Germany -- Politics and government -- 1888-1918; William II, German Emperor, 1859-1941; World War, 1914-1918
During the journey I had several talks with Freiherr von Schoen, who
accompanied me as representative of the Foreign Office, as to the
advisability of the visit. We agreed that it would be better to drop
it. I telegraphed this decision to the Chancellor from Lisbon. Bülow
replied emphatically that I must take into consideration the view of
the German people and of the Reichstag, which had become interested in
the project, and that it was necessary that I stop at Tangier.
I gave in, with a heavy heart, for I feared that this visit, in view
of the situation at Paris, might be construed as a provocation and
cause an inclination in London to support France in case of war. Since
I suspected that Delcassé wished to make Morocco a pretext for war, I
feared that he might make use of the Tangier visit for this purpose.
The visit took place, after much difficulty had been experienced in the
open roadstead of Tangier, and it met with a certain amount of friendly
participation by Italian and Southern French anarchists, rogues, and
adventurers. A lot of Spaniards stood upon a small square, amid waving
banners and loud cries; these, according to a police official who
accompanied us, were an assembly of Spanish anarchists.
The first I learned about the consequences of my Tangier visit was
when I got to Gibraltar and was formally and frigidly received by the
English, in marked contrast to my cordial reception the year before.
What I had foreseen was justified by the facts. Embitterment and anger
reigned in Paris, and Delcassé tried to rouse the nation to war; the
only reason that he did not succeed was that both the Minister of War
and the Minister of the Navy declared France not yet ready.
The fact that my fears were justified was also corroborated later by
the conversation between Delcassé and the editor of _Le Gaulois_,
in which the Minister informed an astonished world that, in case of
war, England would have sided with France. Thus, even as far back as
that, I ran the risk, through the Tangier visit forced upon me, of
getting blamed for the unchaining of a world war. To think and act
constitutionally is often a hard task for a ruler upon whom in every
case responsibility is finally saddled.
In October, 1905, the Paris _Matin_ reported that Delcassé had declared
in the Council of Ministers that England had offered, in case of war,
to land 100,000 men in Holstein and seize the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal.
This English offer was repeated once more later on, with the suggestion
that it be affirmed in writing. And the well-known Jaurès, who was
murdered in accordance with the political ideas of Isvolsky upon the
outbreak of war in 1914, knew beforehand about the statements by
Delcassé published in the _Matin_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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