THE KAISER'S SECRET REVEALED
Before proceeding further with this exposure of the clever and
dastardly German plot against England, the reader will probably
be interested in a confidential report which, in the course of my
investigations, travelling hither and thither on the Continent, I was
able to secure, and to hand over to the British Government for their
consideration.
It was placed, in confidence, before certain members of the Cabinet,
and is still in the archives of the Confidential Department.
The report in question, I obtained--more fully than I can here
reproduce it--from an intimate personal friend, who happened to be a
high functionary in Germany, and closely associated with the Kaiser.
Germany has spies in England; we, too, have our friends in Germany.
Shortly after the Zeppelin airship had been tested and proved
successful, a secret Council was held at Potsdam, in June, 1908, at
which the Emperor presided, Prince Henry of Prussia--a clever man whom
I know personally--the representatives of the leading Federal States,
and the chiefs of the army and navy--including my informant--being
present.
I regret that I am not at liberty to give the name of my informant,
for various reasons. One is that, though a German of high position,
he holds pro-British views, and has, in consequence, more than once
furnished me with secret information from Berlin which has been of the
greatest use to our Intelligence Department. Suffice it to say that his
identity is well known at Whitehall, and that, although his report was
at first regarded with suspicion, the searching investigation at once
made resulted in its authenticity being fully established.
That the Kaiser had decided to make war, the British Government first
knew by the report in question--notwithstanding all the diplomatic
juggling, and the publication of Blue Books and White Books. The French
Yellow Book published in the first week of December, 1914, indeed, came
as confirmation--if any confirmation were necessary--from the lips of
King Albert of Belgium himself.
Now at this secret Council the Kaiser appeared, dressed in naval
uniform, pale, determined, and somewhat nervous and unstrung. For more
than two hours he spoke of the danger confronting the German Empire
from _within_ and without, illustrating his speech by many maps and
diagrams, as well as some well-executed models of air-craft, designed
for the war now proceeding.
At first, the Emperor's voice was almost inaudible, and he looked
haggard and worn.
[1]"Gentlemen," the Emperor, in a low, hoarse voice, commenced,
"in calling this Council this evening, I have followed the Divine
command. Almighty God has always been a great and true ally of the
House of Hohenzollern, and it is to Him that I--just as my august
ancestors did--look for inspiration and guidance in the hour of need.
After long hours of fervent prayer light has, at last, come to me.
You, my trusted councillors and my friends, before whom I have no
secrets, can testify that it has been, ever since I ascended the
throne, my most ardent desire to maintain the peace of the world and
to cultivate, on a basis of mutual respect and esteem, friendship
and goodwill with all the nations on the globe. I am aware that the
course followed by me did not always meet with your approval, and
that on many an occasion you would have been glad to see me use the
mailed fist, rather than the silken glove chosen by me in my dealings
with certain foreign nations. It was a source of profound grief to
me to see my best intentions misunderstood, but bulletproof against
public censure and criticism, and responsible only to the Lord above
us for my acts, I calmly continued to do what I considered to be my
holy duty to the Fatherland. True to the great traditions of Prussia,
and the House of Hohenzollern, I believed in the necessity of
maintaining a great army and an adequate navy as the best guarantee
of peace. In our zeal for the preservation of peace we were compelled
to keep pace with the ever-increasing armaments of our neighbours,
until the limit seems now to have been reached.
"We find ourselves now face to face with the most serious crisis in
the history of our new German Empire. Owing to the heavy taxation,
and the enormous increase in the cost of living, the discontent of
the masses is assuming alarming proportions, and even infecting the
middle and upper classes, which have, up to the present time, been
the strongest pillar of the monarchy. But worst of all, there are
unmistakable signs that the discontent is spreading even among the
troops, and that a secret well-organised anti-military movement is
afoot, calculated to destroy all discipline, and to incite both
my soldiers and sailors to open disobedience and rebellion. As,
according to the reports of my Secret Service, a similar movement
is making itself felt in nearly all the states of Europe; all
indications point to the fact, which admits, indeed, no longer of
any doubt, that we have to deal with an international revolutionary
organisation whose voiced object is the overthrowing of throne and
altar, and the establishment of a Republican government.
"The gravity of the situation can, in no way, be underrated. In the
last session of the Reichstag it was openly admitted that never
before had there been among the German population so many friends of
a republican form of government as at the present time, and the idea
is rather gaining ground, not only among the masses, but also the
classes, though I have given the strictest orders to my Government
for its suppression. The fact, however, remains, and I cannot afford
to ignore it.
"'Breakers ahead!' is the call of the helmsman at the Imperial ship
of state, and I am ready to heed it. How to find an honourable and
satisfactory solution of the problem is a question to which I have
devoted the closest attention during these last months. The outlook
is, I admit, dark, but we need not despair, for God, our great ally,
has given into our hands the means of saving our Empire from the
dangers which are threatening its happiness and welfare. You know
what I mean. It is that wonderful invention which His Excellency
Count Zeppelin was enabled, through the grace of the Lord, to make
for the safeguarding and glory of our beloved Fatherland. In this
invention God has placed the means at my disposal to lead Germany
triumphantly out of her present difficulties and to make, once and
for all, good the words of our poet, '_Deutschland, Deutschland über
alles!_' Yes, gentlemen, Germany over everything in the world, the
first power on earth, both in peace and war; that is the place which
I have been ordered by God to conquer for her, and which I will
conquer for her, with the help of the Almighty.
"This is my irrevocable decision. At present we are, thanks to our
airships, invincible, and can carry at will war into the enemy's
own country. It goes without saying that if we want to maintain our
superiority and to use it to the best advantage, we cannot postpone
the necessary action much longer. In a few years our good friend, the
enemy, may have a fleet of airships equal--if not superior--to our
own, and where should I be then? Great Britain has thrown down the
gauntlet by declaring that she will build to each German, two English
Dreadnoughts, and I will take up the challenge. Now is our time. The
attack has always been the best defence, and he who strikes the first
blow generally comes triumphant out of the fray. To find an outlet
for the discontent of the nation; to nip the growing republican
sentiment in the bud; to fill our treasury; to reduce the burden of
taxation; to gain new colonies and markets for our industries across
the seas; to accomplish all this and still more, we simply have to
invade England.
"You do not look at all surprised, gentlemen, and I see from the
joy on your faces that my words have found an echo in your hearts.
At last this idea, which is so popular with the greater part of my
people, and to the propagation of which I am so much indebted to
the untiring efforts of my professors, teachers, and other loyal
patriots, is to become a fact--a fact certainly not anticipated by
the English panic-mongers when first creating the scare of a German
invasion. Our plans have been most carefully laid and prepared by our
General Staff.
"Another von Moltke will, true to his great name, demonstrate to the
world at large that we have not been resting on our laurels of 1870
and 1871, and that, as the first condition of peace, we have been
preparing all the time for war. The glorious deeds of our victorious
armies will, I fear me not, be again repeated if not surpassed on the
battlefields of Great Britain and France, assuring in their ultimate
consequences to Germany the place due to her at the head of nations.
I need not go into details at the present moment. Suffice it to say
that preparations have been made to convey, at a word, a German army
of invasion of a strength able to cope with any and all troops that
Great Britain can muster against us. For the safe transport of the
army of invasion we shall, to a considerable degree, rely on the
fleets of fast steamers belonging to the Hamburg-Amerika Line and
the North-German Lloyd, two patriotic companies, whose officials,
employees, and agents have--throughout the world--proven their
zeal and devotion to the cause of the Empire, and whose tact and
discretion have already helped my government in many an embarrassing
position. Herr Ballin, Director-General of the Hamburg-Amerika Line,
whom I received but a few days since on board my yacht 'Hohenzollern'
at Swinemünde, is truly a great man and verily deserves something
better than to be nicknamed 'the Napoleon of German Shipping'--as
his enthusiastic compatriots call him. His activity, his energy, and
his brains accomplish the most difficult things, and when the day of
invasion arrives, he will reveal his plans.
"Of course it is too early yet to fix the exact date when the blow
shall be struck. But I will say this, that we shall strike as soon
as I have a sufficiently large fleet of Zeppelins at my disposal. I
have given orders for the hurried construction of more airships of
the improved Zeppelin type, and when these are ready we shall destroy
England's North Sea, Channel, and Atlantic fleets, after which
nothing on earth can prevent the landing of our army on British soil,
and its triumphant march to London. Do you remember, my Generals,
what our never-to-be-forgotten Field-Marshal Gebhard Lebrecht von
Blücher exclaimed, when looking from the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral
upon the vast metropolis at his feet. It was short, and to the point.
'What a splendid city to sack!'
"You will desire to know how the outbreak of hostilities will be
brought about. I can assure you on this point. Certainly we shall
not have to go far to find a just cause for war. My army of spies
scattered over Great Britain and France, as it is over North and
South America, as well as all the other parts of the world, where
German interests may come to a clash with a foreign power, will take
good care of that. _I have issued already some time since secret
orders that will, at the proper moment, accomplish what we desire._
There is even now, as you are all aware, a state of private war
existing between our country on the one side, and Great Britain and
France on the other, which will assume an official character as
soon as I give the word. It will become the starting point of a new
era in the history of the world, known to all generations as the
Pan-German era. I once pledged my word that every German outside of
the Fatherland, in whatever part of the globe he might live, had a
just claim to my Imperial protection. At this solemn hour I repeat
this pledge before you, with the addition, however, that I shall not
rest and be satisfied until all the countries and territories that
once were German, or where greater numbers of my former subjects now
live, have become a part of the great Mother-country, acknowledging
me as their supreme lord in war and peace.
"Even now I rule supreme in the United States, where almost one
half of the population is either of German birth, or of German
descent, and where three million German voters do my bidding at the
Presidential elections. No American administration could remain
in power against the will of the German voters, who through that
admirable organisation, the German-American National League of the
United States of America, control the destinies of the vast Republic
beyond the sea. If man ever was worthy of a high decoration at my
hands it was Herr Dr. Hexamer, the president of the League, who may
justly be termed to be, by my grace, the acting ruler of all the
Germans in the United States.
"Who said that Germany did ever acknowledge the Monroe doctrine? The
answer to this question was given by the roar of German guns at the
bombardment of the Venezuelan fort, San Carlos, by our ships. The
day is not far distant when my Germans in the Southern States of
Brazil will cut the bonds now tying them to the Republic, and renew
their allegiance to their former master. In the Argentine, as well
as in the other South American republics, a German-Bund movement
is spreading, as is the case in South Africa, where, thanks to the
neighbourhood of our colonies, events are shaping themselves in
accordance with the ultimate aims of my Imperial policy. Through my
ally, the Emperor-King of Austria-Hungary, I have secured a strong
foothold for Germany in the Near East, and, mark my word!--when
the Turkish 'pilaf'-pie will be partitioned, Asia Minor, Syria and
Palestine--in short, the overland route to India--will become our
property, and the German flag will wave over the holy shrines of
Jerusalem.
"But to obtain this we must first crush England and France. The
war will be short, sharp and decisive. After the destruction of
the English fleets through our Zeppelins, we shall meet with no
serious resistance on the British Isles, and can, therefore, march
with nearly our whole strength into France. Shall we respect the
neutrality of Holland? Under the glorious Emperor, Charles V., both
Holland and Belgium formed part of the German Empire, and this they
are this time to become again. We shall have two or three battles in
France, when the French Government, recognising the impossibility of
prevailing with their disorganised, mutinous regiments against my
German 'beasts,' will accede to my terms of peace. After that, the
map of Europe will look somewhat different from what it does now.
While our operations are going on in England and France, Russia will
be held in check by Austria-Hungary.
"The Empire of the Tsar is still suffering from the effects of its
unfortunate war with Japan, and is, therefore, not likely to burn
its fingers again, the more so as it is conscious of the fact that
any warlike measures against Germany would at once lead to a new
outbreak of the revolutionary movement--the end of which no man could
possibly foresee. Thus, you will agree with me, we have no real cause
to fear Russia. After the war, it will be time to set things right in
America, and to teach my friends over there that I have not forgotten
the object-lesson which Admiral Dewey saw fit to give me some years
since, when we had the little altercation with Castro.
"_If God will help us, as I am convinced He will, I trust that at
the end of the coming year the Imperial treasury will be filled to
overflowing with the gold of the British and French war indemnities_,
that the discontent of our people will have ceased, that, thanks to
our new colonies in all parts of the world, industry and trade will
be flourishing as they never were before, and that the republican
movement among my subjects, so abhorrent to my mind, will have
vanished.
"Then--but not before--the moment will have come to talk of
disarmament and arbitration. With Great Britain and France in the
dust, with Russia and the United States at my mercy, I shall set a
new course to the destinies of the world--a course that will ensure
to Germany for all time to come the leading part among the nations
of the globe. That accomplished, I shall unite all the people of
the white race in a powerful alliance for the purpose of coping,
under German guidance, with the yellow peril which is becoming more
formidable with every year. Then--as now--it must be 'Germans to the
front!'"
The notes before me describe, in vivid language, the effect which this
speech of the Emperor had upon his devoted hearers.
The old white-headed General von K---- even knelt before his Majesty to
kiss the hand which was gracefully extended to him.
"It is truly the voice of God that has spoken out of your Majesty," he
cried in deep emotion. "God has chosen your Imperial Majesty as His
worthy instrument to destroy this nightmare of British supremacy at
sea, from which Germany has suffered all these many years--and God's
will be done!"
The blasphemy of it all! In the subsequent Council, which lasted nearly
five hours through the night, the Kaiser arrived with his advisers at
a perfect understanding regarding the best ways and means to be adopted
for a successful carrying out of his Majesty's secret campaign for war.
And Prince Henry of Prussia soon afterwards organised a British
motor-tour in Germany and throughout England. And he became the idol of
the Royal Automobile Club!
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 1: The German Government, by some means, learnt that I was
in possession of a report of this secret speech of the Kaiser's, and a
curious incident resulted. It was my intention, in September, 1908, to
write a book pointing out that Germany meant war. With that object I
gave to my friend Mr. Eveleigh Nash, the publisher, of Fawside House,
Covent Garden, the opening chapters of the manuscript, together with
the speech in question. He locked them, in my presence, in a drawer
in his writing-table in his private room. Two days later, when Mr.
Nash opened that drawer he found they had been stolen! German Secret
Agents undoubtedly committed the theft--which was reported in certain
newspapers at the time--for I have since learnt that my manuscript is
now in the archives of the Secret Service in Berlin! This, in itself,
is sufficient proof as showing how eager the Kaiser was to suppress
his declaration of war. It was fortunate that I had kept a copy of the
Emperor's speech.]