It took a master stroke to bring
the situation up to the point of war--for it was a dangerous business,
with all Germany roaring for war--and then avert war when England and
France were on the verge of it. But with his verbal message the
Emperor shrewdly accomplished it. The results were before him. By
creating the situation he knew that he had two powerful nations
opposed to him. Good!
What he would do now would be to try to take one nation and secretly
ally himself with it, leaving the other out in the cold. Then began
the intrigues which planned the isolation of France, an amazing
situation, a bombshell in present day international diplomacy, that I
shall discuss fully in the next chapter.
Chapter VIII. The Isolation of France
After my experiences with the earlier stages of the French, English,
and German situation, I was quite prepared for the most unexpected
developments. What occurred in the middle of October, 1911, was,
however, beyond what I had imagined. The Morocco incident had shown
the German Emperor that the _entente cordiale_ was indeed solid.
England and France would stand shoulder to shoulder in war. Being
used to the ways of German diplomacy, I knew that from the
Wilhelmstrasse would come a quick countermove. I guessed, too, that
when it came I would be employed. It stood to reason that, knowing so
much of the trend and importance of the affair--I had seen the
intrigue grow step by step--I was the logical choice.
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