The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-07-30
GERMANY ASKED FOR
PEACE IN JAM, 1915
tIealizcd Her Mistake and Wanted
Opportunity to Prepare for
Another Big War
APPROACHED II. MoRGENTHAU
American Ambassador to Turkey Ex-
poses Methods and Motives of Hun
Empirc--Part of System to &c
Ready for Peace as Well as War.

many realized that she had made
mistake in starting the world war,
and in her efforts to secure peace ne
got'ations, she sought the aid OF the
American am bassador to Turkey,
Henry Morgenthau. The move failed
partly because Germany refused to
l"spoil everything" by stating her
terms openly. In his memoirs in the
Worlds Work for August, just pub
tlished, Mr.. Morgenthau exposes the
f1aotives and the methods of Ger
many's peace drive. He says
In the latter part of 1914 Wansen-
helm began discussing this subject. 1t
was part of Germany's system, he told
imo. not only to be completely pre-
pared Tor war. but also for peace A
wise general VINO enters bat.ie, al
ways has at hand his plans for
Retreat. in case he is defeated, said
hhe German am baSsador. This princi-
lple applies just the same to nation
beginn'nC war There Is only one
Scertainty about war-and that IS
lthat II must end some time SO.
when we plan our campaign tor war.
1--WE must consider also a campaign
tfor peace
"But Germany's ideas then COM
rits philosol hi principle she hau
immediate reasons for desiring The
end o. hostilttee, and WarSenhe'm
discussed them frankly ant tynically,
.IIe said that Germany had prepared
for only short war because sha had
expected TO crush france and Russia
3n two brief cam i'Aigns lasting IN al
perhaps six months, Clearly his
sp,an had failed and there was little
Likelihood that Germany would via
fhe war, Wangenhetm told me- this
In so many words. ti"rma ~. he
added. would make Croa' mistake
II she persisted Is fghtinE the ar to
exhaustion, for such aSht would
mean the permanent loss of her 1olo-
MES. her mercantile marine and her
whole economic aud commercial
status II we don't get Paris In thir-
~ days We are beaten Wansenhelm
had told me in August, and though
his attitude changed somewhat after
the battle of the Marine he made no
attempt to conceal the fast that the
great rush campaign had collapsed.
that all that the Germans .ould now
look forward to was a tcdi9 Gus. ex-
hausting war, and the most they
could obtain from the existing situa-
ton would he 4 drawn battle We
have made mistake this time. Wan
genheim said in not laying in sup
plies for a protracted struggle; II IVES
IN error, however, that we shall not
repeat. next time we shall store up
enough copper and cotton 10 last for
five years.
AT this time a German diplomat
appeared IN Constan;inople who has
figured much IN recent h.s:ory-Dr.
Richard Won kuhlwanu. sinca minis
ter for foreign affairs In the lost five
years DIR. Won kuhlmann h2s seemed
TO appear In that T8ricular part OF
the world where important coniidcn-
tial diplomatic negotiations are being
conducted by the German empire.
About the middle % pcccmher won
kuhlmann left for Berlin where he
stayed about two weeks On his re-
turn, in the early part of January.
jals. there was a noticeable change
in the atmosphere Of the German
embassy Up 20 that time Wanceu-
lheim had discussed l'eace negotiations
more or less informally hut now ne
took up the matter specifi" ally. I
gathered that kuhlmann ha4 beer.
called TO Berlin 70 receive all the lat
est details on this subject, and that he
mad come back with the definite IN
structions that Wangenheim should
move at once The greatest obstacle
TO peace at that time was the fact
that Germany showed no sixns that
ehe regretted her crime aud there
was not the slightest evidence OF the
eackeloth In Wangenheims attitude
now She had made bal guess
that was all, what Wangonheila and
The other Germans saw IN the situation
was that their stock Of wheat, cotton
hnd copper was incomplete In my
notes Of my conversations with Van
genheim | find him frequently using
such phrases as the next war. next
time and in confidently looking for
ward to another greater world cata-
cysm than the present he merely re-
Elected the attitude of ths dominant
3unker- military class. The Germans
apparently wanted a reconciliation
b kind OF an 'armistice--that would
give their generals and industrial
leaders time 10 prepare for the mex.
ronfict AT that time. nearly four
years ago. Germany was moving fer
practically the same kind OF peace ne
gotiations which she has suggested
many times since and is suggesting
now; Wangenhein's plan was that
representatives OF TO warning powers
should gather around table and set
tle things on the principle OF give
and take He said that there was
no sense in demanding that each side
state it's terms in advance
For both sides to state their terms
in advance would ruin the whole
InlnE. he SAID. What would We do
Germany, OF course. would make
claims that the other side would re-
gard as ridicuiously extravagant.
The Entente would state terms that
could put all Germany In rage. AS
result both sides would get SO angry
that there would be no conference
No--if We really want 10 end this
war. we must have an arn1istice,
Once we stop fighting. we shall not
60 at IL again. History presents no
instance in a great war where an
armistice has not resulted in a per-
manent peace, 1t will he so in this
case
yet, from Wangenheim.s -conyt-'sa-
ton ] did obtain a slight inkling OF
Germany's terms Germany was
willing to recognize. Great Brttains
annexation OF Egypt in return for q
free hand In Mesopotamia. Wangen-
helm was cutie insletent that Ger
: many must have permanent naval
bases in Belgium with which her navy
could at all times threaten England
with blockade and SO make sure the
Freedom OF the seas Germany
wanted coaling rights everywhere;
This demand looks absurd because
Germany has always possessed such
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