Evening star., 1922-12-06
Says England Alone Prepented
Quick German Victory in War
V0n MOltke, in Memoirs, Declares Inter.
ver,tion Foiled PIans-LondOn Also
Duped Berli, Into Delay, He Believed.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
}, BERLIN December 6.-"Did Eng
land deliberately dupe Germany into
delaying mobilization by tentatively
] indicating that she would observe
neutrality in the event that Germany
desisted from a naval attack on the
north coast Of France?'
This Impression is recorded by Lieut..
Gen. Count Won Moltke, in one of the
critical chapters of his memoirs" 4"
now issued by his widow. the. ap-
pearance of which has been keenly
awaited in view of tho role he played
In the early days of mobilization and
| In the German defeat on the Marne.
| Ready to Negotiate.
| "On the day Of mobilization" says
the memoirs, "a dispatch arrived from
London. in which 1t was stated that
England had obligated herself\to as
sumo the defense Of the French coast
against possible German naval attack.
The kaiser asked my opinion; where
| upon I replied that ! could nave no
scruples against guaranteeing that
no such attack was contemplated. If
England pledged herself to remain
| neutral.
! 1T was my opinion that the war
| against France would be decided OH
land. and that we could well dispense
with naval operations IL that was to
be the price of English neutrality.
| Obviously, this dispatch represents
England's first attempt to dupe us. at
least to the extent of prompting US 10
! delay our mobilization"
BIames Russia for War.
| Won Moltke charges Russia with
having enkindled the war. inasmuch
not permit the destruction Of her
Austro- Hungarian ally. The Ger
man general star. he asserted,
had long since taken war on two
fronts into its eaiculasions sesns, flans Wnn
Schlieffen. chief Of the general stan.
provided for the invasion of Belgium,
as 1t was commonly agreed that a
decision In open battle could not De
forced without violating Belgium
Our Information indicated" con-
determined to intrench herself IN q
strong defensive position. which
wearisome trench and position cam
paign against a strong frontal de-
Tense. Won Schlieffen even proposed
to march the German right wing
! through southern Holland. but. rather
I than drive the Netherlands into the
camp OF our enemies. l decided to
accept the greater technical difficui.
ties involved in forcing our right
wing through the narrow section be-
tween Axi-La-Chapelle and the south
ern boundary Of the province OF Linn
bourg.
I'm order to accomplish this with
} the least possible loss OF time II
was necessary to seize Liege i'm
mediately."
4 Says British Foiled Plans.
Admitting that there was much TO
ebe said in opposition to an invasion
of Belgium. Won Moltke cites the
early progress OF the war in support
of the German contention that France
thereby was compelled to meet the
Germans in open battle. although he
;: admits that the inability Of the Ger
I mans to conquer the French quickly
ton. II the attack on Liege failed
the moral setback would have been a
severe blow, as it would have depriv-
ed the Germans Of important railway
Liege and thence on to Brussels.
\ Won Moltke does not spare Won
Bethmann- Hollweg for the chancel-
lor's optimism with respect to the
I eventual attitude of England as re-
fected in the statement of Sir Edward
/ to Prince Charles Lichnowsky. the
German ambassador at London. which
not only pleased the chancellor. but
the German emperor. the minister of
war and the other military leaders
| who were awaiting Won Moltke at the
palace on August 2.
/ Expected EastefD War Only.
"All seemed elated over the pros
poets of a war along the eastern
front only" says Won Moltke. Now.
| we have simply to mobilize our whGIe
| army along the eastern 'front.' the
| kaiser stated; to which ! replied that
such a procedure was not quite SO
simple: it might involve a year of
| preparations and. once accomplished
could not be altered. None Of those
present seemed to contemplate the
eventuality that France. which was
then already mobilizing. would attack
US on the west-a possibility with
which We were bound to reckon. for
| despite her alleged good will. how
could England have prevented France
/ from undertaking such an attack?
1 THE feeling among those present
I constantly became more a4ttated, and
seemed to stand wholly alone in my