Republican farmer., 1919-11-21


 is as under:)
 Berlin, Nov. IS - My dear Roch- berg-Within recont times you have repeatedly, by facts which are known to you, refuted with courage and straightforwardness the calumnies that have been raised against me in various quarters. For this must of fer you my heartfelt thanks. You know well that long before the war I attempted to influence our diplo- macy with the object of finding ways and means to avert the ever more threatening danger of war. If our statesmen had succeeded in avoiding the war, Germany's development would have remained an increasing 1y favorable one. Our domestic ad- ninistration was well ordered, our agriculture and our industry were fourishing, our social legislation had laid in foundations for an admira ble solution of the labor question. The German Empire would certainly have continued to follow modern develop ments and all that was guaranteed by the prestige of the Empire.
 You cannot have forgotten our talks after the Battle of the Marne which became so grave an unsuccess only through our Chief Command of those days losing its head and break ing down. Schlieffen's plan collapsed finally on the Marne, but it had al- ready been broken into on the march tAither. Thus in the autumn of 1914 it was already clear to me that in purely military sense it was no longer possible to carry the war through to T successful conclusion. My view that an early peace was therefore to be aimed at was often enough given ex- pression to by me. If my wish of that time to conclude peace with France had been realized and you know that I was in favor making sacrifices for the sake of such peace-it would, perhaps, have been better, not only for Germany, but, in view of the enormous loss of men and the de- struction of the country by the war, also for the French people than the final result of the war. The longer the war lasted, the clearer 1t became to me that the fundamental condi- tions for successful termination of the struggle, namely, far-sighted po- htical direction, which would have met the energy of our opponents with definite decisions, was absolutely lacking It would be difficult for you l last years of the war from the real ization of these circumstances. The unified political was also lacking. And so came what was bound to come. I fought a fruitless battle against the, as it seemed to me, erroneous treatment of our public opinion, for I saw that we had already long been engaged in a struggle of despair. Consequently, in my opinion, there was nothing to wonder at in the com plete collapse at home.
 I, too, should gladly have pub lished something as to the things which I know. But I should not like to raise the impression that I am one of those who-as happens so often in Germany now try to shift the blame for the lost war on to someone else. So for the present I will wait. Often it is by no means easy to keep silence and especially when I am charged with having helped to prolong the war, which it would be simple mat ter for me to disprove on the ground of authentic material. In Germany at the moment there seems to be no fa- vorable soil for the calm and un- biased judgment of any question, and so long as the Germans, in their en- grossment with party politics, forget the great national interests. no re- covery Is possible. But the political guiding lines of the other States also seem to me to become more and more confused, and one almost gets the impression that definite and fruitful aims are nowhere being pursued Thus no one can say whether and when Europe will settle down. In my opinion that can only happen when jS ioI, fa sible, Is just to the interests of all ma tions, and which contains within it. self a guarantee against fresh wars With hearty greetings, your faithful and thankful
 WILHELM