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Re: What sort of Post-WWI treaty would provide a greater chance of long term peace?
"The situation is extraordinary. It is jingoism run stark mad. Unless some one acting for you can bring about an
understanding, there is some day to be an awful cataclysm. No one in Europe can do it. There is too much hatred,
too many jealousies. Whenever England consents, France and Russia will close in on Germany and Austria."
Berlin, May 29. 1914. From Edward Mandel House to W.Wilson. (https://rotunda.upress.virginia.edu/founders/default.xqy?
key... or https://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Colonel_House%27s_Report_t...)

That was a view from outside, so to speak.

"He [the German Ambassador to GB] asked me whether, if Germany gave a promise not to violate Belgian
neutrality,
we would engage to remain neutral.

I replied that I could not say that: our hands were still free, and we were
considering what our attitude should be. All I could say was that our attitude would
be determined largely by public opinion here, and that the neutrality of Belgium would
appeal very strongly to public opinion here. I did not think that we could give a
promise of neutrality on that condition alone.

The Ambassador pressed me as to whether I could not formulate conditions on

which we would remain neutral. He even suggested that the integrity of France and
her colonies might be guaranteed.

I said that I felt obliged to refuse definitely any promise to remain neutral on
similar terms, and I could only say that we must keep our hands free." Earl Grey August 1st 1914
( https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.49015002016443&vi...)

If Britian remained neutral Germany did not need their defensive Schlieffen Plan because France and Russia
would not have gone to war. Note, at this point all the British Cabinet are pro-neutrality, only Grey and Churchill
want war. Grey does not announce the meeting he had with the German Ambassador that day. The next day he
gives France the assurance of war support. The day after that he gives a speech to Parliment practically saying
that because of an invasion of Belgium (which has not yet happened!) we have to go to war quickly, and he walks
out so no discussion can take place. (https://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Sir_Edward_Grey%27s_Speech...) Note Belgian
neutrality has already been violated at this point by French planes.

(Note also that Belgium was founded on a Treaty of perpetual neutrality, ie. should would on no account ever go to
war - yet for years she had been building up stockpiles for war (eg. British standard cannon balls), and secret
agreements with Britian were later found in her government buildings. No country was under an obligation of treaty
to protect Belgium neutrality. GB had been given permission to violate Portuguese neutrality during their recent
Boer War, Germany would not be allowed to do that even though they were politley asking Belgium for this
permission.)

H.G.Wells wrote of Grey in his Autobiography : "I think Grey wanted the war, and I think he wanted it to come
when it did...The charge is, that he did not definately warn Germany, that we should certainly come into the war,
that he was sufficiently ambiguous to let her take a risk and attack, that he did this deliberately. I think that this
charge is sound."

U.S. President W.Wilson, March 1919 "We know for a certainty that if Germany had thought for a moment that
Great Britain would go in with France and Russia, she would never have undertaken the enterprise."

Note, on the 27th or 28th July Churchill, on his own initiative, without any consultation, sent the British Fleet North
to its protected wartime base - likewise preparing for war, against the wishes of the people and the Cabinet, whilst
the German Kaiser is trying to avert it. Which he has been doing for quite some time now.
New York Times 8th June 1913 "William II. King of Prussia and German Emperor...hailed as chief
peacemaker Now...he is acclaimed everywhere as the greatest factor for peace that our time can show. It was he.
we hear, who again and again threw the weight of his dominating personality, backed by the greatest military
organisation in the world - an organisation built up by himself - into the balance for peace wherever war clouds
gathered over Europe"

Former US President W.H.Taft ; "The truth of history requires the verdict that, considering the critically important
part which has been his among nations, he has been, for the last quarter of a century, the single greatest force in
the practical maintenance of peace in the world."

The Kaiser had never gone to war in 25 years on the throne, nor had the German fought a battle in nearly 50
years. And never in a thousand years had they warred with Britian. Whose common enemy, by the way, had been
France. So there was no pretext for bad blood between Germany and GB. There was disagreement over Naval
Fleet sizes but there was also so much common understanding, respect and admiration between the nations, not
least their connection by royal family.

Kaiser Wilhelm's diary 30-31st July :

"Frivolity and weakness are going to plunge the world into the most frightful war of which the ultimate object is the
overthrow of Germany. For I no longer have any doubt that England, Russia and France have agreed among
themselves - knowing that our treaty obligations compel us to support Austria - to use the Austro-Serb conflict as a
pretext for waging a war of annihilation against us...In this way the stupidity and clumsiness of our ally [Austria] is
turned into a noose."

I could cite some of the things the Kaiser did to try and stop Austria, etc but I will leave it at this for now.

"If our neighbour insists, if he will not allow us to live in peace, then I hope to God that our good German sword will
emerge victorious." Wilhelm II 1st Aug. 1914 proclaiming to a public crowd the outbreak of war.