The German Government try to make out that we rejected
a very reasonable offer of reciprocal neutrality from Germany. What really happened was that the Germans proposed a " tricky " treaty of neutrality with us, which would have prevented us from assisting France or Russia if Austria and Germany bad attacked either of those Powers, and would in effect have sterilized us altogether until the Germans were ready, after a victory over France and Russia alone, to take us "in our turn." The Germans proposed to accomplish this by agreeing that neither Power would make or prepare to make any unprovoked attack upon the other, or join in any combination or design against the other ; and further, if either Power became entangled in a war in which it was not the aggressor, the other party would at least observe towards the Power so entangled a benevolent neutrality,
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