Page:Paul Samuel Reinsch - Secret Diplomacy, How Far Can It Be Eliminated? - 1922.djvu/87

 When the Anglo-Japanese treaty had been ac- tually signed it was, through the indiscretion of some official, published in Japan three days too soon. The Japanese Foreign Office promptly de- nied its existence, and Baron Rosen, the Russian Minister at Tokyo, who no doubt knew of the Ito negotiations at St. Petersburg, very emphatically denied the very possibility of such a treaty. The effect on Russia of the truth when it became known there, can be readily imagined. In the Anglo-Japanese treaty, England, which had re- cently joined in the solemn guarantee of the in- tegrity of China and of the independence of Korea, made engagements scarcely consistent with either.

Lord Rosebery, in a public address, October, 1905, expressed his sense of the great importance of this treaty. "The treaty," he said, "is an en- gine of tremendous power and tremendous lia- bility. Whatever else is certain, this at least is sure, that it will lead to countless animosities, many counter intrigues, and possibly hostile com- binations. But I want to point out to you the enormous importance of the engagements in which this treaty involves you, the reactions which it will cause elsewhere, and to bid you to be vigilant and prepared, and not negligent, as