The Englishman, however, makes a distinction; in fact, he is rather pleased if the man to whom he is speaking confuses form with substance, or, in other words, if he takes the form to be the expression of actual sentiments and political views. Judged from the English standpoint, the above mentioned words of Sir Edward Grey were a perfectly frank statement.
The much discussed non-renewal of the reinsurance treaty with Russia, already touched upon by me, is not to be considered so decisive as to have influenced the question of whether there was to be war or peace. The reinsurance treaty, in my opinion, would not have prevented the Russia of Nicholas LI. from taking the road to the Entente; under Alexander III. it would have been superfluous.
Prince Bismarck's view that the Russian Ambassador, Prince Shuvaloff, would have renewed the reinsurance treaty with him but not with his successor, is naturally the honest, subjective way of looking at the matter—judged in the Tight of fact, however, it does not hold water, in view of what the two parties concerned had to consider at that time. For instance, the Under Secretary State of the Prince, Count Ber-chem, stated officially in a report to the Prince that the treaty could not be renewed, which meant that it could not be renewed through Shuvaloff either.
I thought that not the old treaty but only a new and different kind of treaty was possible, in the draw ing up of which Austria must participate, as in the old Three-but, as I said, treaties with Nicholag Il. would not have seemed absolutely durable to me, particularly after the sentiment of the very influential Russian general public had also turned against Germany.
Our acts were founded upon the clear perception that Germany could reach the important position in the world and obtain the influence in world affairs necessary to her solely by maintaining world peace. This attitude was strengthened, moreover, by personal considerations.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.