New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-04
THAT NEUTRALITY VIOLATION
Belgium's Minister Answers Ger
many's Latest Accusation
Against England
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: The "Norddeutsche Algemeine lei
tung." the official organ of the German gov
eminent. publishes an answer TO Sir Edward
Greys open letter. The former answer states
that the Chancellor never said that Belgium
sold her neutrality TO England, but asserted
that It had been proved by documents that
Belgium had fostered British military plans,
thus herself violating her neutrality. The
article points out that the discussion of all
eventuaities by British and Belgian military
officers must have been reported to the Brit
ish Cabinet Documents found in Brussels,
Il IS asserted, show conclusively that the
British military attache coolly told his Bel
gian colleague that Great Britain would land
troops in Belgium without Belgium's con-
sent, and that Belgium never had protested
against this. having decided not to resist a
British violation of Belgian neutrality, but
that upon the mere suppositon that the Ger
man invasion was possible the Belgian gov
eminent prepared complete plans for coop
Grafton with British forces. Such country
it is declared, is not neutral country.
II would appear supernuous TO return to
question which has been already decided by
the common sense of the world But the Bel
gian Legation thinks II its duty to call atten-
ton to the manifest discrepancy between the
official German statement and the we'll known
and established facts. The statement asserts
that Belgium never protested against the
British military attaches declaration that
Great Britain would land troops in Belgium
without Belgum's consent. What are the
facts? The document published by the Ger
man Chancellor himself proves the contrary
This document refers to a conversation be-
tween the British military attache and Cen
eral Jungbluth. Of the Belgian army, in which
the former said that the British troops would
effect landing in case of invasion by Ger
many "even if we (the Belgians) did not
ask for assistance" To this the Belgian gen.
era replied that "our (Belgum's) consent
was necessary" and he added that 1--WE (the
Belgians) were, moreover, perfectly able TO
prevent the Germans from passing through
Belgium"
What could be a clearer proof than this
that there was no military convention con-
cluded between England and Belgium?
In addition to this document must be cited
Sir Edward Grey's dispatch TO the British
Minister to Belgium. dated April 7, 1918, in
which the British statesman declares:
"In speaking to the Belgian Minister to.
dav ! said. speaking unofficially, that it had
been brought to my knowledge that there was
apprehension in Belgium lest we should be
the first to violate Belgium's neutrality.
did not think that apprehension could have
come from a British source. The Belgian
Minister informed me that there had been
talk from a British source, which he could
not name, Of the landing of troops in Bel
GUM by Great Britain in order to anticipate
a possible dispatch of German troops through
Belgium to France. I said that was sure
that this government would not be the first
to violate the neutrality of Belgium, and
did not believe that any British government
would be the first to do So nor would public
opinion here ever approve of II. What we
had to consider-and it a somewhat en-
barrassing queston-was what it would be
desirable and necessary for US, as one of the
guarantors of Belgium's neutrality, TO do If
Belgian neutrality was violated by any
power. For us to be the first to violate il and
w ocHu IiOOpo INV DtiB WOulu ne 70 give
Germany, for instance, justification for send
ing troops into Belgium also. What we de-
sired in the case of Belgium, as in that of
other neutral countries, was that their neu-
trality should be respected and as long as 1t
was not violated by any other power we
would certainly not send troops ourselves
into their territory"
The Chancellor bases his accusations
against Belgium of having violated her neu-
trality on the fact that the military attaches
mentioned the possibility Of military opera
lions in case Germany attacked Belgium
With equal justice a murderer could plead
that his victim was Justly put to death be-
cause friends of his had been heard talking
to him of coming to his help in case he were
assaulted. +. HAVENITH.
Washington, D. c., Aug. 81, 1915.
Cnoto 1;o,,, tln nn1vy