Note 3 — Recent Versions of the German Chancellor’s Reference to the Belgian Treaty of Neutrality[2]

In his address at Cardiff, appearing in Vol. 1, No. 2, of The New York Times Current History, Premier Asquith said:

In a communication to the German Government in 1912 regarding her future policy Great Britain declared that she would neither make nor join in any unprovoked attack upon Germany. But that was not enough for German statesmanship.

Germany wanted us to go further and pledge ourselves to absolute neutrality in the event of Germany being engaged in war. To that demand there was but one answer, and that was the answer which the Government gave.