New-York tribune., 1918-04-26
Real Revelations by Won Jagow


The publication of more or less COM
plete version of the remarkable memo
randum of Prince Lchnowsky, German
Ambassador at the Court of ST. James's
when the war broke out, carried its own
doubts as to the force of his statements.
1t was very clearly the work of an in
tensely embittered man, who believed,
perhaps rightly, that he had been sent
to London as a kind of blind behind
which the war-plotting gang in Berlin
could continue their nefarious scheme of
precipitating a conflict at the moment
best suited to carry out their aims.
Prince Lchnowsky was a frank friend
of England, and especially Of Sir Ed
ward Grey, and ardently desired an Eng
lish- German entente, and bent all his
powers as ambassador to that end. He
had not the confidence of the war party
of Berlin and Vienna, and confesses now
that he did not know what was going on
behind his back. 1t was natural that
thought had deceived him and defeated
his policies. This might have seemed to
weaken the strong case which he makes
out that Germany deliberately brought
on the war.
TtAr.o
ing the confirmatory document of the
former German Foreign Minister, Herr
Won Jagow, which we published in full
yesterday. Intended as defence of the
German foreign policy preceding the out.
break, it reveals all too clearly that Ger
many had definitely decided to go it
alone, war or no war, stoutly as she may
deny that such was the case He says
fatty Gtalics our own)
"We could not agree to the English
/ proposal of a conference of ambassadors
Gin the Serbian crfsis), for 1t doubtless
acould haze meant for as serious
diplomatic Defeat Even Italy was
Austria's Balkan interests
"The best and only possible way out
was the localization of the war and an
understanding between Vienna and Petro-
grad We directed all our energies 70
the attainment of that end.'
Never again, one might hope, if any
kind of evidence would be of the slightest
avail in such cases, can any one make
claim that Germany seriously tried to
keep the peace and to prevent war. When
the war broke out Won Jagow had been
Foreign Minister for year and a half.
He worked hand in glove with Junkerdom
in Germany and the autocrats in Vienna
He is now out Of office, and certainly has
no interest in setting up the claim that
it was his work and his policy which
brought on the war. Yet the best he
can say, in answer to Lichnowsky's
charge that the German policy had done
this, is his confirmation of the facts that:
/. Germany refused Sir Edward Crews
proposal for conference of ambassa-
dors.
2. 1t supported Austria in it's attack
upon Serbia.
3. "All our energies were directed
! toward the localization of the aUar.'"
Bear in mind the fact that Russia had
declared that it could not permit, with
out resistance, the attack upon Serbia !;
that Prince Lichnowsky had notified his
| government that in the event of war
England would stand by France, and that
these dispatches were followed by Sir
Edward Grey's now famous warning;
and, finally, that France was bound by
open treaties of twenty years. standing
70 support Russia in case of conflict, and
that In the face Of all this the then Ger
man Foreign Minister now declares that:
"Ail our energies were directed to the
localzation Of the war"
austria was to have a free hand in
her designs OF the invasion and annexa-
s'on OF Serbia, and in the event Of anv
interference ifrom an outside power.
namely Russia. Germany would stand bv
Austria foy mar.
Herr Won Jagow's reply to Prince
Lschnowsky is perhaps the most con-
elusive document on this point that has
yet been published. 1t gives to the Lich-