Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1918-05-31
FRIDAY. MAY 81. 1918.
ALL DOUBT DlSPELLED

lie INSIDE StOTY OF the fOtS
dam Conference, at which thu
Kaiser decided on war, was told
to U. S. Ambassador Henry M.
Morgenthau BY a German who
was present at the Kaiser's COM
mand. This man was Baron Won
Wangeuheim, the German AM
brssador at Constantinople whe'
the war began. MIR. MWgen
THAI tells the story in the June
issue of the Worlds Work, just
published. He says:
'The German Ambassador left
for Berlin soon after the assassi-
nation of the Grand Duke, anG
he now revealed the cause of his
sudden disappearance. The
Kaiser, he told me, had sum-
moned him to Berlin for an inn
perial conference. The meeting
took place at Potsdam on July
5th. The Kaiser presided, nearly
all the ambassadors afforded:
Wangentheim came to tell of
Turkey and enlighten his associ-
ates on the situation in Con
stantinople. Moltke, then Chief
of Staff, was there, representing
tile army, and Admiral Won
Tirpitz spoke for the navy. The
great bankers. railroad directors.
aud the captains of German in
dustry, all of whom were as
necessary to German war prepa-
ration as the army itself, also
attended.
"Wangenheim now told me
that the Kaiser solemnly put the
question to each man in turn
Was he ready forwar !? All re-
piled Yes" except the fnanciers.
They said that they must have
two weeks to sell their foreign
securities and to make loans. At
that time few people had looked
upon the Sarajevo tragedy as
something that was likely to
cause war. This conference took
all precautions that no such sus-
picion should be aroused. 1t de-
cided to give the bankers time to
readjust finances for the coming
war, and then the several men,
bers went quietly back to their
work or started to cause war.
This conference took on vaca-
tions. The Kaiser went to Nor
way on his Yacht, Won Beth
mann Hollweg left for a rest and
Wangenheim returned to Con-
stantinople.
In telling me about this con-
ference, Wangepheim of course,
admitted that Germany had
precipitated the war. l think
that he was rather proud of the
whole performance proud that
Germany had gone about the
matter in so methodical and fai-
seeing a way; especial proud
that he himself had beer invited
to participate in so momentous
gathering. The several blue.
red. and yellow books whicl.
flooded Europe the few montl S
following the outbreak, and the
hundreds of documents whie Ii
were issued by German prol a.
ganda attempting to establis h
Germany's innocence, never made
any impression on me. For nv
conclusion as to the RESPONSE
bility are not based On suspicious
or partial data. / do not have to
reason belief or the study Of
circumstances or argue about the
matter. I know. The conspi.
racy that has caused this greatest
of human tragedies was hatched
by the Kaiser and his imperial
crew at this Potsdam conference
of July S, 1914. One of the CHIEF
participants, flushed with his
triumph at the apparent success
of the plot, told me the details
with his own mouth. Whenever
/ hear people arguing about the
responsibility for this war or read
the clumsy and lying excuses put
forth by Germany l simply re.
call the burly figure of Wan
genheim as he appeared that
August afternoon putting away
1T huge black cigar, and Civ
ing me his account of this his
toric meeting. Why waste time
discussing the matter after that?
Best Rsmtcy fer Nhoopiag Cough
Last winter who's my little boy had
the whooping cough gave him Cham
berlsin's Cough Remedy" writes
Ma u e. Rnbnrha Eat a Tc,,s.