Note 542 — Chapter X

On Dec. 13 Metternich was called to Berlin for consultation as to the effect which a Russo-German agreement of any sort would have on Anglo-German relations. Schulenburg and Eulenburg, of the German embassy in London, also were asked about the attitude of the British toward Germany. They all believed that the British would not tolerate as much from Germany as they would from Russia. See memo. by Bülow, Dec. 16, 1904, ibid., 331 f., No. 6139, and editor’s note; memo. by Metternich, Dec. 18, 1904, ibid., 332 ff., No. 6140; Schulenburg to Bülow, Dec. 14, 1904, ibid., 359 ff., No. 6154; memo. by Eulenburg, Dec. 15, 1904, ibid., 366 f., No. 6155; Alfred von Tirpitz, Politische Dokumente, Band I; Der Aufbau der deutschen Weltmacht (Stuttgart and Berlin, 1924), pp. 13 f. A few days later Lascelles tried to argue with both Bülow and Holstein that the British fear of the German navy was more reasonable than the German fear of the British navy. And on Dec. 26 Holstein declared to Lascelles as follows: “In the present instance a situation had been created by the action of the Press which was fraught with the gravest of all dangers, viz.: that of two great nations being involved in war, for if any untoward incident had arisen which gave rise to an acrimonious discussion between the two Governments it would have been almost impossible to have settled it owing to the atmosphere which the Press campaign had created.” Nevertheless both parties agreed that Anglo-German relations had become easier. See Lascelles to Lansdowne, Dec. 28, 1904, B.D., III, 56 ff., No. 65. At about the same time King Edward, Lansdowne, and Balfour all branded the German fears of a British attack as foolish; and the British condemned them as hypocritical. But the press war continued into January as bitterly as before. See Bülow to William II, Dec. 26, 1904, G.P., XIX, 372 f., No. 6157; and following documents. See also Schulthess (1905), p. 3; Newton, Lord Lansdowne, pp. 331 f.; Friedrich Thimme, “Auswärtige Politik und Hochfinanz: Aus den Papieren Paul H. von Schwabach’s,” Europäische Gespräche, June, 1929, p. 307.