366 Plans for Possible War [ I 9 11 



tions. The German plan of campaign, which he has also been shown, 

 is to have a very extended line of attack, which should include south- 

 wards Western Switzerland, the main attack on France being intended 

 from the southern end of the line. This the addition of the English 

 contingent would enable the French army to meet. George declares 

 he has seen the plans of military railroads already made in Switzer- 

 land in accordance with an arrangement concluded some years ago 

 with the Swiss Government. We asked him what inducement had 

 been offered to Switzerland for this, and he said that the Swiss Gov- 

 ernment was to be rewarded on the Italian frontier with those portions 

 of the Italian Kingdom which ran up into the Swiss Cantons, and 

 parts of Savoy. Italy had for some time past been dropping out of 

 the Triple Alliance, and Germany no longer counts on her. 



" I asked George whether in the late crisis about Agadir troops 

 would have been landed in France, and he said that orders had been 

 given for an expedition, though it was no longer possible to send more 

 than 80,000 men instead of 160,000. These would have been placed 

 under the nominal command of General French, though the man they 

 really relied on at the War Office was another General (I forget his 

 name) in whom George himself has full confidence. He says that 

 when the Emperor William was here for the Queen's Memorial, he, 

 Wilhelm, expostulated with King George for interfering between Ger- 

 many and France, and used the words ' We wish to be friends with 

 England, but if you force us, beware. Remember that Germany's 

 sword is sharp.' 



' We three shot Buzland's and Sheppard's beats, and got nineteen 

 wild pheasants, with 166 rabbits. George and all of us shot extremely 

 well, notwithstanding our overnight discussions, the day hot as sum- 

 mer. 



" 15th Oct. (Sunday). — George went away early to London, being 

 busy with his leadership of the ' Die Hards ' and the Constitution of 

 the new Halsbury Club. Mark and I have talked over George's politi- 

 cal prospects which we agree might yet be retrieved in his party if he 

 could only be less self-indulgent. He is the imaginative brain of them 

 all, having engineered the whole revolt against Balfour, and might have 

 the Leadership if he would amuse himself less. As it is, he is likely 

 to have to play second to dull men like Austen Chamberlain, and whip- 

 per-snappers like F. E. Smith. We have both spoken seriously to 

 George about it, and I lectured Mark about his own imperialistic doc- 

 trines, arguing that after all honesty would be the best policy in foreign 

 politics if they would only believe it. He is to spend a week at Glen 

 with Grey, and I am anxious he should represent a more respectable 

 view of Egyptian and other Eastern questions in the talks they are 

 sure to have together. The Glen influence is a bad one for Grey. I 



