Feb. 27.
Tux interview with Dr. yon Bethmann Hollweg, of which portions as quoted by Home papers at hand ara reproduced elsewhere, has been answered by Sir Edward Grey in a statement, authorized for publication, of extraordinary. interest. The German Chancellor's famous and ill-advised phrase, says Sir Edward Grey, Seems" elite vend tasty depends upon the sanctity of agreements between individuals and between nations, and the Faiseg's porte ends debase the Tegal Med oesl currency of civilization. That Dr. von Bethmann Holl-wog, in common, one may be sure, with most Germans, heartily repents that he ever made use of these words, is shown by his efforts to explain them away. He asks the world to believe that it was Great Britain who really regarded the neutrality of Belgium as a mere trifle, Germany who took her responsibilities towards neutral States seriously "what I should have said," one seems to hear the Chancellor saying, "was, would Great Bri-fain make war for what she regards as a scrap of paper'."" No doubt his hasty remarks were open to misconstruction, which he now explains by two arguments in flat contradiction of plain facts, The first is the] haa familiar allegation that England in 1911 was determined to throw troops into Belgium without the assent of the Belgian Government." Here is the truth of the matter. In 1906 and 1911 certain conversations quite informally (there is no note of them in the War Office) took place between British and Belgian officers. Before these conversations even began, ide that the. discussion of military. pos was expressly lai bbe addressed to the man-case of need, British id. be most effectually afforded to Belgium for the defence of Luo Leonie and on the Belgian side, 1 note upon the record ex-Plains that "the entry" of the. English into Belgium would only take after the violation of our neutrality by Germany." An regards the conversation of 1911. the Belgian officer said to the British: You could only. country with our consent and ward Grey gave the Government a categorial assurance no British Government would violate the neutrality of Belgium. and that ''so long as it was not violated by any other Power we should certainly not send troops our-wives into their territory."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.