GERMANY'S LONG PREPARATION. [To THE EDITOR OP THE "srRoriYcn."1 Sut,—The
thanks of all students of history are due to Mr. James M. Beck for the skill with which he elicited the information steennutrized by " Americanus " in your article of August 7th. It supplies an important link in the chain of evidence which convicts Germany of having deliberately prepared for this war and of having decided by July 81st to force on the issue with this country as well as with Russia, France, and Belgium. " Americanus " is justified in asserting that the Kaiser and his Ministers knew by that date that the course of action which they were about to take would probably involve war with dreat Britain. The author of " /Accuse ! surmises that that course was resolved on at the Council meeting known to have been held on the evening of July 29th, and certainly " the infamous proposals" made by the German Chancellor to Sir Edward Goschen later on that evening imply that the German Government was conscious of having adopted a course highly prejudicial to this country; otherwise it would not have sought to buy us off in that disgraceful manner.
Obviously the situation had become more warlike by July 31st. How else shall we explain the ominous words then used by von Jagow, German Secretary of State, in answer to Sir Edward Gosohen's official demand whether Germany would respect the neutrality of Belgium P Far from replying with the straightforward affirmative of the French Government, Jagow stated that he could not answer the question, and that he doubted whether the Chancellor himself would, seeing that an answer must reveal to some extent the German plan of campaign in the event of war ensuing (British White Paper, No. 122). Jagow would not have made this extraordinary admission unless he bad known that the violation of Belgian neutrality had been most seriously discussed in the highest circles at Berlin. That admission clinches the evidence now elicited by Mr. Beck at the trial; and we may regard it as almost certain that, by July 31st at latest, the German Government had decided on war with the British nation, unless, of course, we preferred to accept the degrading and humiliating proposals of July 29th,
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