The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-05-24

family, prepared memorandum re-
view, entitled my London Mission,
1912-1914," in which he gave de-
tailed account of his negotiations
with the British foreign office and
OF his relations with his home govern
ment during these important years,
which covered the period from prac-
ticaIly the beginning Of the first
Balkan war to the outbreak OF the
great war. He did not intend that
this paper should be made public at
the present time, but seems to have
been impelled to write it for the fam
lily archieves, in order that the truth
of his own relations to the war and
the political history preceding might
be known at least to those
close to him and perhaps
eventually to the public The
first publication was made in the
Swedish socialist journal, Politiken,
in March. On March 16. the matter
was brought before the main com
mittee of the reichstag, and the vice
Herr Won Payer, read a
letter of explanation and apology,
which had been written by Prince
to the imperial chancel-
Tor, Count Hertling, in which the
prince said that these purely private
notes" had found their way into wild
er circles "by an unprecedented
breach Of confidence" He said that
he had
felt the need in regard to the fu-
ture and with view to my own
justification, of noting the de-
tails of my experiences and Inn
pressions there before they van
ished from my memory. These
notes were intended in a certain
degree only for family archives,
and / wrote them down without
documentary material or notes
from the period of my official
activity. I considered ! might
show them, on the assurance OF
absolute secrecy, to very rev
political friends in whose 3udg-
ment as well as trustworthiness
/ had equal confidence.
So much for the origin OF the pa
per, which is completely authenuca-
ted. The paper itself supports all the
statements of the British foreign Of
flee as to its efforts to maintain the
peace Europe and to bring about
fair and permanent adjustment OF
all matters which might be the cause
of misunderstanding and controversy.
He characterized as false the state
ments that Won Moltke had urged
war. that the then foreign secretary
had visited Berlin in 1914, and that
the German ambassador at Petrogad
had reported that Russia would IN
no event move. !.
The pan-German newspapers OF
GERMANY are demanding that Prince
Lichnowsky shall be tried for trea-
son. The socialist papers give weight
to his statements The Vorwaerts, al
though now supporting the govern
ment, says that the efforts TO discred-
it Lichnowsky's ability and discern
ment merely means that the most I'M
portant ambassadorial post that Ger
many had at her disposal was occu-
pied by a fool and a blockhead.
The Mannheime Volkstimme says
that "either Prince Lichnowsky is the
most incurable idiot who ever sat IN
an ambassadors chair, or else not
shred remains of the fiction that the
outbreak of war was caused by Eng
lish intrigues."
There is no possible answer to this
comment, and no room to question
that the Lichnowsky memorandum
is a historical document of the first
The explanation that he
was disappointed and aggrieved be-
cause the Berlin government did not
accept his view as to the policies to
be pursued does not break the force
of his statements AS an honest man
sincerely desirious of promoting
peace among the nations OF Europe,
he had good reason to feel indignant
and for wishing to put on record for
tide future an account of his ministry.
II there are inaccuracies as to minor
details, such as Won Jagow's visit TO
Vienna, concerning which he doubt
less believed himself well informed,
they do not affect the validity Of the
main account, or the sincerity of his
purposes. Compared with the mon
strous falsehoods about the origin of
the war, which have been imposed
upon the people OF Germany his story
is the veritable truth, supported by
abundant evidenced. Together with
Her Won Jagow's reply it should be
placed in every home in the United
states. It is complete answer to the
insidious proGerman propaganda
which has been widely circulated,
Which 1ASNu-
lous persons of anti-British proclivi-
ties. 1t is of the utmost importance
that our people have full apprecia-
ton of the responsibility which be-
longs to the German government for
bringing on this war.
In the same speech before the
reichstag committee, in which Vice
Chancellor Won Payer discussed the
Lichnowsky memorandum, he also re-
ferred to a letter written by DIR.
Muhlon, German of high, social and
business standing now living in
Switzerland, but who at the outbreak
Of the war was director in Krupps
gun works, Muhlon seems to have
comprehended the awful crime
against humanity involved in wan
tonly bringing on the war. His state
ment, in part, was as follows.
In the middle of July. 1914.
had, as | frequently had, a con-
yersation with DR.. Helfferich,
then director of the Deutsche
bank in Berlin. and now vice