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Viscount Grey of Fallodon, K. G. Twenty-Five Years 1892-1916

by
Viscount Grey of Fallodon, K. G.
with Thirty-Two Illustrations from Photographs. Volume II.
New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1925. — 353 + xiv p.

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Contents

Chapter XVII. The Coming of War [1]
A Change in the Point of View — A Question of Naval Obligations — Examination of the Belgian Issue — Lord Clarendon’s Definition of British Obligations — The Distinction between Belgium and Luxembourg — Mr. Gladstone’s View — The Movement towards Cabinet Unity — The Speech of August 3 — Lichnowsky’s Last Questions — At War.

Chapter XVIII. Some Reflections [19]
The Immensity of the War — The “Lamps Going Out” — The Economic Disaster — Opinion in France, Russia and Germany — What the German Emperor Wanted — The Helplessness of German Civilians — The Deciding Power in Germany — Calculations That Miscarried — The German Motive — Offensive or Defensive? — The Attitude of Austria — Qualifications of the Original Judgment — Could Great Britain Have Stood Aside? — The Probable Result, if She Had — The Conditional Obligation to France — Impossibility of an Absolute Pledge — A Summary of Causes and Events.

Chapter XIX. Could War Have Been Prevented? [48]
Difficulty of Dealing with Germany — Absence of Good-will — Persistence of Naval Competition — Imputation of Hidden Motives — The Atmosphere of Militarism — The Vicious Circle of Armaments — Creating Fear — If Great Britain Had Adopted Conscription — A Certain Result — A Personal Matter — Failing Eyesight.

Chapter XX. Some Questions of Strategy [64]
Churchill and the Fleet — Readiness of the Fleet — Decision Not to Demobilize — The Expeditionary Force — Two Questions — Appointment of Kitchener as Secretary for War — Advantages and Drawbacks — Kitchener’s Intuitions — An Inspirer of Public Confidence — Mistakes in Strategy — Sideshows — The Dardanelles — The Antwerp Expedition — The Help of the Dominions.

Chapter XXI. America and the War [86]
British Relations with the United States — Affinities and Estrangements — Anti-British Elements in America — Recent Ambassadors — Whitelaw Reid and Bryce — Roosevelt’s Visit to England in 1910 — His Speech about Egypt — A Walk with Him in the New Forest — His Knowledge — Woodrow Wilson and the Panama Tolls — Walter Page — Conversations about Mexico — Villa and Huerta — Page’s View of the War — His Support and Encouragement.

Chapter XXII. America and the War (continued) [103]
The Japanese Alliance and American Interests — Questions of Contraband — The Declaration of London — The Blockade of Germany — Delicate and Uncertain Ground —The List of Contraband — Reasons for Not Including Cotton — Difficulties about Copper — The Objection to Orders in Council — The Case of the ‘‘Dacia” — Russia and Sweden — The Omission of Cotton Justified — Opinion in the United States — A Fair Field for Diplomacy — German Propaganda — American Visits to Europe.

Chapter XXIII. Negotiations with Colonel House [123]
Colonel House, the Friend and Confidant of Wilson — Informal Conversations — House’s Great Qualities — His View of the War — Stalemate and What Next? — The Memorandum of 1916 — What President Wilson Was Prepared to Do — Communication to the French — A Projected Mission to Petrograd — Provisions for Absence — A Memorandum for the Cabinet — What I Might Have Been.

Chapter XXIV. A Correspondence with Roosevelt [138]
A Tribute to Roosevelt’s Courage — His Answer — The Panama Canal Tolls — The Abyss of War — If Roosevelt Had Been President — Speaking Out — Three Objects of the War — America and Contraband — Roosevelt’s Advice — A Pro-German Senator and His Opinions.

Chapter XXV. Allied Diplomacy in War [157]
A Tangled Skein — Impossibility of Consistent Policy — Three Partners and a Fourth — The Deciding Factors Military — Mistakes Fatal and Otherwise — Possible Issues to the War — Inter-Allied Agreement — Objects of Allied Diplomacy — The Neutral States — Four Categories — Different Methods — The Case of Turkey — A Twofold Objective — The Complication of the Battleships — Efforts to Gain Time — A Tribute to Louis Mallet — The Status of Egypt during the War.

Chapter XXVI. Allied Diplomacy in War (continued) [178]
Greece and Venizelos — A Proposed Balkan Confederation — The Greek Offer to Join the Allies in 1914 — Reasons for Declining It — Complications with Russia — An Attractive Theory — Its Refutation — A Demand from Russia — The Conservative Party in Council — The Russian Secret Treaty — Further Efforts with Bulgaria — More Despatches.

Chapter XXVII. Allied Diplomacy in War (continued) [201]
The Balkans in 1915 — The Menace of Bulgaria — Impossibility of Appeasing Her — The Intractability of Serbia — German Counter-Offers — Some Typical Despatches — The Adherence of Italy — Russian Objections — French and British Representatives — Negotiations with Roumania — Further Despatches — An Ugly Feeling in Russia — Dark Days — Making the Best of Things.

Chapter XXVIII. Allied Diplomacy in War (continued) [221]
Greek Opinion in 1915 — The Landing at Salonica — Venizelos’s Attitude — An Equivocal Position — Venizelos’s Resignation — Greece and Serbia — Refusal to Help Serbia — Destruction of the Serbian Army — Plans for Its Recuperation — A Reflection after the Event — The Entry of Portugal — Our Japanese Ally.

Chapter XXIX. The End of Office [235]
More Secret Treaties — A Promise to the Arabs — Spheres in Asia Minor — An Intimation from Russia — A British Stipulation — More Greek Complications — Resignation of the Asquith Government — Some Personal Appreciations — A Letter from Lichnowsky — Paul Cambon — “II y a aussi la Justice” — The Exclusion of Haldane, a Letter to the Prime Minister — Attitude of Bonar Law — Kitchener’s Great Contribution — Asquith as Prime Minister — His Loyalty and Steadiness — Lloyd George — His Untiring Activity — Runciman at the Board of Trade — Some Humorous Reminiscences — Peerage and Last Days in Office — A Mission to the United States.

Chapter XXX. The Foreign Office [258]
The Foreign Secretary’s Routine — A Typical Day’s Work — The “Boxes” — At the Office and Afterwards — Debates in Parliament and Afterwards — The Qualifications of a Foreign Secretary — Recording Conversations — A Current Delusion — Informing the Cabinet — Public Men and Office — The Loss of Freedom — A Quotation from Bacon.

Chapter XXXI. Conclusion [271]
A Retrospect — 1895 and 1905 — The Changes in Ten Years — The Friendship with France — German Testing Operations — The Choice for Great Britain — A Great Danger and the Escape from It — The Conditions of Safety — Some Blind Alleys for Thought — Open and Secret Diplomacy — The Question of War-Guilt — Armaments and War — The Sense of Fear — British and German Shipbuilding — German Theories — British Motives — A Disastrous Mistake — The Responsibility of the Allies — The Change in the Nature of War — Learn or Perish — The Need of a Concerted Effort.

Appendix [291]

Index [337]