The Ambassador's dispatch reporting this interview was received in Berlin
on July 22nd. An answer was immediately sent from Berlin, in which the Ambassador was instructed to express regret that Sir Edward Grey had insinuated that Germany had thoughts of establishing a naval port at Agadir. That was an "hallucination." Although Germany had no designs on Moroccan territory she must re- quire, in the event of France's failure to compensate Germany elsewhere, that France should respect the Algeciras Act. Germany expected that all the Powers, especially Great Britain, would join her in this demand. Herr von Kiderlen-Waechter declared, therefore, that the British statement that Germany had not replied to an inquiry for fourteen days was inaccurate. On the same day that Sir Edward Grey had his first interview with the German Ambas- sador Mr. Lloyd George delivered his speech. The result of this was that the German Government could not consent to Sir Edward Grey informing the House of Commons that Germany had no designs on Moroccan territory, as it might look as though this assurance was extracted by Mr. Lloyd George's speech. On July 24th, when the German Ambas- sador again saw Sir Edward Grey, he remarked that if the British Government desired to complicate and confuse the situation it could have chosen no better method than Mr. Lloyd George's speech. Threats, said the Ambassador, would only stimulate Germany to hold fast to her right to get the status quo ante re-established in Morocco if the negotiations with France failed. Finally Herr von Kiderlen-Waechter said that Great Britain had ministered to an excited state of public feeling in France, being all the time unaware of what Germany was offering to France.
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