eady to
challenge anything the Chancellor said.

The Chancellor began his address, as he began all others, by referring
to the strong military position of the German army. He led up,
gradually, to the subject of peace. When the Chancellor said: "We
could have gotten what we wanted by peaceful work. Our enemies chose
war." Liebknecht interjected in his sharp, shrill voice, "_You_ chose
the war!" There was great excitement and hissing; the President called
for order. Members shouted: "Throw him out!" But Liebknecht sat there
more determined than ever.

The Chancellor continued for a few minutes until he reached the
discussion of the establishment of a Flemish nation in Belgium, when
Liebknecht again interrupted, but the Chancellor continued: "Gentlemen,
we want neighbours who will not again unite against us in order to
strangle us, but such that we can work with them and they with us to
our mutual advantage." A storm of applause greeted this remark.
Liebknecht was again on his feet and shouted, "Then you will fall upon
them!"

"The Europe which will arise from this, the most gigantic of all
crises, will in many respects not resemble the old one," continued von
Bethmann-Hollweg. "The blood which has been shed will never come back;
the wealth which has been wasted will come back but only slowly. In
any case, it must become, for all living in it, a Europe of peaceful
labour. The peace which shall end this war must be a lasting one and
not containing the germ of a fresh war, but establishing a final and
peaceful order of things in European affairs."

Before the applause had gotten a good start the fiery private in the
Socialists' rank was again on his feet, this time shouting, "Liberate
the German people first!"

Throughout the Chancellor's speech there was not one reference to the
Sussex. The Chancellor was anxious if he could to turn the world's
attention from the Sussex to the larger question of peace, but the
world was not so inclined. On the 18th of April I asked Admiral von
Holtzendorff, Chief of the Admiralty Staff, for his opinion about the
_Sussex_. Two days later he approved the interview, in which I quoted
him as saying:

"We did not sink the _Sussex_. I am as convinced of that as of
anything which has happened in this war. If you read the definite
instructions, the exact orders each submarine commander has you would
understand that the torpedoing of the _Sussex_ was impossible. Many of