d indispensable in view of the French menaces."

Sir Edward Grey telegraphed back that Great Britain expected the
Belgian Government to resist by any means in their power Germany's
invasion of their neutrality, and that the British Government were
prepared to join Russia and France in common action to resist the
German action and to guarantee to maintain Belgian independence and
integrity in future years.

Grey protested, through Ambassador Goschen, to the German Government
against the continued detention of British merchant ships at Hamburg
and other German ports, as in direct contravention of international
law and of the assurances given by Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg.

Villiers telegraphed from Brussels:

"German troops have entered Belgian territory, and Liege has been
summoned to surrender by small party of Germans who, however,
were repulsed."

Grey, on the basis of this information, telegraphed Ambassador
Goschen to ask the German Government that a satisfactory answer to
his morning telegram be received in London by twelve o'clock at
night.

"If not, you are instructed to ask for your passports, and to say
that his majesty's Government feel bound to take all steps in
their power to uphold the neutrality of Belgium and the
observance of a treaty to which Germany is as much a party as
ourselves."

As reported to Sir Edward Grey on August 8, after his return to
London, Sir Edward Goschen, Ambassador at Berlin, had an interview
with Herr von Jagow on this same day, August 4.

SIR EDWARD GOSCHEN'S INTERVIEW WITH VON JAGOW

"In accordance with your instructions of the 4th inst., I called
upon the Secretary of State that afternoon and inquired, in the
name of his majesty's Government, whether the Imperial Government
would refrain from violating Belgian neutrality. Herr von Jagow
at once replied that he was sorry to say that his answer must be
'No,' as, in consequence of the German troops having crossed the
frontier that morning, Belgian neutrality had been already
violated. He again went into the reasons why the Imperial
Government had been obliged to take this step, namely, that they
had to advance into France by the quickest and easiest way, so as
to be able to get well ahead with their operations and endeavor
to strike some decisive blow as early as possible. It was a
matter of life and death for