ns from these books to show
that Russia not only wanted this war if Austria wanted to punish Servia
for her misdeeds, but started it against the protest of Germany, and
started it, I sincerely believe, largely because encouraged by Great
Britain.

_England_: The letter written by the Belgian Charge at St. Petersburg to
his Government on July 30, 1914, which letter was published in THE NEW
YORK TIMES on Oct. 7, 1914, and which letter, nearly a month before, had
been published abroad and never disavowed by the Belgian Government,
states distinctly on the part of Belgium:

_What is incontestable is that Germany has striven here, as
well as at Vienna, to find some means of avoiding a general
conflict...._ M. Sazonof, Russian Foreign Minister, has
declared that it would be impossible for Russia not to hold
herself ready and to mobilize, but that these preparations
were not directed against Germany. This morning an official
communique to the newspapers announces that "the reserves have
been called under arms in a certain number of Governments."
Knowing the discreet nature of the official communique one can
without fear assert that _mobilization is going on
everywhere_.

... One can truly ask one's self whether the whole world does
not desire war and is trying merely to retard its declaration
a little in order to gain time. England began by allowing it
to be understood that she did not want to be drawn into a
conflict. Sir George Buchanan (British Ambassador) said that
openly. Today one is firmly convinced at St. Petersburg--one
has even the assurance of it--that England will support
France. This support is of enormous weight, and _has
contributed not a little to give the upper hand to the war
party_.

The German Emperor during these times believed England to be really and
honestly striving to avoid the war; he went so far as to announce in one
of his letters published in the "White Book" that "he had shoulder to
shoulder with England tried to bring about a peaceful solution." It
certainly now appears that all this while England had made her
arrangements with France and with Russia, and had strengthened the war
party in Russia to such an extent that Russia's desire to set Europe
afire was rendered possible.

_Belgian neutrality._ It is charged that Germany violated an alleged
treaty with Belgium, which treaty is sup