THE "SCRAP OF PAPER"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 289, 2 September 1919, Page 5

THE "SCRAP OF PAPER"

BETHMANN-HOLLWE-j EXPLAINS,

In the extract from Herr von Beth-mann-Holliveg's hook, oi which a summary is given in the following telegram | from our special corresjiondent at The Hague (says "The Times"), the ex-Chan-cellor attempts to explain away his n<> torious phrase, "A Scrap of Paper, which eo fatally damaged German repu-1 tation. Sir Edward describing tho same interview in Lis dispatch "respecting the ruptiire of diplomatic relations with the German Government, said; "I found the Chancellor very agitated. His Excellency at-once began an harangue, which lasted lor about 20 minutes. Ho said that the step taken by His Majesty's Government was terrible to a degree; just for a word—'neutrality, a word which in time of war had so often been disregarded—-just for a, scrap of paper Great Britain was going to mako war on a kindred nation who desired nothing better than to be friends with lier." The Hague, June 13. The "Dusseldorfer Nncnrichten" gives another extract from llerr von Beth-mann-Holl iveg's' book. This deals with the conversation he had on August i, 1914, with Sir Edward (loschen, the British Ambassador in Berlin. The cxChancollor writes-.— "Enemy propaganda has made capital particularly out of the reports which Sir Edward Goschen made to his Government concerning his last conversation with me in August (Blue Book No. 160). The Amba'f-ador forgets to observe in his report that he began the conversation with the question whether .( could not give him another answer than Herr von Jagov to the English ultimatum. On my replying in the negative, the Ambassador asked whether if, to his regrot, war should finally be decided upon after this wo could not have 'before separating one more private nnd personal conversation concerning tile terriblo situation in which the world had been placed. I immediately declared myself ready for this and asked the Ambassador to tako a seat at my table. I tlien certainly spoke in strong words of the world calamity which I foresaw as tho necessary consequence of England's entrance into the war, and, whon he later repeatedly alleged Belgian neutrality as a decisive point, I impatiently '.cxclaimed tmit in comparison with the frightful result of a German-English war the treaty of neutrality was only a scrap of paper. The expression may havo been an inadvertence—(Entgleisung)—my blood boiled at tho repeatedly exaggerated emphasising of Belgian neutrality, which is just what did not drive England into the war, and at. tho entire lack of sensibility for tho fact that the English declaration of war must destroy world property compared with which even' the violation of Belgian neutrality weighed lightly. "That private conversations should be officially exploited has appeared to me to bo an unusual diplomatic practice. If it were done, however, then, in that case Sir Edward Goschen, to whom my excitement seemed so striking, ought at least also to havfe reported that on taking leave, ho burst into tears, and asked to be allowed to remain a little longer in my antechamber, because he could not show .linseif in such a condition to the personnel of the Chancellery -in attendance."