14_, Germany had not
given to Belgium any intimation as to its intention, _and, what is
more important, it had not either on that day or previously made any
charge that Belgium had in any way violated its obligations of
neutrality, or that France had committed any overt act in violation
thereof_.

On July 31, 1914, England, not unreasonably apprehensive as to the
sincerity of Germany's oft-repeated protestations of good faith,
directed the English Ambassadors at Paris and Berlin to ask the
respective governments of those countries "whether each is prepared to
respect the neutrality of Belgium, provided it is violated by no other
Power."

This question was communicated by Sir Edward Grey to the Belgian
Government, with the addition that he (Sir Edward Grey) asked that
"the Belgian Government will maintain to the utmost of her power her
neutrality which I desire, and expect other Powers to uphold and
observe."

Pursuant to these instructions, the English Ambassador to Paris, on
the night of July 31, 1914, called upon Viviani, the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, and on the same night received a reply which is
reported by Sir F. Bertie to Sir Edward Grey, as follows:

French Government is resolved to respect the neutrality of
Belgium, and it would be only in the event of some other
Power violating that neutrality that France might find
herself under the necessity, in order to assure defense of
her own security, to act otherwise. This assurance has been
given several times. The President of the Republic spoke of
it to the King of the Belgians, and the French Minister to
Brussels has spontaneously renewed the assurance to the
Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs to-day.[87]

[Footnote 87: English _White Paper_, No. 125.]

Confirming this, the French Minister at Brussels, on August 1st, made
to the Belgian Foreign Minister the following declaration:

I am authorized to declare that in the event of an
international conflict, the government of the Republic will,
as it has always declared, respect the neutrality of
Belgium. In the event of this neutrality not being respected
by another Power, the French Government, in order to insure
its own defense, might be led to modify its attitude.[88]

[Footnote 88: Belgian _Gray Paper_, No. 15.]

On July 31, 1914, the English Ambassador at Berlin saw the German
Secretary of State, and submitted Sir Edward