The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-01-23

/ lNf Ct"dNlllaNldU countries
Late In the evening on the last day
Of January, 1917. RuddocN. our first
secretary Of legation, sent me word
that Won der LanCken wi.hed 10 see
me at 10 O'Clock on the morrow He
had not said what II was about, but
il was very urgent lie did not need
TO say, | knew that at last 1t had
come.
| drove to the political department
the next morning before 10 o'clock. and
when ! went into the little room whore
Conrad sat | read Is his grave face
the reflected seriousness Of the situa-
| tlon, asked him what was up, but
I've, dutifully keeping his secret, pre-
tended not 10 know. ] was shown into
that yellow salon. the scene Of so many
anxious, so many difficult. so man
painful hours during those preceding
years stood In the emhrasure OF
| the window looking ont across the Rue
Ducale into the park, watching the
white sea gulls that were there all
that winter as they were before the
palace a. the king. They had been
driven in from the North sea ny the
rlgors Of the terrible winter to seek
their food, and the people used to feed
them, standing in the cold and flinRing
them the crumbs they could hardly
spare. The gulls, wheeling with ON
sunmate grace on wing Of silver or
pearl, there over the snow In the cold
winters sunlight, were concerned about
| their food. too, poor little things,
And there was Nillalobar. just come,
standing beside me.
IT'S the submarine war" he said.
Won MOltke had told him And some
how for a second ! was glad that the
moment at last had come. glad that a
situation so long impossible was at
rived, in Dutch calm, he had been
summoned to hear the announcement.
| He waited.
After a while Won der Lancken en-
tered In his gray uniform and the we'll
worn puttees. evidently from a morn
ing canter IN the Bots. He was pale,
with those black circles under his eyes
that always showed there when he was
troubled or concerned. He made a little
apology for having kept us waiting and
then waved US out to familiar seats
at that handicapped center table. Dr.
Brohn appeared in a long, double
breasted blue Coat with silver buttons
and enormous boots, as big as Bis
marCk's, and then Or. Reith, i'm a long
morning coat, extremely high collar and
brilliant cravat. They were seated and
then Lanckeu began formally:
Gentlemen. ! have an important an
nounCement to make to you concerning
the submarine warfare, | address YOU
in your quality Of protectors Of the re-
lief work"
And then he asked Or. Reith TO read,
and, opening a great brief case, Reith
read to us the note addressed by Herr
zimmerman to Mr., Gerard, declaring
Germany's intention to blockade the
coasts Of Great Britain, France and
Italy, and after he had read this he
read a statement to the effect that the
German government did not wish the
c. X, d to cease functioning. and ask
ing us to consider what could he done
/ tn ingurp tho ppOtinnap ra nF fho valiaR
work.
Then for three-Quarters Of an hour
we discussed the new situation, which
was 30 far beyond any discussion or
decision of ours. or beyond any hope
Of change, since It represented the will
OF the military party whose steady rise
to au%tocratic power in Germany had
been revealed by the successive e
ures OF the deportations, and who must
be consulted even before the decision
In so small a matter as the granting Of
permission to a few English nurses and
goVernesses to leave Belgium could be
reached
Bissing, dying at Weisbaden, was evil
IDENTIFY no longer the depository OF SOW
ereign power in Belgium, but a mere
tiguehead In whose name the general
STAFF governed Belgium, as it governed
me military district and the north OF
France. And behind all there doomed
the figure of the burly hero, Hinden-
burg, and his chief Of staff, Luden-
dorn, the most distinguished military
genius In Germany, perhaps in all
Europe. the inevitable secondary figure
that mankind always searches out in
every great action as deserving the
credit nominally given to his chief
No one there was surprised: II was a
logical conclusion on the German side
OF the whole question raised by the
sinking OF the L%usttania, n nobody
VINO was not the dupe Of his W vain
Illusions ever would have supposed that
Germany, possessing such a weapon as
the submarine, would be capable OF re-
straintng herself from using IL. II was
the moment that decided the fan Of
Won Bcthmann- Hollweg, the rise of
lilndenburg the vtndtcation OF ev-
cry extravaganza OF Won Tirpit2,
We Discuss Submarine War.
Lancken in giving us copies Of the
documents gave us also little maps
chewing the lines drawn around Great
Britain, Spain and Italy, those dead
mes, across WhiCh-inCredihle inso-
lence,- American ships were not to
pass, Looking at them, | thought |
knew what America would say. and
one would have been deceived and dis
appointed in America IL she had not
said what she did, and yet looking AT
the maps. studying them for a moment
" ~ 49, " A'AA AltaNlpll w z
ooked at the narrow and tortuous lane
that had been traced for the c. Il. r
ships to follow, around the Orknevs
and John o Groat's House and around
Italy and Spain, then Villalobar said
with his finger on the map of his owr
country:
You haven't left us room enough
even to 60 swimming
We sent for NJ. Francqui, OF III,
Gentle National, and Mr., Gregory, o
the G r b., and for an hour we dis.
cusscd the situation. What was to b,
done? Could the relief work be pre-
served | was glad OF Gregory's pres
ence, for his legal mind. his perfect.
clear conceptions, his logical thought
always pertinent and to the point
helped us all TO a decision that mean
much for Belgium. Ilo had intended I
20 to Rotterdam on the following day
he decided. instead, to go at once, an
was determined that M. FranCuu
should go with him to communicat
with his own people In nm effort to In
duce Great Britain to permit the wor
; OF the &, k. u. to continue, SUCCESS
ed that We telegraph to the heads Of on
l respective states to ask them to Al
3 range with the British government
= means whereby the G. X, Il. boats coul
} land at Rotterdam without having I
stop AT English ports TO be searchC
for ~contrabandJ the control to be exei
cised al Rotterdam or at New Yorl
while we We're discussing this an
| agreeing to It, Brohn whispered to me
what will the president say? Thg
! is tho important thtngH'
II was not for me to answer tha
question, though | thought mat | mlgt
answer II. and answer 1t correctly, IL,
=, / had the impression that the German
, with their persistent misuudcrstandiu
Of American psychology and characte
were convinced, even then. that the
. could tack around this point by cleverl
trimming the sails OF long and tortuot
diplomatic discussions, | had anoth,
impression. and that was that the Gel
q mans were certain that the submarine
a thus unleashed and set tree to woi
! their cruel and reckless will, would W
q the war and win 1t quickly for Ge'
many
at Is hard" said Brohn, hut In Il
= end It Is Kind, for we must end It,
is like q surgical operation" Brot
spoke generally in English; he Ia
been much In America, And Lanck'
added
g Yes, Il must end"
Y And so we separated to send or o,