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(MEMORANDUM.)
It is quite untrue that the British Government had ever
arranged with Belgium to trespass on her country in case of
war, or that Belgium had agreed to this. The strategic
dispositions of Germany, especially as regards railways, have
for some years given rise to the apprehension that Germany
would attack France through Belgium. Whatever military
discussions have taken place before this war have been limited
entirely to the suggestion of what could be done to defend
France if Germany attacked her through Belgium.
The Germans have stated that we contemplated sending troops to
Belgium. We had never committed ourselves at all to the
sending of troops to the Continent, and we had never
contemplated the possibility of sending troops to Belgium to
attack Germany.
The Germans have stated that British military stores had been
placed at Maubeuge, a French fortress near the Belgian
frontier, before the outbreak of the war, and that this is
evidence of an intention to attack Germany through Belgium. No
British soldiers and no British stores were landed on the
Continent till after Germany had invaded Belgium and Belgium
had appealed to France and England for assistance. It was only
after this appeal that British troops were sent to France;
and, if the Germans found British munitions of war in
Maubeuge, these munitions were sent with our expedition to
France after the outbreak of the war. The idea of violating
the neutrality of Belgium was never discussed or contemplated
by the British Government.
The extract inclosed, which is taken from an official
publication of the Belgian Government, and the extract from an
official statement by the Belgian Minister of War, prove that
the Belgian Government had never connived, or been willing to
connive, at the breach of the treaty that made the maintenance
of Belgian neutrality an international obligation. The moment
that there appeared to be danger that this treaty might be
violated the British Government made an appeal for an
assurance from both France and Germany, as had been done in
1870 by Mr. Gladstone, that neither of those countries would
violate the neutrality of Belgium if the other country
respected it. The French agreed, the Germans declined to
agree. The appeal made by the British Government is to be
found in our first "White Paper" after the outbreak of the
war.
The reason why Germany would not agree was stated very frankly
by Herr von Jagow, the German Minister for Foreign Affairs, to
Sir Edward Goschen, our Ambassador in Berlin; and it is
recorded in the second "White Paper" that we published. The
attitude of the British Government throughout has been to
endeavor to preserve the neutrality of Belgium, and we never
thought of sending troops to Belgium until Germany had invaded
it and Belgium had appealed for assistance to maintain the
international treaty.
We have known for some years past that in Holland, in Denmark,
and in Norway the Germans have inspired the apprehension that,
if England was at war with Germany, England would violate the
neutrality of those countries and seize some of their harbors.
This allegation is as baseless as the allegation about our
intention to violate the neutrality of Belgium, and events
have shown it to be so. But it seems to be a rule with Germany
to attribute to others the designs that she herself
entertains; as it is clear now that, for some long time past,
it has been a settled part of her strategic plans to attack
France through Belgium. A statement is inclosed, which was
issued by us on Oct. 14 last, dealing with this point.
This memorandum and its inclosures should provide ample
material for a reply to the German statements.
Foreign Office, Nov. 9, 1914.
* * * * *
Belgian Official Denials.
Here is inclosed a copy of the note of Aug. 3 sent by M. Davignon,
Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Herr von Below Saleske, the
German Minister at Brussels, included in the Belgian "Gray Paper," and
printed in full in THE NEW YORK TIMES of Oct. 18 and reprinted in THE
TIMES'S pamphlet of the war's diplomatic papers. This is the note
expressing the "profound and painful surprise" caused to King Albert's
Government by the German invitation to it to abandon Belgian neutrality
and denying that France had, as alleged by Germany, manifested any such
intention.
A second inclosure gives this clipping from The London Times of Sept.
30: