Sir Eyre Crowe's insight into what was happening was extraordinarily
penetrating. He seemed to foresee not only why the Germans did certain things, but what they would do next. This penetration is no doubt to be explained by his partly German birth. Time brings its revenges. The man who was denounced by a certain amount of misguided popular opinion as being " German " was the soundest judge and adviser at the critical moments. We have often said that Sir Edward Grey might well have taken the terrible but necessary decision sooner. But when we have said that again we also rejoice in the fact that it is on record for all the world to read in future that a British Foreign Minister hesitated even after it had become dangerous to do so—hesitated because he had the most profound scruples against entering into a war that could by any human means be avoided.
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