The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-09-30

measurable greatness. placed wildly
before him
l had been writing to the govern
ment for two years on end with refer
ence to the shortage of reinforcements,
The auxiliary service law. my efforts
to have 1t amended, and to bring women
more and more Into service, my sug- E
gestions for rounding up shirksrs and
deserters at home, were all fully justi- |
fled. not only by the Hindenburg pro-
CRANE, but also by the need of man
power at the front.
All my suggestions for raising moral
at home constituted questions of inf
mite Importance in the conduct of the
war, for the solution of which the cham |
cellor was responsible to the whole
people. All these problems were inter
dependent If moral was good. the
shirkers and deserters would be kept
al the front, the exempted men at home
would be more readily released for
service: there would be less shortage of
achievements, and the moral effects
of the fighting would be better over
come.
REICHSTAG NOT TOLD TRUTH
The chancellor never put these con-
siderations before the representative Of
the people. the Reichstag, although he
was expressly requested by general
Headquarters SO to do. Indeed, all this
must have been actually withheld from
the Reichstag, just was my view ms
to the military situation and the need
for peace since the sth OF August. Only
thus can one understand the miscon-
eeption of the whole position that ex-
listed In Berlin.
was so surprised by the effect Of
Major Baron Won Dem Busche's speech
that l questioned him on his return as
to whether he had said anything differ
ent from what we had discussed. He
gave me the draft of his speech. to
which he had kept word for word. This
draft lies before me now as write
do not know whether the manner
| BUSINESS of his personality, heighteneA
the effect OF his words ON his hearers.
but such an explanation IL humanity
possible. The major himself noticed
the great shock his words produced
! His rightly earnest peroration as to
what was needed Of the people met
with no response. l think that, in their
great excitement. his hearers did not
J really understand them. 1t is, mex
cusable that the speech was inmedi-
| ately published, and that, too, in a
manner calculated to do us the very
greatest harm. There was no better
means of informing the enemy of our
weakness.
| It was highly regretable that the out
going government, the Hertling cabi-.
! net, which was succeeded by the cabi-
net of Prince Max of Baden. did not
| inform the major that there was Pole
among his hearers. They must have
known that this individual would i'm
mediately publish at home and abroad
| everything that he heard.
| TRIES TO HURRY ARMISTICE
l. On the assumption that the new gov
ernmen& would be formed by October
! and in my views as to my duty to
| the army. l held conversations in Spa
on September 80 and OCTOBER with
| representatives of the chancellor and
OF the foreign office, and also instruct
ed Major Baron Won Dem Busche to CO.
| operate urgently for the dispatch of
| the note to President Wilson asking an
armistice on October /, or at the latest
at noon on the I'd.
/, My principal motive was to avoid
| further loss OF life, but also attached
i great weight to the view that the
| earlier we began the more favorable
| would our position be at the COM
{ mencement of the negotiations.
/ II 1t could not Mt this time be de-
/, scribed as threatening, 1t might with
in two or three weeks become of the
WINS to have an armistice. or tif II had
| to fight on) the moral encour agement
from home. "a hours sooner or later.
In this position any delay in the for
| nation of the new government was in
| excusable. I spoke often with my staff
| to this effect. and always acted on this
view / am unable to understand how
! the idea ever arose that I. had said that
4 the front would break IL we did not
have an armistice within "a hours. Be
tween my discussion with Secretary
| Won Hintze on September 20 and. the
| majors speech on October 2. which are
| wholly consistent with one another.
there was no particular military event
that could have led to any modification
of my views.
| MYSTIFIED BY BERLIN
/ | had repeatedly begged Won Hintze
to retain his secretaryship IL the new
chancellor should he willing, in order
Il to secure certain degree OF continuity.
This was in vain, however. In the
night of October IL the general staff
had simplified communications between
his majesty and the grand duke OF
Baden by laying down a trunk tele-
phone line, in order to hasten, the APP
pointment of Prince Max.
II l acted all the time in the same point
of view. that once the decision was
taken, we should act. Mt once. We
should not let days be wasted, let alone,
as so often before, the whole plan
como to nothing. / repeat that 1t was
no question of obtaining an armistice
in "a hours. but simply If initiating
| way or another.
That this was not equivalent to get
| ting nm armisttce, mo one knew better
than i, who had better Judgment Of
the enemy's views than the new gov
eminent. In my quiet tsut anxious
thought, wss completely myStified
by the events in Berlin, and sonld find
mo- explanation thereof, snve this. that
the members Of the RelchAtaG. not hav-
ing bcrn properly informed af any
thing at the right time. Md NOW, IN
their anxiety and excitement, greatly
inrreased by surprise. .A,i~anderstood
what Major Baron Won Dem Busche
had said, and that even Peiace Max Nn,l
the new government were not sufff-
GENTLY well Informed to understand the
position properly.
TO URGE BUT NOT "JOSTLE"
j Late in the night Of October 1 and
in the course of october 2. Colonel Won
: Haeften rang me up repeatedly, and
described to me the difficulties which
were delaying the formation of the new
government ara also the dispatch OF
the note. l lad Informed him on Sep
TENDER 30 of the e.ents at Spa. and mad
instructed him to urge the COVER nme mt
to act quickly and energetically; he
was not to ies.ie" them, but to make