any is as much a party as ourselves.[93]

[Footnote 93: English _White Paper_. No. 159.]

Thereupon Sir Edward Goschen, the British Ambassador in Berlin, called
upon the Secretary of State and stated in the name of His Majesty's
Government that unless the Imperial Government

could give the assurance by 12 o'clock that night that they
would proceed no further with their violation of the
Belgian frontier and stop their advance, I had been
instructed to demand my passports and inform the Imperial
Government that His Majesty's Government would have to take
all steps in their power to uphold the neutrality of Belgium
and the observance of a treaty to which Germany was as much
a party as themselves.

Herr von Jagow replied that to his great regret he could
give no other answer than that which he had given me earlier
in the day, namely, that the safety of the Empire rendered
it absolutely necessary that the Imperial troops should
advance through Belgium. I gave his Excellency a written
summary of your telegram and, pointing out that you had
mentioned 12 o'clock as the time when His Majesty's
Government would expect an answer, asked him whether, in
view of the terrible consequences which would necessarily
ensue, it were not possible even at the last moment that
their answer should be reconsidered. He replied that if the
time given were even twenty-four hours or more, his answer
must be the same. I said that in that case I should have to
demand my passports. This interview took place at about 7
o'clock....

I then said that I should like to go and see the Chancellor,
as it might be, perhaps, the last time I should have an
opportunity of seeing him. He begged me to do so. I found
the Chancellor very agitated. His Excellency at once began a
harangue, which lasted for about twenty minutes. He said
that the step taken by His Majesty's Government was terrible
to a degree; just for a word--"neutrality," a word which in
war time had so often been disregarded--_just for a scrap of
paper Great Britain was going to make war on a kindred
nation who desired nothing better than to be friends with
her._ All his efforts in that direction had been rendered
useless by this last terrible step, and the policy to which,
as I knew, he had devoted himself since his