CHAPTER XI 



GENERAL TROUBLE IN EASTERN EUROPE 



"4th Jan., 1912. — Chapel Street. Rothstein called and told me 

 much about affairs in Europe. He says true reason the German Gov- 

 ernment would not fight this year was not any doubt of the superiority 

 of its army, which is infinitely more powerful than the French, but 

 because it had not the mass of the people with it. These did not think 

 Morocco worth a war. He says, however, that Germany is of one 

 mind to fight England on the first occasion, as they were very angry 

 with us, far more so than with the French. All now are for war, ex- 

 cept the Socialists, and even these are not all of them against it. He 

 is sure the German Government was not privy to the Italian raid on 

 Tripoli. On the contrary they are very angry with the Italians on 

 account of it, so much so that they would join England in putting a 

 stop to it. As to Persia, Rothstein assured me the Russian army was 

 not formidable, the officers being just as corrupt and ineffective as 

 before the Japanese war. If there was a quarrel with England about 

 Persia the Japanese would advance on Siberia. They would also very 

 likely intervene in China to replace the Manchus in power. Rothstein's 

 opinion on all these things is the best in London." [N.B. Rothstein, 

 whose opinions are constantly quoted in my diary, owed his wonderful 

 knowledge of the European situation to the fact that he was London 

 correspondent to nearly all the Socialist newspapers on the Continent. 

 He was by birth a Russian subject, born at Kief, who had made his 

 studies at the Odessa University, and having become involved there 

 with the authorities about twenty years ago had made his escape to 

 Western Europe, and had taken up his residence in London. He was 

 on the Staff of more than one of out newspapers, but often complained 

 to me that the Editors would not listen to him on subjects of European 

 importance. To me he always spoke frankly, and I never found 

 him mistaken in the information he gave me, as will be shown in the 

 sequel.] 



" 5th Jan. — Irene Noel dined with me. I had not seen her for 

 nearly two years, during which she has been flirting with the Crown 

 Prince of Greece, and trying to get up with him what she calls a 

 Balkan Federation which is to include the Greeks, and even perhaps 

 the Turks. She is a clever girl, and has a talent for political intrigue. 



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