy by leading journals
and great thinkers all over Europe.
The general opinion is that, at the
critical moment in German history,
when the future of the nation was at
stake. German diplomacy broke down.
It failed absolutely and utterly to re-
port to the German nation what was
the actual fact in England, France and
Russia. According to the French vel
low book, the diplomacy of France
never was in such a plight.
AS far back as 1918, the French gov
eminent was informed that in Ger
many there existed a state of mind
which made war between France and
Germany inevitable. Consequently,
when Austria dispatched her ultima
tum to Servia. Paris knew instantly
that the expected hour had arrived
Russia was equally clear on the sub
ject. Both Russia and France were
patiently sympathetic when London,
visibly stampeded by the Austrian &C
fi0n hogan IN
to accomplish the mpossible-prevent
great war. But the failure of Ger
man diplomacy lay in the fact that
the German pepole believed England
would not go to war. Berlin had pri-
Vate advices that no matter what hap
pened, England would keep her skirts
clear of war. Just what sources were
pumped by German diplomats N Lon
don for this erroneous information has
not been made clear.
For this misinformation the German
Emperor has disciplined statesmen
and diplomats, who, in the minds of
many thinkers, are responsible for the
present great conflict into which Ger
many never would have entered had
she been advised correctly that she
would find Great Britain among her
enemies on the battlef1elds and else
where. Commentators on the French
yellow book assert that German
craftsmanship was at fault for not |
taking sufficient cognizance of the !
growing bellicose feeling in France
during the past ten years A whole /
nation was being schooled into the be- |
lief that war with Germany was in !
German statesmen could not |
see or believe in the danger of the !
triple entente. German diplomats !
we're positive that England would re-
main neutral.
A month after the outbreak of the |
war German statesmen again were de- |
ceived by secret advices from London.
Il was limited that England would well /
come Overtures for peace and that
Germany might secure favorable
terms. Lines were thrown out,
through the United States. and dipIo-
mats began delicately to sound the
warning nations. Then It was that a
mighty protest went up from Great |
Britain against peace, even at any
price. So fierce was the opposition
o any peace movement in London that
( was necessary for German diplo-
mats at once to assert that their coun-
ry never had entertained any idea OF
peace conditions and would fight to |
he end. Here again erroneous infor-
nation brought censure upon German
diplomats for placing Germany and
he Emperor in a false position.
Recently there have been sugges-
ions OF peace, emanating from vari-
JUS parts of the world but German
diplomats, grown wise through law
ng been misled on formed occasions
re contenting themselves with silence.
There also are indications that a cog
Tipped somewhere in the Austrian
serman combination to aid directly in
elieving the pressure upon Cracow.
General Dimitrioff. former Bulgarian
minister to Petrograd, seems to have
O directed his troops that they met
he closing columns from the two
ounties separately. inhicting hard
lows upon each and checking them
n detail Such tactics and combina-
Ions made the reputation of Napoleon |
iona parte. The Bulgarian general |
ither has shown rare ability or fate /
as conspired to aid him.
Whether these views are thus justi-
ed by the facts or not. they at least
eem to be justified by the results so
ar achieved by Germany. Whatever
he result of the war may be, the fact
en1ains that every move made by
he Kaiser's armies. from the very
eginning, has resulted in failure. II
Only the future can determine the
nal result, but the war to date has
nothing outside OF a
-orld stagnation of business, the eX-
of almost incalculable sums
{ money. the devastation of a wide
pread area of country, the destitu-
on OF millions Of innocent people, |