“But Belgium is not, and was not, a neutral country,” Captain Wolfe protested. “I do not understand you,” I said. “Belgium,” he answered, “had become the ally of Britain and the enemy of Germany.” “I still fail to understand you,” I said. “Have you not read the documents which were taken from the archives at Brussels?” he asked. “These official documents constitute a solemn confirmation of my pretension that Belgium was allied with Britain.” As a matter of fact, the Gazette de l’Allemagne du Nord (Die Nord Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung), a semi-official newspaper, did publish during the course of the winter of 1914-1915 a series of documents alleged to have been found in the archives of Brussels. No doubt these documents were likewise published in all the allied countries. They purported to contain the draft of a convention between a military or naval officer of Britain and the Belgian authorities concerning an eventual landing of British troops at Ostend. I had previously taken cognizance of these documents and incidentally of a commentary by a Belgian military expert to the following effect: “The landing of British troops in Belgium was only to take place _after the violation of Belgian neutrality by Germany_.” This correction removed from the documents all vestige of hostility against Germany. After the publication of these documents comments from official sources were published in the press, and it was said, amongst other things, that _the contents were known to the competent authorities in Germany before the declaration of war_. I accordingly asked Captain Wolfe if this were true? “It is,” he answered. “Then how is it,” I further asked, “that the Imperial Chancellor, Von Bethmann-Hollweg, on August 4, made the following declaration before the Reichstag: ‘At the moment I am addressing you German troops have perhaps crossed the frontier and invaded Belgium’s territory. It must be acknowledged that this is a violation of the rights of the people and of international treaties. But Germany proposes and binds herself to repair all the damages caused to Belgium so soon as she shall have attained her military designs’?” It is impossible to describe the officer’s embarrassment. “Well,” he mumbled, in an effort to submit more or less of an explanation, “it was because Belgium also peremptorily refused to let us pass.” The tone and manner of his “explanation” indicated plainly enough that Captain Wolfe was capitulating. In the pan-German newspapers more particularly, this attitude of Von Bethmann-Hollweg before the Reichstag was much criticized. It was declared that such a statement constituted a sufficient reason for his immediate release from Chancellorship. CHAPTER XXIX OTHER REMINISCENCES