heir conversation as well as brief summaries of the information
available to me from other sources. Naturally I cabled to the
Department of State the most significant news, but much of this
was not published because our Government was proceeding
cautiously and did not wish to be embarrassed by publicity of its
negotiations. There is every reason now, however, why the facts
should be known. I am reproducing here the diary I kept from
June, 1915, to the end of January, 1917, when unrestricted
submarine warfare was resumed and our break with Germany came. I
did not have the idea then of ever publishing my memoranda, so my
comments were written without restraint. They show, I am sure,
what the general trend of sentiment was in Germany for and
against submarine warfare and disclose, too, that while the
Emperor was often in the background and seemingly not the most
powerful factor in the situation, it was his system that
dominated Germany, his spirit that bred the lust for military
gain at whatever cost--even the respect of the whole civilised
world. Here are the notes as I penned them at the time:

* * * * *

_June, 1915._ Lincoln never passed through a crisis greater than
that with which the President is contending. He is fighting,
first, for humanity and some decency in war, and, second,
determining whether a European Emperor shall or shall not dictate
the political attitude of certain of our citizens.

It is regrettable to be compelled to think that the German nation
knows no treaty or law except the limit of its own desires.

We are still awaiting the second _Lusitania_ note and I fear that
Germany will never consent to abandon its present hideous method
of submarine war. It is extraordinary to hear Germans of all
classes extoll mere brute force as the only rule of international
life. It is a warning to us to create and increase our fleet and
coast defences.

The Germans not only do not fear war with us, but state frankly
they do not believe we dare to declare it, call us cowardly
bluffers and say our notes are worse than waste paper. Breaking
diplomatic relations means nothing.

Von Wiegand, the newspaper correspondent, is just back from
Przemysl and says the Russians were defeated by woful lack of
artillery and ammunition. Their power for offence is broken for
many months. From the West I hear the French are rather
discouraged.

Germany has ample food and gets all copper, etc.,