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Taranaki Daily News, 7 December 1917, Page 4

FROM THE SECRET ARCHIVES. A highly interesting series of telegrams between the German Emperor and the late Tsar was published a few weeks ago by the New York Herald. It has been communicated to that journal by M. Burtzetf and M. Sehegoloff, who have been examining the secret archives of the fallen dynasty on behalf of theit. successors. The correspondence is, as yet, incomplete, and it lias, doubtless, been issued chiefly with a view to its effect upon Russian domestic politics. Documents made public in such circumstances must always be received with a certain reserve, but the London Times sees no present reason to question the substantial truth of the story these messages tell. They confirm suspicions which were strongly felt at the time of the Hull incident in October, 1904, that the German Emperor was furtively working to form a Continental combination, against England. Russia was to be lured into joining Germany, and both Powers were then to remind France oi her obligations under the Dual Alliance. I M. Delcasse, the Emperor admits, would be "enraged" at tho suggestion, but he would have to recognize that "the British Fleet is utterly unable to save Paris"—a remark which shows how unable this would-be strategist was to gauge the effects of sea-power and to anticipate the battle of the Manic. The Tsar, who seems at first to have resisted the tempter, succumbed under the irritation which our strong representations about the sinking of our fishing boats caused him. He not only agreed to the scheme, but inquired whether the Emperor would.like to frame the outlines of the treaty. Here there is a gap of nearly a month in the correspondence, but apparently more drafts than one were obligingly furnished by the Kaiser. The Tsar had scruples about signing the last of them without first informing his French Ally that he was about to join hands with her worst enemy against her English friends. But to the relief and delight of the Empero* the scruple was quickly stifled, and ho cynically congratulated his confederate on this "new proof of his perfect loyalty." The Kaiser was greatly alarmed. He justly foresaw that if France got wind of the, scheme before it was an accomplished fact, she would "give short notice to her friend," and then England would "make short work of my small fleet, and Germany would be temporarily crippled." "No third Power," he urged, "must hear even a whisper about our intentions before we conclude the Convention about the coaling business." The Tsar again agreed that Russia and Germany ('must now come to a permanent understanding." Here the correspondent abruptly breaks oil'. We know that "the permanent understanding" was not reached. Another and a wholly different "permanent understanding," arranged under French auspices, presently took its place. Well-informed observers had shrewd suspicions at»the time that the Emperor was privily exploiting the Hull incident (says the Times). It was known that he though; the moment had come to wreck v lie Franco-Russian Alliance, and to prevs:.t it from developing into the Triple Entente which he foresa\v and dreade.l; it was reported in Paris that Germans had been active in warning the Russian Admiralty against English attacks, and it was noted that, fortunately foe Germany, the incident had occurred on vho eve of the French debate for the ratification of the Anglo-French Entente. But the real interest of the present disclosures is the fresh proof they afford of the German Emptor's insincerity. They convict him of planning a great European coalition against us while he was pretending to be our friend, and of being base enough to suppose that our real friend—France, then actually debating the ratification of the Entente with us—would stoop to be tho accomplice of his perfidy. In 1907 ho was protesting in our Guildhall his unswerving devotion to peace, and in the next spring he was in confidential correspondence with the First Lord of the Admiralty on naval affairs. In August he again made a great' peace oration at Strassburg, and within a few hours he was detected trying to stir up fresn troubles in Morocco. Then in October there appeared the famous Daily TeleI graph interview, in which he not only declared himself our warm friend, but alleged that when France and Russia had wickedly invited him to join them in calling upon us to end the Boer War and in "humiliating England to the dust," he had nobly refused, and promptly informed Queen Victoria of the plot. He had even, he asserted, furnished us with a plan of campaign against the Boers out of his own Imperial brain, whicn Lord Roberts substantially carried out. He appealed to documentary proof of these facts in the archives df Windsor. What (says the Times) is to be thought of the character of a man who is capable of perfidies such as these? Who can trust his honor or his good faith? Yet it is on these rotten and shattered foundations that tho peace fanatics would have us build the future safety of the world.