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' Military, Naval and Civil, Marked Very
Beginning of the Great War Chancellor
von Bethmann-Hollweg Delayed Mobilization
of Army Three Days in Hope of Peace
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"There were two reasons why the battle of the Manic was lost; one, because there;
not sufficient ammunition; and, two, because the reserves were needed to stop the-
Sian invasion Of East Prussia." -Hcrr Zimmormnnn's Stntwncnt to Acktrniul
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YiGenerdl von Kluck Confirmed Zimmcrmann'a
l& Statement That the Defeat on the Marne Was
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. Zne to Me Shortage of Ammunition, Which
Created a Scandal in Germany, and the Neces
sity of Sending Reserves Against Russia
i rpiIE German explanation of why they lost the battle of the
Marne is interesting not alone because of the explanation of the
defeat, but because it shows why the shipment of arms and ammu
nition from the United States was such a poisonous pill to the army.
Shortly after my arrival in Berlin Dr. Alfred Zimmcrmnnn, then
Under Secretary of State, said the greatest scandal in Germany
after the war would be the investigation of the reasons for the
hortagc of ammunition in September, 191 1. He did not deny that
Germany was prepared for a groat war. He must have known at
the time what the Director of the Post and Telegraph knew on the
iccond of August, 1914, when he wrote Announcement No. 3. The
German army must have known the same thing, and if it had pre
pared for war, as every German admits it had, then preparations
were made to fight nine nations. Uut there was one thing which
Germany failed to take into consideration, Zimmcrmnnn said, and
that was tho shipment of supplies from the United States.
Then, he added, there were two reasons why the battle of
the Marne was lost: one, because there was not sufficient ammu
nition; and, two, because the reserves were needed to slop the
Russian invasion of East Prussia.
I asked him whether Germany did not have enormous store
ammunition on hand when the war began. He said there was
aufficient ammunition for a sdiort campaign, but that the Ministry
f War had not mobilized sufficient ammunition factories to keep
op tho supplies. He said this was the reason for the downfnll of
General von Hcrrigcn, who was Minister of War at the beginning
of hostilities.
v Von Kluck Talks or Marne
After General von Kluck was wounded and returned to his villa
In Wilmersdorf, a suburb of Ucrlin, I took a walk with him in his
garden and discussed the Marne. He confirmed what Zimmermann
tated about the shortage of ammunition and added that he had to
give up his reserves to General von Hindenburg, who had been
ordered by the Kaiser to drive the Russians from East Prussia.
At the very beginning of the war, although no intimations wore
permitted to reach the outside world, there was a bitter controversy
between the Foreign Office, headed by the Chancellor, Von Kcth-mann-Hollweg;
the Navy Department, headed by Grand Admiral
von Tirpitz, and General von Moltke, Chief of the General Stan".
The Chancellor delayed mobilization of the German army three days.
For this ho never hns, and never will be forgiven by the military
authorities. During those stirring days of .July and August, when
General von Moltke, Von Tirpitz, Von Falkenhayn, Krupps and the
Rhine Valley industrial leaders were clamoring for war and for an
Invasion of Belgium, the Kaiser was being urged by the Chancellor
and the Foreign Office to heed the proposals of Sir" Edward Grey
for a peace conference. But the Kaiser, who was more of a- soldier
than a statesman, sided with his military friends. The war was on,
not only between Germany and the Entente, but between the For
eign Office and the army and navy. This internal fight, which began
in July, 1914, became Germany's bitterest struggle and from time
to time the odds went from one side to another. The army accused
the diplomats of blundering in starting the war. The Foreign Office
After General von Kluck was wounded I took a walk with
him in bis garden and discussed the Marne.
replied that it was the lust for power and victory which poisoned
the military leaders which caused the war. Belgium was invaded
against the counsel or the Foreign Office. But when the Chancellor
was confronted with the actual invasion and the violation of the
treaty, he was compelled by force of circumstance, by his position
and responsibility to the Kaiser, to make his famous Kpecch in the
Reichstag in which he declared, "Emergency knows no law."
But when tho allied fleet swept German ships from the high
seas and isolated a nation which had considered its international
commerce one of its greatest assets, considerable animosity de
veloped between the nimy and navy. Tho nrmy accused the navy
of stagnation. Von Tirpitz, who had based his whole naval policy
upon a great navy, especially upon battleships and cruiser units,
was confronted by his military friends with the charge that ho
was not prepared. As early as 1908 Von Tirpitz had opposed
the construction of submarines. Speaking in the Reichstag when
naval appropriations were debated, ho said Germany should lely
upon a battleship fleet and not upon submarines. But when ho saw
bis great inactive navy in German waters he switched to tho sub
marine idea of a blockade of England. In February, 191.", he
announced his .submarine blockade of England with tho consent of
the Kaiser, but without the approval of the Foreign Office.
By this time the cry, "Gott strafe England," had become the
most popular battle shout in Germany. Tho Von Tirpitz blockade
announcement made this battle cry real. It made him tho national
hero. Tho German press, which at that time v.iu under three
different censors, turned its entire support overnight to tho Von
Tirpitz plan. The Navy Department, which even then was not
only anti-British, but anti-American, wanted to sink every ship
on the high seas. When the Fulled States lodged its protest on
February 12 the German navy wanted to ignore it. The Foreign
Office was inclined to listen to President Wilson's arguments. Even
the people, while they were enthusiastic for a submarine war, did
not want to estrange America if they rotild prevent it. The Von
Tirpitz press bureau, which knew that public opposition to its
plan could bo overcome by raising the cry that America was not
neutral in aiding the Allies with supplies, launched an anti-American
campaign. It came to a climax one night when Ambassadoor
Gerard was attending a theatre party. As ho entered tho box
he was recognized by .i group of Germans, who shouted insulting
remarks because ho spoke English. Then some one else remarked
that America was not neutral by shipping arms and ammunition.
Tho Foreign Office apologized the next day, but the navy did
not. And, instead of listening to tho advice of Secretary of State
von Jagow, the navy sent columns of inspired articles to the news
papers nttacking President Wilson and telling tho German people
that tho United States had Joined the Entento in spirit, if not in
nctlon.
The Gulf Between Kiel and Berlin
At tho beginning of the war oven tho Socialist party in tho
Reichstag voted tho Government credits. Tho press and tho pcoplo
unanimously supported tho Government becnuso there was n very
terrorizing fear that Russia was about to invndo Germany, and that
England and Franco wcro leagued together to crush tho Father
land. Until tho question of tho submarine warfare camo up tho
division of opinion which had already developed between tho army
and navy clique and tho Foreign Offico wna not general among tho
people. Although tho nrmy had not taken Paris, a great part of
Belgium and eight provinces of northern Frnnco were occupied nnd
tho Russians had been driven from East Prussia. The nrmy was
satisfied with what it had done and had great plans for tho future.
Food nnd economic conditions had changed very little as compared
to tho changes which wcro to take place beforo 1917. Supplies
were flowing into Germany from all neutral European countries.
Even England nnd Russia were selling goods to Germany indirectly,
through neutral countries. Considerable English merchandise, as
well as American products, came in by way of Holland because
English business men were making money by the transactions and
because the English Government had not yet discovered leaks in
the blockade."' Two-thirds of the butter supply in Berlin wns coming
from Russia. Denmark was sending copper. Norway was sending
fish and valuable oils. Sweden was sending horses and cattle.'
Italy was sending fruit. Spanish sardines nnd olives were reaching
German merchants, and there was no reason to bo dissatisfied with
the way tho wnr was going. And, besides, tho German people hated
their enemies so that the leaders could count upon continued support
for almost an indefinite period. The cry of "Hun and Barbarian"
was answered with the battle cry of "Gott strafo Englnnd."
Optimism at Front
The latter part of April, on my first trip to the front, I dined
nt great headquarters (Grosse ilaupt Quartler) in Charlcvillo,
France, with Major Nicolal, chief of tho intelligence department of
tho gcnernl staff. Tho next dny, in company with other correspond
ents, we were guests of General von Moehl and his staff at Peronne.
From Peronne we went to the Sommo front to St. Quentln, to
Nnmur and Brussels. The soldiers were enthusiastic and happy.
There was plenty of food and considerable optimism. But tho con
fidence in victory was never so great as it was immediately after tho
sinking of tho Lusitnnia. That mnrked the crisis in the future trend
of tho war.
Up to this time the people had heard very little about the fight
between tho navy nnd tho Foreign Offico. But gradually rumors
spread. Whilo thcro was previously no outlet for public opinion,
tho Lusitania issue was debated more extensively and with more
vigor than the White Books, which were published to explain the
causes of tho war.
With tho universal feeling of self-confidence, it was but natural
that tho people should sido with the navy in demanding an unre
stricted submarine warfare. When Admiral von Bachmann gave tho
order to First Naval Lieutenant Otto Steinbrink to sink tho Lusi
tania ho knew the navy was ready to defy the United States or any
other country which might object. He knew, too, that Von Tirpitz
was very close to tho Kaiser and could count upon tho Kaiser's sup
port in whatever he did. The navy believed the torpedoing of tho
Lusitanin would so frighten nnd terrorizo the world that neutral
shipping would become timid and enemy peoples would bo impressed
by Germany's might on tho seas. Ambassador von BernstorfT had
been ordered by the Foreign Offico to put notices in the American
papers warning Americans off these ships. The Chancellor and Sec
retary von Jagow knew there was no way to stop tho Admiralty,
and they wanted to avoid, if possible, the loss of American lives.
Tho storm of indignation which encircled the globe when
reports were printed that more than a thousand persons lost their
lives on the Lusitania found n sympathetic echo in tho- Berlin
Foreign Office. "Another navy blunder," the officials said con
fidentially. Foreign Office officials tried to conceal their distress,
because the officials knew the only thing they could do now was
to make preparation for an apology and try to oncusc in tho best
possible way what the navy had done. On the seventeenth of May,
like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, camo President Wilson's first
Lusitania note.
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The soldiers were enthusiastic and happy. There was pUntr 1
ui mmi uiiu lunniui-itiuii; uiiiiiiism.
"Recalling tlio humano and enlightened attitude flu
assumed by tno imperial uerman iiovcrnmont in matters of I
national life, particularly with regard to tho freedom ofOi.
having learned to rccognizo German views and German inUa
in tnc held oi international obligations as always engaged i
tho side of justice nnd humanity," tho noto read, "and b
understood tho instructions of tho Imperial German Govern
to its naval commanders to be upon the same piano of lm
action ns those prescribed by tho naval codes of other iiatial
the Government of ttio united Mates i3 loath to believe it r
not now bring itself to believe that theso acts, so absolutely 3
trary to the rules nnd practices and spirit of modern ;warf3
could nave tnc countenance or sanction of that great
ment. Manifestly, submarines cannot bo used tn
merchantmen, as tho last few weeks have shown, without an 'fan
able violation of many sacred principles of justice and hti
American citizens act within their indisputable rights In
their ships nnd in traveling wherever their legitimate business e
them upon the high seas, and exercise thoso rights in what i
bo a well-justified confidence that heir lives will not be endaufi
by acts done in clear violation of universally acknowledged M
tional obligations and certainly in the confidence that their i
Government will sustain them in the exerciso of their rights,"
And then tho noto which Mr. Gerard handed Von Jagow e
eluded with these words:
"It (tho United States) confidently expects, therefore, that (
Imperial German Government will disavow the acts of which f
United States complains, that they will-make reparation as fir
reparation is possible for injuries which arc without measure i
that they will take immediate steps to prevent tho recunemsi
anything so obviously subversive of the principles of warfare,
which tho Imperial German Government in the past so wiselriJ
so firmly contended. The Government and people of the, Uati
arnica luuh. io inu jiiiijcruu ucrman government lor just proi
and enlightened action in this vital matter. Express
of regret and offers of reparation in the ca3e of neutral ships h
by mistake, whilo they may satisfy international obligations ifl
loss ot lite results, cannpt justify or excuse a practico the nata
necessary cltect ot which is to subject neutral nations or nei
persons to new and immeasurable risks. The Imperial German Gi
ernment will not expect the Government of tho United Stated
omit any word or any act necessary to tho performance of t
sacred duty of maintaining the rights of the United States1 and'
citizens, and of safeguarding thrir free exercise and enjoyment"
(CONTINUED TOMORROW)
THE AMERICAN SOLDIER RESORTS TEMPORARILY TO THE
A
CRAYON TO "TRIM THE KAISER
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LESE MAJESTE HAS NO FEARS FOR THIS SOLDIER-CARTOONIST
irbeating "Fritz" were as easy for tho American army as it is for tins Sammec. that feat would 'bo sneedllv necomnlishrrl. nr . w .
v Kaiser fets his trimmings as per these specifications, some one will Qrst havo to capture him, and that is tho coup tho boys in khaki aroBetting out
a ' ' "fv--' , to perform in effect, if not literally.
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Corrrlrhl. Undarwood A TTndtrwool.
T.. . ,, , , AN ANGEL IN RED CROSS GUISE
nu.rfMi Mme. Ida Rubinstein, famous
so Trnartlai Tin naturi . VfiV XfT, , 8l.emJno tul0 German imper nlism. Whilo net
yeijymiuu uy ncr aiainv
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