inted this lame and silly explanation in its
issue of August 13, 1917, and complained that, although its
correspondent at the Hague sent, on August 7, 1917, this part of
my first book in a telegram, only on August 11, did the
Government permit the delivery to the _Tageblatt_ of this story
from the correspondent. Then the newspaper despatch had to be
submitted to the Censorship officials who only released it for
publication at midnight. The _Tageblatt_ says, "The form of the
explanation which has now appeared in the _North German Gazette_
can hardly be called very happy. What does this mean--'possibly
during the interview the Kaiser wrote down notes for the
Ambassador in order that the latter should not send anything
incorrect to Washington'? Now, after a week the occurrence must
have been fathomed and it was not necessary to make use of a
'possibly.' Could Mr. Gerard consider these 'notes' in the
handwriting of the Emperor as a draft for a telegram? And do
these notes read, as a telegram of the Emperor to Wilson--as Mr.
Gerard repeats them?"

Does not the _Tageblatt_ article give a glimpse not only of how
the newspapers of Germany are hampered and censored, but of the
positively glorious incompetency of the Government officials who
denied the existence of an original document in the Kaiser's own
hand which the most elementary inquiries in their own circle
would have disclosed not only was in existence but in my
possession?

The redoubtable Reventlow writing in the Conservative _Tages
Zeitung_ commented as follows:

"Kaiser William had possibly for his answer
written down notes and given them to Gerard, but
these were only helps for Gerard's memory and it
was not a question of a direct communication of
the German Kaiser to the President. In accordance
with the Gerard reports it now seems that
nevertheless the Ambassador telegraphed the
Imperial notes immediately and literally to
Washington. Mr. Gerard has, therefore, again in
this respect lied, which is not surprising."

Reventlow, of course, had not then seen the facsimile of the
Kaiser's telegram which is headed in his own hand "To the
President, personally."

Later the other German newspapers took the Foreign Office to task
for making such a weak denial of an incontrovertible fact. And
note the charming parliamentary language of dear old Reventlow!

The article, which appeared in the _Tages Zeitung_ of Augu