r in the war, will not be compelled to lay
down her arms in a few months' time, but perhaps--and here I
concede a limited success to the U-boat scheme--perhaps England in
a few months will ask herself whether it is wise and sensible to
continue this war _a l'outrance_, or whether it would not be more
statesmanlike to set foot upon the golden bridges the Central
Powers must build for her, and then the moment will have come for
great and painful sacrifices on the part of the Central Powers.

Your Majesty has rejected the repeated attempts of our enemies to
separate us from our Allies, in which step I took the
responsibility because Your Majesty is incapable of any
dishonourable action. But at the same time, Your Majesty
instructed me to notify the statesmen of the German Empire that
our strength is at an end, and that after the close of the summer
Germany must not reckon on us any longer. I carried out these
commands and the German statesmen left me in no doubt that for
Germany, too, another winter campaign would be impossible. In this
one sentence may be summed up all that I have to say:

We can still wait some weeks and try if there is any possibility
of dealing with Paris or Petersburg. If that does not succeed,
then we must--and at the right time--play our last card and make
the extreme proposals I have already hinted at. Your Majesty has
proved that you have no selfish plans and that you do not expect
from your German Ally sacrifices that Your Majesty would not be
ready to make yourself. More than that cannot be expected.

Your Majesty, nevertheless, owes it to God and to your peoples to
make every effort to avert the catastrophe of a collapse of the
Monarchy; it is your sacred duty to God and to your peoples to
defend those peoples, the dynastic principle and your throne with
all the means in your power and to your very last breath.

On May 11 there came the following official answer from the Imperial
Chancellor, which was sent by the German Emperor to the Emperor
Charles, and then to me:--

In accordance with Your Majesty's commands I beg most humbly to
submit the following in answer to the enclosed _expose_ from the
Imperial and Royal Minister for Foreign Affairs of 12th ult.

Since the _expose_ was drawn up, the French and English on the
Western front have carried out the predicted great offensive on a
wide front, ruthlessly sacrificing