The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-16
Won HINTZE DENIES
REJECTION OF PEACE
German Foreign Secretary
Says Lloyd George Was
Vague and Uncertain.
LAYS GUILT TO ALLIES
Says Agitators in Enemy
Countries Push Programme
of Imperialism.

AMSTERDAM, Aug. 15.-Admiral Won
Hintze, German Foreign Secretary. be-
core leaving for main headquarters to
take part in the conferences between
Emperor William and Emperor Charles
OF Austria and their advisers was IN
terviewed by tho Berlin correspondent
OF the Cologne Gazette. Admiral Won
Hintze discussed the statement Of Pre-
mier Lloyd George In his war anniver-
sary message that six months ago Ger
many deliberately rejected just ana
reasonable settlement proposed by the
Allies and that Germany discarded
finally the mask Of moderation toward
partitioned Russia and enslaved Ru-
mania. Admiral Won Hintze said:
Lloyd Georges statement was vague
and uncertain. Nothing Is known au-
thoritatively In German political or mill.
tary circles about such reasonable
peace proposals.
Had the Entente statesmen seriously
intended to pave the way for peace
by understanding they could have APP
preached Germany through the properly
authorized persons with a view to dis
cussion that would bring both parties
into contact.
There can be no question, therefore.
OF a refusal by Germany Of any
reasonable peace proposal"
Places Burden on Allies.
Referring to the half year period
mentioned by Premier Lloyd George
the German Foreign Secretary pointed
out that at that time Entente states
men had left the world under no de-
lusions whatever regarding their real
war aims. What was the position at
that time" Admiral Won Hintze said.
AT the end Of December. 1917, the
Central Powers invite the Entente ma
lions to take part In the Brest-Litovsk
peace negotiations with n view to a gen.
eral peace by understanding. The En-
tente. however. permitted the period for
participation in the negotiations to
pass
Admiral Won Hintze reviewed the con-
ditions of peace that had been laid down
in other speeches Of Premier Lloyd
George, In the messages Of President
Wilson and in the decisions OF the En-
tente allied conference at Versailles and
the views expressed by German Chan
ceilors and Count Czernin. former Aus
tro Hungarian Foreign Minister. He
said that several German Chancellors
had pointed out that the enemy con-
tinued to show a will to prosecute the
war until the humiliation Of Germany
should be accomplished.
Deblores Talk OF Agitators.
Subsequent developments have shown
the same picture" Admiral Won Hintze
declared Sane propositions. wherever
they originated, with q view to bringing
about by authorized persons reason
able preliminary discussion aiming at a
peace by arrangement, have been treated
with contempt and disdain.
The Entente statesmen still resort to
the same ambiguous phrases, although
these have been refuted a hundred hines.
Their programme in truth Is a imperial
istic and annexationst as before. 1t
hardly is imaginable that reasonable
considerations will take tangible form SO
long as the hatred and the passion of
the peoples are continually stirred up
by INSCRIPTIONS agltators. as is the case
in enemy countries"
In concluding Admiral Won Hintze was
emphatic in asserting that guilt for the
prolonsation OF the war lay not with the
Germans but with the Entente statesmen.