Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1914-12-25
HOW GERNIANY's ENEMIES
ALIIED VHTgNISFINES.


--------
HOW GERAfANY's ENEMIES
ALLIED THIGAISEIiNES
Tho statement that Germany de-
sired and occasloned the present war
| has caused the German government
to publish several documents about
the alliance made against Germany.
/ They show that the enemies OF the
| German Empire have, since at least
as fan back as the year 1906, syste-
matically prepared for the war, and
for this purpose arranged common
| military action worked out to the
most minute detail.
The first OF these documents re-
lates to the secret military agree
ment between England and France
! in case OF q war. According TO the
same the English fleet was to un-
dertako tho protection of the North
Sea, the Channel and the Atlantic
/ Ocean France was to concentrate
her navy in the Mediterranean, and
use Malta as q base OF operations.
The English Mediterranean unit was
to be placed under the command OF q
French Admiral. Exact plans had
/ been made as TO the employment OF
( the French torpedo-boat flotilla and
submarines.
England stipulated that this agree
ment should not be formally binding.
Had this been the case, it would have
had to be submitted to the Britieh
| Parliament for ratification An
agreement was therefore come to
that In case of an imminent attack by
Il third power, both countries were
at once to exchange views on the
subject whether, and how far the
military convention was to hold good.
In the autumn Of 1913 letters were
exchanged on this point between Sir
I Edward Grey and Paul Cambon the
French Ambassador in London Their
text has been published by tho Ger
man government.
The alliance was TO be extended to
Russia on the same terms and lines.
The German government was in
formed Ia May 1914 in a document
that has also been published, that
during the prensence Of King George
in Paris, conversations Of the same
import had taken place. They were
instigated by the Russian Ambas1a-
dor Iswolski, and presided over BY
! Doumcrgue Sir Edward Grey re-
ceived tho idea OF an Anglo-Russian
nayal-convention favourably And
this plan was also received favour
ably at his suggestion by the British
cabinet Tho Dourparlcrs were 10 be
carried on in London by the Russian
military attacho and the Admiralty,
Thcrcupon, on the Goth OF May 1914
u conference was held in ST. Peters
burg by the Russian Naval staff
which furthered this scheme. The
{ German government has also pub
liehed the text Of the report dealing
with this matter Arrangements had
already been made as to signals spe-
cial codes, radio-telegrams and the
whole modus Of concerted action be-
tween the Russian and English naval
staff Both were to exchange regu-
lar information, especially of a tech
nical nature about their own fleets
and those OF other nations. In case
of war the activity Of tho fleets OF
both countries in the Black Sea and
tho North Sea on the one hand, and
the Mediterranean on the othor was
to be exactly regulated beforehand.
Russia wa0 to draw off one part OF
the German fleet from the English
fleet Before tho war broke out
England was TO send as large num-
U1i 40 HNooiDlt VI IltltAoUi ohAl' -"
the Baltic harbours OF Russia, so that
transport ships were ready TO land
Russian troops in pomerania
Further publications show that in
July the Russian Minister of War de-
clared at q cabinet meeting that
Russia was ready for war, and by
July oath Russia had decided on
wai.
The Angl0-R Russian convention Ike
the Ansl0-French convention. was
also not to be considered as binding,
but TO be at once made binding at
the decisive moment In this manner
Grey was able to deny in the English
Parliament that unpublished agree
ments had been made, by which the
free decision of the government or
the Parliament whether Great Bri-
tain was to participate in q war or
not was hampered in any way In
reality this declaration Of Grey's was
merely juggling with words
The publications of material now
made by Germany show what im-
portonce the Anglo-Belgian publica-
tions had which have already been
published. They too were mostly Of
O theoretical nature and did not bind
either gVernment formally But the
fact that these detailed pourparlers
had been held with Belgium also
prove that Belgium's attitude TO Eng
land was the same as that OF Russia
and France The fact that the
authorities OF these countries enter