236 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE XIX 



between the Greeks and the Turks. As I talked one even 

 ing with one of my colleagues who represented a power 

 especially interested in the matter, the Emperor came up 

 and at once entered into the discussion. He stated the 

 position of various powers in relation to it, and suggested 

 a line of conduct. There was straightforward good sense 

 in his whole contention, a refreshing absence of conven 

 tionalities, and a very clear insight into the realities of 

 the question, with a shrewd forecast of the result. More 

 interesting to me was another conversation, in the spring 

 of 1899. As the time drew near for the sessions of the 

 Peace Conference at The Hague, I was making prepara 

 tions for leaving Berlin to take up my duty in that body, 

 when one morning there appeared at the embassy a spe 

 cial messenger from the Emperor requesting me to come 

 to the palace. My reception was hearty, and he plunged 

 at once into the general subject by remarking, &quot;What the 

 conference will most need is good common sense; and I 

 have sent Count Munster, my ambassador at Paris, because 

 he has lots of it.&quot; With this preface, he went very fully 

 into the questions likely to come before the conference, 

 speaking regarding the attitude of the United States and 

 the various powers of Europe and Asia with a frankness, 

 fullness, and pungency which at times rather startled me. 

 On the relations between the United States, Germany, and 

 Great Britain he was especially full. Very suggestive 

 also were his remarks regarding questions in the far East, 

 and especially on the part likely to be played by Japan and 

 China the interests of various powers in these questions 

 being presented in various aspects, some of them decidedly 

 original and suggestive. While there were points on 

 which we could hardly agree, there were some suggestions 

 which proved to be of especial value, and to one of them 

 is due the fact that on most questions the German delegates 

 at The Hague stood by the Americans, and that on the 

 most important question of all they finally, after a wide 

 divergence from our view, made common cause with Great 

 Britain and the United States. I regret that the time has 



