552 



The Review of kiiViKVVs. 



The usual excuse put forward by 

 How (lie apologists of Sir Edward Grey 



Sir Edward Grey . , . . • „ 



Treated Germany. '^ ''lat our suspicions were justly 



aroused by the refusal of Germany 

 to give us any assurances as to what she was 

 after in Morocco. For seventeen days, we are 

 told — for seventeen days Germany refused to give us 

 any answer to our questions on the subject, and this 

 persistent and sinister silence on her part justified 

 and explained the Grey-George outLurst of July 21st. 

 Imagine then my amazement on learning from Sir 

 Edward Grey's speech— (i) that the British Govern- 

 ment never asked the German Government to give 

 any explanations ; (2) that, without being asked, the 

 German Government had volunteered assurances that 

 the aim of these negotiations was to arrive at an 

 understanding with France that would be in accor- 

 dance with the interests of the other signatory 

 Powers, and that as soon as quiet was restored in 

 Morocco the Panther would be recalled from Agadir ; 

 and (3) that the negotiations which Germany had 

 begun were from first to last carried on with our 

 friend France, who could surely have been relied 

 upon to defend our interests. It is the ignoring of 

 this last consideration that is almost the worst 

 evidence of all as to the inveterate suspicion and 

 distrust felt by Sir Edward Grey of Germany. He 

 cannot even trust his cnteiite-cordhikd France to play 

 fair if once she is negotiating with Germany. 



It can hardly be believed that 

 No Answers Given gir Edward Grey, neither directly 

 no Questions Asl^ed. nor indirectly, neither in London 

 nor Berlin, asked the German 

 Government to make any explanation. Seventeen 

 days passed ; during any one of the seventeen he 

 might have seen Count Metternich or have instructed 

 his Ambassador to.communicate with Count Kiderlin- 

 \Vaechter to ask a plain answer to a direct question. 

 The question was never asked, and therefore naturally 

 no answer given. What took place is on official 

 record. Germany told Sir Edward Giey the Panther 

 was being sent \ja Agadir for a definite purpose — the 

 protection of German lives and property in the vicinity 

 — and that as soon as the state of affairs in Morocco 

 had resumed its former quiet aspect the /iw/Av- should 

 leave Agadir. 'J'he British Government took note of 

 the fact and declared the situation to be serious and 

 important — a remark which called for no comment, 

 inasmuch as the German Government undoubtedly 

 concurred in that estimate. That was on July 3rd. 

 On the following day Sir Edward Grey informed 

 Count Mcttrriiich that England could not take a 



disinterested attitude in regard to Morocco, that the 



despatch of the Panther had created a new situation, 



and that as future developments might affect British 



interests more closely, we could not recognise any new 



arrangements that might be come to without us. To 



all this Germany had no call to reply, for the simple 



reason that it contained no matter to which she took 



exception. She agreed to every word of it, but as she 



was not asked to say anything she said nothing. 



On July 12th the British Ambassa- 



A" dor at Berlin had an opportunity 



Opportunity ^ , . . .u 1 ■ ^ 



Lost. of asking questions on the subject 



if Sir Edward Grey had thought it 

 worth while. He merely remarked that there had at 

 one time been some talk of a settlement between 

 France, Germany and Spain, the inference being that 

 we were to be excluded from it. The German Foreign 

 Minister at once and categorically assured our Ambas- 

 sador there was no truth in the story — " there never 

 had been any such idea." No hint on the part of Sir 

 Edward Grey's mouthpiece that there were any further 

 assiirances wanted or answers looked for to questions 

 which were not put. There the matter remained, 

 Germany negotiating with our friend France for a 

 settlement acceptable to all the signatory Powers, the 

 English Government waiting to see the result, but giving 

 no liint, either in Berlin or in London, that it wanted 

 any more information than that which had been volun- 

 teered by Germany at the outset. So matters remained 

 till July 20th, when Sir Edward Grey read in the 

 Times that Germany had asked France for the whole 

 of the French Congo as an equivalent for acquiescing 

 in the French annexation of Morocco. Then for the 

 first time Sir Edward thought it necessary to put the 

 questions to the German Ambassador which up to 

 that time he had never put to any one, but which 

 he seems to have expected ought to have been 

 answered without having been jiut. When he put 

 them they were an.swered, and the crisis was at an 

 end. Why did he not put them before ? 



The only reassuring things about 



of the debates which followed Sir 



the Unionist E. Grey's declaration were the 



speeches made by Mr. Bonar 

 Law and Lord Lansdowne. Lord Morley indeed 

 made a gallant attempt to undo the evil eft'ects 

 of Sir Edward Grey's utterance ; but the real 

 hope of the future is to be found in the speeches of 

 the Unionist I-eaders. Mr. Bonar Law's references 

 to Germany were couched in admirable terms, and 

 nothing could be better than his repudiation of the 

 pestilent nonsense, cherished as an article of faith by 



