after
suggesting a "fear that Belgium, in spite of its best will, will be in
no position to repulse such a largely developed French march without
aid," the document adds:

It is an imperative duty for the preservation of Germany to
forestall this attack of the enemy. The German Government
would feel keen regret if Belgium should regard as an act of
hostility against herself the fact that the measures of the
enemies of Germany oblige her on her part to violate Belgian
territory.[90]

[Footnote 90: Belgian _Gray Book_, No. 20.]

Some hours later, at 1.30 A.M. on August 3d, the German Minister
aroused the Belgian Secretary General for the Minister of Foreign
Affairs from his slumbers and,

asked to see Baron von der Elst. He told him that he was
instructed by his Government to inform us that French
dirigibles had thrown bombs, and that a patrol of French
cavalry, violating international law, seeing that war was
not declared, had crossed the frontier.

The Secretary General asked Herr von Below where these
events had taken place; _in Germany, he was answered_. Baron
von der Elst observed that in that case he could not
understand the object of his communication. Herr von Below
said that these acts, contrary to international law, _were
of a nature to make one expect that other acts contrary to
international law would be perpetrated by France_.[91]

[Footnote 91: Belgian _Gray Paper_, No. 21.]

As to these last communications, it should be noted that the German
Government, neither then nor at any subsequent time, ever disclosed to
the world the "reliable information," which it claimed to have of the
intentions of the French Government, and the event shows beyond a
possibility of contradiction that at that time France was unprepared
to make any invasion of Belgium or even to defend its own
north-eastern frontier.

It should further be noted that the alleged aggressive acts of France,
which were made the excuse for the invasion of Belgium, according to
the statement of the German Ambassador himself, _did not take place in
Belgium but in Germany_.

On August 3d, at 7 o'clock in the morning, Belgium served upon the
German Ambassador at Brussels the following reply to the German
ultimatum, which, after quoting the substance of the German demand,
continued:

This note caused profound and painful surprise to the King's