"His plan was, in his own words, without interfering with England's
existing friendship, which had no aggressive aims and does not entail
any binding obligations, to arrive at a friendly rapprochement and
understanding with Germany to bring the two groups [of powers] nearer."
In pursuance of this policy, the British Government went a very long
way to meet German wishes in respect to the Bagdad Railway. They
agreed to let it be prolonged to El Basra; they included the whole of
Mesopotamia as far as that town in the German sphere of influence, and
also the whole district of the Bagdad and Anatolian railway, i.e., all
the centre of Asia Minor.
Not less large were the concessions made in South Central Africa. "The
new agreement [regarding the interests of Germany and England in the
African possessions of Portugal] was fully in accord with German wishes
and interests. For these the British Government showed the greatest
consideration. Sir E. Grey intended to demonstrate his good-will toward
us, but he also wished to assist our colonial development as a whole."
These arrangements were embodied in two treaties highly advantageous
to Germany, which, however, the German Government, for some reasons of
its own, had postponed signing, so that they remained unpublished up
till the outbreak of the war. Had we in the inner spirit of the German
Government, and the use it would make of our concessions, British
Ministers might well have hesitated to go so far as they did. But
that they conceded so much is the completest proof of their good-will
and the most convincing refutation of the charges which the German
Ministers and press have brought against them.
It would take too long to follow out in this article the constant
efforts of the British Government during the fateful days before the
outbreak of the war to avoid a conflict by means of Sir E. Grey's
repeated plans of mediation and adjustment. The memorandum shows how
earnestly he labored for peace at Berlin, at Petersburg, at Vienna, and
how all his attempts were baffled by the settled purpose of the German
Government to force on war.