Page:The guilt of William Hohenzollern.djvu/220

216 of August 3rd, several times already mentioned, it is thrust as much as possible into the background. Its account is a model of misleading reporting.

It says: ""The Imperial Ambassador in St. Petersburg delivered the message to M. Sasonow entrusted to him on July 3ist, at 12 midnight.

"An answer to it from the Russian Government has never reached us. Two hours after the expiry of the time-limit mentioned in this communication the Tsar telegraphed to H.M. the Kaiser. ...""

Then comes the telegram already quoted. A complete historical narrative ought of course to have mentioned that the declaration of war was sent to St. Petersburg before the Tsar's telegram and an hour after the expiry of the prescribed time-limit. But there is not a word said about it in this passage. Such an unimportant trifle obviously can be easily overlooked. It is really a wonder that it is copied as No. 25 in the attached papers. It could unfortunately not be completely disposed of.

After the copy of the telegram to the Tsar, which arrived after two o'clock, the Memorandum goes on: ""To this His Majesty replied.""

And next William's telegram is given. But while in all the telegrams from the Kaiser to the Tsar in the Memorandum the exact hour of dispatch is given, it is lacking in this one. No reader suspects that the "To this" does not mean at once, but eight hours later 10 p.m. Everyone must believe the telegram was sent