German Government, that the attempt to sink the
_Lusitania_ would be made. The Foreign Office, no doubt,
acquainted him with the new policy. Von Tirpitz, then actual head
of the Navy Department and virtual head of the whole navy, openly
showed his approval of the act, and threw all his influence in
favor of a continuation of ruthless tactics. But a question which
involved a breach of international law, a possible break with a
friendly power, could not be decided by even the Foreign Office
and Navy together.

The Great General Staff claims a hand in the decision of all
questions of foreign policy which even remotely affect the
conduct of the war. Similarly it was the duty of the Foreign
Office to point out the possible consequences under the rules of
international law; but when the question of submarine warfare was
to be determined, the consultation was usually at the Great
General Headquarters. At these meetings von Tirpitz or the navy
presented their views and the Great General Staff sat with the
Emperor in council, although it was reported in Charleville at
the time of the settlement of May, 1916, that Falkenhayn,
speaking in favour of submarine war, had been rebuked by the
Emperor, and told to stick to military affairs.

All the evidence points to the Emperor himself as the responsible
head who at this time ordered or permitted this form of murder.
The orders were given at a time when the Emperor dominated the
General Staff, not in one of those periods, as outlined in a
previous chapter when the General Staff, as at present, dominated
the Emperor. When I saw the Kaiser in October, 1915, he said that
he would not have sunk the _Lusitania_, that no gentleman would
have killed so many women and children. Yet he never disapproved
the order. Other boats were sunk thereafter in the same manner
and only by chance was the loss of life smaller when the _Arabic_
was torpedoed. It is argued that, had the Emperor considered
beforehand how many non-combatants would be killed, he would not
have given the order to sink that particular boat. But what a
lame excuse! A man is responsible for the natural and logical
results of his own acts. It may be too that Charles IX, when he
ordered, perhaps reluctantly, the massacre of St. Bartholomew,
did not know that so many would be killed, but there can be no
Pilate-washing-of-the-hands,--Emperor William was responsible. He
must bear the blame before the world.

Blood-shed in honorable