Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-18
GERMAN
FOREIGN POLICY
Prince Lichnowsky in 1916
Severely Criticises Govern
ment's Attitude Prior to War.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
STOCKHOLM, March 1.-THE for
eign policy of the German government
before the war is criticised severely
in a memorandum written by Prince
Lichnowsky, German ambassador at
London when the war began, which is
published sin the Politiken, organ of
the extreme left of the socialists. The
memorandum was written I'M August,
1916. for the purpose of explaining and
iustifying to personal friends his posi-
ton, which had been assaled.
Only a half dozen typewriter copies
of the document were made. One OF
these, in consequence of betrayal of
the prince by a person to whom it was
given,, reached the German foreign
office and caused great scandal. An
other copy was communicated to GER
tain members q the minority socialist
party of Germany, but how it got
| across the German frontier remains
mystery.
After describing the circumstances
which led to his appointment in 1912,
as ambassador to England, Prince
Lichnowsky says the moment undoubt-
eddy was favorable for a new attempt
to establish better footing with Eng
land.
Moroccan Policy an Enigma.
He continues:
Our enigmatica1 Moroccan policy
| had repeatedly shaken confidence in
our peaceful disposition. An Austrian
colleague who was long in Paris said
TO me: IF the French begin to forget
fGai aCiv for fnv no FT-9n
Prussian war. you regularly remind
them of it by treading heavily on their
toes
After the rejection of the attempt of
DelcasSe Chen French foreign minis
+ ter) to reach an agreement concerning
Morocco, and after declaring that We
had no political interests there, We
suddenly recognized in Abd-elAziz
2. Our attitude promoted the Russo
japanese and Russo-BritIsh rapproche-
| ments. In the face o-the German peril
all other conflicts fell into the back
| ground. The possibility of new
Franco-German war had become evil
dent"
Prince Lichnowsky goes on to. say
| that on his arrival in London he found
Sir Edward tnow viscoun1 Grey Chen
| British foreign secretary had not
given up the idea of reaching an agree
ment with Germany, and as begin
| ming made an attempt in economic and
COLONIAL spheres.
Aim of British Statesman.
The aim Of the British statesman was
Germany to take part in the already
! esta blished concert by removing the
| causes of friction between England and
Germany. and to secure the peace of
the world by a network of agreements.
| Describing the situation at the time
| OF the Balkan war, Prince Lichnowsky
says two policies were open to Ger
many; either to act as an impartial
mediator and seek stable settlement
IN accordance with the wishes of the
Balkan peoples. or to conduct a strict
| triple alliance policy. The prince rec
Commended the former. he says. but the
| German foreign office decided on the
latter. thus taking stand on the side
OF the Turkish and Magyar oppressors
of the Balkan peoples. This the prince
describes as fatal blunder.
Unnecessary and Dangerous.
1T was not only unnecessary, but
| dangerous. Prince, Lichnowsky de-
! clares, to pay attention to Austrias
wishes: since to look at eastern ques-
lions through Austrian spectacIes could
| only lead to a collision with Russia
and a world war. besides alternating
!! the Balkan peoples.
AS usual, We stood on the wrong
/ SIDE, he adds. I'VE have always rid
den horses whose collapse could be
| foreseen."
| Prince Lichnowsky proceeds to de-
| scribe the conference of ambassadors
| in London in 1913, and the conciliatory
| part played therein by Sir Edward
| Grey, who always, he says, found
way out of every seeming deadlock
He continues:
But we, instead of taking Up a po-
! sition analogous to that of England
| Invariably espoused the standpoint of
! Vienna. Sir EdwardsGrey, on the other
hand. almost never sided with Russia
! and >France. Indeed, he usually took
| The side of our group, SO as not to
provide any pretext for a conflict. That
| pretext was supplied later by the as
sassination of the Austrian archduke."
! In 1871 Japan imported $1,000, 900
pencils; most OF which came from
America and Germany. In 1916 the
Japanese manufacturers were able to