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Rh Jagow sent the document in a sealed envelope through a King's Messenger to Brussels to the German Minister, Herr von Below-Saleske, with the following covering letter:

""I respectfully request Your Excellency to keep securely sealed the enclosure accompanying this order, and not to open it until you are instructed to do so by telegram from here. You will confirm by telegram the receipt of this order and the enclosure.""

Thus the necessity which, according to Bethmann's pathetic assurance in his great war speech of August 4th, knows no law was already carefully and deliberately concocted on July 29th, and put away "securely sealed" on ice, so that it could be brought out when it was needed.

The need arose on August 2nd. Not until then did it become urgently necessary for the General Staff that Germany's security should be most dangerously threatened by the intended penetration of the French into Belgium. Then Jagow telegraphed to the Minister in Brussels:

"Your Excellency will at once open enclosure to Order No. 88 and carry out instructions contained therein this evening at eight o'clock, German time. In the Imperial Government's declaration, however, the words ' not only ' and the sentence beginning with ' It is even ready ' are to be omitted under No. 1.

"Also, the answer is to be demanded, not within twenty-four hours, but within twelve hours i.e.,