Britain may, like other nations, have in the past sometimes indulged
her ambition, sometimes abused her strength, sometimes embarked in wars
that might well have been avoided. But on this occasion at least she is
blameless. Never in her long history has she had so perfectly clear a
conscience as in the case of this war. Her people neither contemplated
it nor desired it. They were driven into it by the action of the German
Government, which persisted in pushing it on even when Austria seemed
willing to draw back. All had evidently been settled at that famous
Potsdam conference, when (as the German Ambassador at Constantinople,
before Italy had declared war against Austria, told his Italian
colleague) the Emperor had inquired of his military and naval chiefs
whether they were ready for the conflict for which, during some months
preceding, preparations had been in progress. Neither when the war
began did Britain wish to do more than prevent Germany from destroying
Belgium and mortally wounding France. Sir E. Grey spoke truly for the
nation when, as the memorandum records, he said: "We don't want to
crush Germany."