Part 4 (1/2)

[Footnote 24: _The Spectator_, August 7th, 1915, p. 169.]

The German Chancellor, when he justified his policy by the dictum: ”Necessity knows no law,” evidently meant that necessity also recognizes no law of truth. In any case, he remained faithful to the traditions of his country. Although the German Press is both venal and supine, we shall see that it has done the world a service and played its own Government a foul trick. (Der deutschen Regierung einen bosen Streich gespielt.)

When Bethmann-Hollweg was thumping the table before him, and a.s.suring his immediate hearers and the world in general that the Berlin cabinet had not called up a single reservist before five o'clock on Sat.u.r.day, August 1st, he was guilty of a deliberate falsehood. On July 31st, I left Erlangen by the 3.31 train for Nuremberg; travelling in the same train was Dr. Haack, professor of the history of art in Erlangen University. He was accompanied by his wife and various colleagues, including Professor Busch, who bade him farewell on the platform. Dr.

Haack is an artillery reserve officer, and he was then going to join his regiment. At 8.30 p.m. on the same day, we spoke to Frau Haack on Nuremberg station. The lady's face was very tear-stained and she was about to return to Erlangen alone. She told us in a broken voice that her husband had been called up.

In ”The Soul of Germany” I have given names and dates of other cases. I do not propose to disgrace my word of honour by playing it off against the German Chancellor. But acting on the principle of ”Set a thief to catch a thief,” I shall adduce some instances from German newspapers.

The Paris correspondent of the _Kolnische Zeitung_ travelled home via Brussels; his adventures are related at length in the _K.Z._ for August 4th. On August 1st he was in Brussels and complained bitterly, in his article, about the hotel service, and excuses it by writing: ”The German waiters had all left Brussels the day before (July 31st) to join the army.”

An article dated Strasbourg, August 3rd, was published in the _Frankfurter Zeitung_ on the 6th of the same month. The writer describes the martial scenes which he had witnessed during the preceding week, and mentions that the officers in the garrison had received a special order to send their wives and children away from the city several days before martial law was proclaimed. Friday, presumably, the order came for the garrison to march to the French frontier, for on Sat.u.r.day the regiments were entrained and left Strasbourg. Our good German friend describes the scene in the streets: ”Alongside the ranks were the wives and children of the called-up reservists, trying to keep step with the quickly moving troops. Before sunset the regiments, all on a war-footing, had left the city.”

Every layman knows that a reservist cannot enter a barracks in civilian attire, and emerge five minutes later in full war-kit ready for the march. The German Imperial Chancellor affirms that not one of them had been called up before five o'clock in the afternoon of that day. It is true that neither the age of miracles nor the age of lies has pa.s.sed away. Perhaps Herr Bethmann-Hollweg could explain why it was impossible to send trunk-messages on Germany's telephone system during the last three days of July, 1914. At least, the local papers in Bavaria a.s.serted that that was the case.

The _Elbinger Zeitung_, August 13th, contained a reservist's letter with this illuminating pa.s.sage: ”During the last few days everybody was in readiness; our linen, etc., had been packed and sent off in advance. On Friday, July 31st, the order arrived that I should present myself; mobilization had begun. With feelings of joy I changed into my uniform and rushed to join my company. The streets were full of frightened people with tears in their eyes. We officers pressed each others' hands and with ardent glances exclaimed: 'At last it has come!'”

The Chancellor based his a.s.sertion that French troops had crossed the German frontier, on the report from the Chief of the General Staff. This authority admitted that German soldiers on August 2nd (Sunday) had violated the French frontier and continues with these words: ”But long before that French airmen had dropped bombs in Southern Germany, and French soldiers had attacked our frontier-guards in the Schlucht Pa.s.s.”

The _Frankfurter Zeitung_, July 31st, gives Bethmann-Hollweg and the Chief of the General Staff the lie direct. The paragraph is dated July 30th, Kolmar, and runs: ”The Schlucht Pa.s.s has just been barricaded by German frontier guards. This is to prevent motor-lorries and such-like vehicles from entering French territory without our permission. Several papers have announced the alleged occupation of the Schlucht (gorge) by French troops. The report is an absolute invention. (Die Meldung ist vollig aus der Luft gegriffen.) I have taken the trouble to look round, and may say that the usual tourist traffic is going on as usual.”

The remainder of the charge is that ”long before August 2nd,” French airmen had dropped bombs on South German towns. The towns in question are Frankfort and Nuremberg. The _Kolnische Zeitung_ contained this paragraph on August 2nd: ”A military report has just come in, stating that French airmen dropped bombs in the neighbourhood of Nuremberg this morning. As war has not yet been declared between France and Germany, this is a breach of international law.”

Two remarks are necessary to supplement the above ”news.” Firstly, in the Reichstag, the Chancellor said this attack had occurred ”long before August 2nd.” Secondly, the _Cologne Gazette_ received the report from the _military authorities_. That betrays the source from which all these lies emanated.

The author has in his possession a Nuremberg paper (_Frankische Tagepost_) for the whole of August, 1914. It contains absolutely no mention of any air raid on or near Nuremberg. If bombs had been dropped in the vicinity, it is quite unthinkable that the local papers should contain no report of the affair.

President Poincare, on July 15th, 1915, declared the Nuremberg flight to be a fable. The _Frankischer Kurier_ (a Nuremberg newspaper) on August 1st, 1915, contains an article which states that the news of these alleged airmen, whom n.o.body saw, was spread throughout the length and breadth of the German Empire. This same paper ridicules the whole affair.

Another extract gives the key to the whole mystery. ”Yesterday (Monday, August 3rd), at 8 p.m., the following official announcement was given out for publication.

”Up till now, the German troops, in obedience to orders given, have not crossed the French frontier. In contrast to this _since_ yesterday (August 2nd) French troops have attacked our frontier posts without any declaration of war. They have crossed the German frontier at several points, although only a few days ago the French Government a.s.sured us that they would keep a zone ten kilometres wide free from their troops.

_Since_ last night French troops hold German places in occupation.

_Since_ yesterday bomb-dropping airmen have come into Baden and Bavaria; further, by violating Belgian neutrality, they have fled over Belgian territory into the Rhine province and tried to destroy our railways.

Thus France has begun an attack upon us, and thereby created a state of war. The safety of the Empire compels us to take defensive measures. The Kaiser has given the necessary orders. The German Amba.s.sador in Paris has been instructed to demand his pa.s.sports.”[25]

[Footnote 25: From the _Berliner Lokal Anzeiger_ of August 4th.]

Germany had no earthly excuse to begin war on France, and imitating the n.o.ble example of Bismarck in forging the notorious Ems telegram which precipitated the 1870 war, the German military authorities forged the ”news” of alleged attacks by French airmen and French troops. The German Official Press Bureau completed this vile, criminal work.

Although the point is proved, a few more examples of the ”airmen” legend will be of interest. ”Berlin, August 2nd. _Last night_ a hostile airs.h.i.+p was observed flying from Kerprich to Andernach. Hostile aeroplanes were observed flying from Duren to Cologne. A French aeroplane was shot down by Wesel.” (From the _Munchen-Augsburger Abendzeitung_, August 3rd.)

The _Frankfurter Zeitung_, August 4th, contains three separate detailed accounts of French airmen dropping bombs on Frankfort railway station during the previous night. The third account will suffice.

”The military authorities in Frankfort were informed last night that a hostile airman was flying in the direction from Darmstadt to Frankfort.

At ten minutes past one the noise of the propellers as well as bursting bombs was heard by those standing on the command-bridge of the Central Station. In the dark night it was impossible to see the flying-machine.

As it approached the station, where all lights were out, fifty to sixty soldiers stationed on the command-bridge fired at the aeroplane, which soon moved off in the direction of the Southern Station. There, too, it came under a heavy fire from soldiers and policemen. Nothing whatever has been found on the ground or at the station, not even parts of the bombs. It is a.s.sumed that the hand-bombs exploded in the air.”[26]

[Footnote 26: Yes, they burst in the air, _aus der sie gegriffen worden sind!_ Author.]