THE EMS TELEGRAM.
NIVE publish elsewhere a letter signed " L. H. R." in which the story of the editing of the Ems telegram is challenged,—and inferentially our assertion that the ruling political caste in Germany regard war as an act of policy, and not merely as the last resort in inter- national controversy or as a means of defence. The beat comment we can offer on our correspondent's letter is a quotation from Bismarck's own account of the matter as set forth by Mr. Charles Lowe, who is cited by our correspondent, in his " Bismarck's Table- Talk " (Gravel and Co., 1895). The King of Prussia was at Ems and Bismarck at Varzin when the dis- cussion arose as to Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern's candidature for the Spanish throne. As the French Government behaved foolishly and actually provoked Prussia, the opportunity for a war seemed to Bismarck excellent, and he left Varzin for Berlin to discuss the situation with Moltke and Roon. On the way, however, he received a telegram to say that the Hohenzollern candidature had been withdrawn for the sake of peace. Bismarck believed that his chance was gone, and he telegraphed his resignation to the King, who replied by asking him to go to Ems. But Bismarck saw that to do so would be to make a compromise inevitable, and that he must do all he could to bring the King to Berlin, " where he will be able to feel the national pulse much better than in Ems." He therefore made excuses. But meanwhile the French had most short-sightedly asked the King to sign a humiliating letter. The King telegraphed for Bismarck's advice, and Bismarck replied : " Signature impossible." His story. proceeds :— "' On the evening of the 14th I had asked Boon and Moltke to dine with me, and discuss all eventualities. We all shared the hope that the foolish action of France in making such an unheard- of demand of our King would, after all, obviate the danger of a feeble and inglorious issue of the affair. While we were still at table, a telegram came in from Ems' (detailing the last meeting between the King and Benedetti, the further importunity of the latter, and the final refusal of his Majesty to receive the Ambassador again on the subject). ' On my reading out this telegram, both Moltke and Boon dropped their forks and knives, and receded a little from the table. There was a long pause. We were all very much depressed, feeling that the matter was slipping through our fingers. At last I said to Moltke, " Is our fighting instrument, is our army really in such an efficient state that we can enter into a war with the highest hope of success?" Moltke's belief in this respect was as firm as a rock. " We have never," he answered, "had better war material than now "; and Boon— though I had not quite so much confidence perhaps in him—backed up Moltke's assurance to the full. " Well, then," said I to both, " you can now calmly go on with your dinner." Thereupon I sat down at the round marble table, standing near the dining one, perused the Ring's despatch once more with great attention, took a pencil and erased the sentences referring to Benedetti's request for another audience, leaving only the head and tail. And now the telegram read somewhat differently. My two guests exclaimed, " Splendid ! That will do !" and now we continued our meal with the best of appetites. I gave directions for the telegram in its altered form to be communicated as quickly as possible to the semi-official News Agency (Wolfs Bureau), all the newspapers, and all our embassies abroad. We were still together when news came in about the effect which the telegram had produced in Paris. It had acted like a bomb. Whereas in reality the French had submitted an insulting demand to our lord and master, the effect of my telegram was such as to make them believe that their ambassador had been rudely treated by, the King., The Boulevards now burst out into cries of " A Berlin ! A Berlin!". . . And a corresponding effect was also produced among us. The King, who at my urgent request had decided to interrupt his course of waters at Ems, returned to Berlin, and was quite stupefied by the outburst of popular enthusiasm which greeted him from every side. For he had no idea of what had meanwhile happened. . . . His eyes grew moist with tears ; and gradually he came to see that it was in truth a national war which the people needed and craved for. . . . The further development of affairs is known to you all. But that was the point about which Gramont in his Memoirs expresses his sincere astonishment. He could not understand how, all at once, after the matter had appeared to take a pacific turn, the warlike mood again gained the ascendant. " Une apparition sinistrs survint. Tout d'un coup tout est change—Qu'etait-il arrive? Mon- sieur de Bismarck is Berlin." I am quoting from memory, but Gramont's words were something like that. Anyhow, I was the "uncanny apparition." But now let me only remark that I was quite within nay rights in making the omission I did from the King's telegram; for he had expressly left it to me to publish the whole or part of it, according to my discretion. I never had cause to regret the way in which it was edited.' On another occasion, when talking with the historian, Herr von Sybel, Bismarck gave a slightly different, yet substantially identical, account of the incident After the Chancellor had read out the King's telegram in its modified form to his two friends, Boon
said, 'That's better.' Moltke added, At first it sounded like a chamade, and now it is a fanfare.' Bismarck remarked, If the
• telegram is delivered to the Ambassadors at eleven o'clock it can also be made known at Paris by midnight, and, then the French will see how false is the assertion of their newspapers that the Prussians are suing for mercy.' "• We may add from Mr. Charles Lowe's article in the Contemporary of July, 1909, the original Ems telegram and the abbreviated and " edited " version of Bismarck :— " The Ems Despatch,. Bismarck's Version.
His Majesty writes me as After the news of the re- follows Count Benedetti in- nunciation by the hereditary tercepted me on the Promenade, Prince of Hohenzollern had and finally asked me in a very been officially communicated to pressing manner to authorise the Imperial French Govern- him to telegraph at once that I ment by the Royal Spanish bound myself for all future time Government the French Am- never again to accord my sane- bassador in Ems further de- tion should the Hohenzollerns mended of his Majesty the King return to their candidature. I to authorise him to telegraph to at length declined, somewhat Paris that his Majesty the King sternly, to listen to him further, bound himself for all future as one ought not, and could not, time never again to accord his enter a tout jantais into engage- sanction should the Hohen- ments of this kind. Naturally, zollerns return to their candida- I told him that I had as yet titre. Thereupon his Majesty received nothing, and as he got the King declined to see the news earlier, via Paris and French Ambassador again, and Madrid, than I did, he must see sent word to him by the aide- that my Government was again de-camp on duty that his not in it.' His Majesty has Majesty had nothing more to since received a letter from the communicate to the Ambassa- Prince. The King had informed dor."
Count Benedetti that he ex- pected news from the Prince, and his Majesty, in view of the
demand referred to, resolved, after conferring with Count Eulenburg and myself, not to see Benedetti again, but merely send word to him through his aide-de-camp that his Majesty had now received from the Prince confirmation of the news which Benedetti had already had from Paris, and his Majesty had nothing more to say to the Ambassador. His Majesty leaves your Excellency to decide whether Benedetti's new demand and its rejection should not at once be communicated both to our representatives abroad and to the Press."
Mr. Lowe adds :— " Now, after a careful comparison of these two versions, original and summary, will any of my readers say where Bismarck's falsification, or garbling,' or doctoring' came in ? Personally, I cannot see it. It was quite out of the question, of course, for Bismarck to issue the thing as it stood, with a repetition of the King's note to Abeken. It had to be—well, call it sub-edited, if you like—somehow ; and I defy anyone to show how Bismarck could have better or more conscientiously done the work. Not one single fact did he suppress, nor insert a falsehood in place of one. Nay, he even toned the wording down in one or two respects."
We must leave our readers to judge as to the intention and the moral justification of the editing,—we use Bismarck's own word.
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