World War, 1914-1918 -- Naval operations -- Submarine; World War, 1914-1918 -- United States
On that occasion we naturally had little time to discuss the submarines,
but a few days afterward I was invited to spend the night at Windsor
Castle. The King in his own home proved to be even more cordial, if that
were possible, than at our first meeting. After dinner we adjourned to a
small room and there, over our cigars, we discussed the situation at
considerable length. The King is a rapid and animated talker; he was
kept constantly informed on the submarine situation, and discussed it
that night in all its details. I was at first surprised by his
familiarity with all naval questions and the intimate touch which he was
evidently maintaining with the British fleet. Yet this was not really
surprising, for His Majesty himself is a sailor; in his early youth he
joined the navy, in which he worked up like any other British boy. He
seemed almost as well informed about the American navy as about the
British; he displayed the utmost interest in our preparations on land
and sea, and he was particularly solicitous that I, as the American
representative, should have complete access to the Admiralty Office.
About the submarine campaign, the King was just as outspoken as Jellicoe
and the other members of the Admiralty. The thing must be stopped, or
the Allies could never win the war.
Of all the influential men in British public life there was only one who
at that time took an optimistic attitude. This was Mr. Lloyd George. I
met the Prime Minister frequently at dinners, at his own country place
and elsewhere, and the most lasting impression which I retain of this
wonderful man was his irrepressible gaiety of spirits. I think of the
Prime Minister of Great Britain as a great, big, exuberant boy, always
laughing and joking, constantly indulging in repartee and by-play, and
even in this crisis, perhaps the darkest one of British history, showing
no signs of depression. His face, which was clear in its complexion as a
girl's, never betrayed the slightest anxiety, and his eyes, which were
always sparkling, never disclosed the faintest shadow. It was a picture
which I shall never forget--that of this man, upon whose shoulders the
destiny of the Empire chiefly rested, apparently refusing to admit, even
to himself, the dangers that were seemingly overwhelming it, heroically
devoting all his energies to uplifting the spirits of his countrymen,
and, in his private intercourse with his associates, even in the most
fateful moments, finding time to tell funny stories, to recall
entertaining anecdotes of his own political career, to poke fun at the
mistakes of his opponents, and to turn the general conversation a
thousand miles away from the Western Front and the German submarines. It
was the most inspiring instance of self-control that I have ever known;
indeed only one other case in history can be compared with it; Lloyd
George's attitude at this period constantly reminded me of Lincoln in
the darkest hours of the Civil War, when, after receiving news of such
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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