de in which I was
only aiming at being friendly and even cordial, concealment of an
encircling and aggressive purpose. After studying his book I do not
wonder! When one rises from reading it one understands the fixity of an
idea, which amounted to an obsession, and compelled him to believe in
the necessity for what would have amounted to the overthrow of Britain
as a Great Power.

From the Emperor, on this as on other occasions, I met with nothing but
the kindliest of receptions. Admiral von Tirpitz describes the luncheon
party which preceded the conference in the Cabinet Room. He speaks of a
certain "_spanning_" or tension which prevailed during the luncheon
which the Emperor and Empress gave to the Berlin Cabinet and myself, and
of restraint in the conversation. I can not say that I perceived any of
these things, but then, of course, I was a foreigner. What I do remember
was the general kindly feeling and the evident satisfaction produced by
the production of the famous red champagne and great cigars with which
the Emperor regaled his guests. For myself, special distinction was
reserved. For, before proceeding to business, the Emperor read to me
Goethe's poem, _Ilmenau_, of which he thought I might like to be
reminded before we sat down to our task. He then observed that, out of
consideration for Tirpitz, we must confer in German, while on the other
hand this would be the harder on me because the naval matters with which
we had to deal were not in my department, as they were in that of the
Admiral. This was, of course, true. And then, in compensation for
disadvantages which, as he said, would otherwise be unfair, he smilingly
remarked that he had a plan for adjusting the balance of power on this
occasion. He insisted on my occupying the Imperial chair, which stood at
the head of the narrow Cabinet table, while His Majesty himself should
sit on an ordinary chair on my left hand and the Admiral on another on
my right. I thought that these arrangements suggested the possibility of
a tough controversy, and as far as the Admiral was concerned it proved
to be so. For the discussion lasted for two and three-quarter hours, and
was fairly close. I said throughout that, while I came here to explore
the ground with the authority of my Sovereign and his Cabinet, I had
come, not to make a treaty at that stage, but on a preliminary voyage of
discovery with a view to taking back materials with which the Cabinet of
St. James's might