MrLloyd George and the war . sary for that object. Yours very truly, A. Bonar Law. August 2, 1914. This letter was then taken in Lord Lansdownes motor-carto No. 10, Downing Street, where the Cabinet was still in session,shortly after midday. V On Sunday, August 2, the division in the Cabinet still ren-dered any decisive attitude on our part impossible. For on thatday M. Cambon, having asked about the violation of Luxem-bourg which had taken place in the early morning, Sir EdwardGrey explained to him in reply the doctrine on that point laiddown by Lord Derby and Lord Clarendon in 1867. And when
MrLloyd George and the war . sary for that object. Yours very truly, A. Bonar Law. August 2, 1914. This letter was then taken in Lord Lansdownes motor-carto No. 10, Downing Street, where the Cabinet was still in session,shortly after midday. V On Sunday, August 2, the division in the Cabinet still ren-dered any decisive attitude on our part impossible. For on thatday M. Cambon, having asked about the violation of Luxem-bourg which had taken place in the early morning, Sir EdwardGrey explained to him in reply the doctrine on that point laiddown by Lord Derby and Lord Clarendon in 1867. And whenM. Cambon asked further what we should say about the neu-traUty of Belgium, Sir Edward Grey was only able to say that that was a much more important matter; they were consider-ing what statement they should make in Parliament the followingday—in effect, whether they should declare a violation of Belgianneutrality to be a casus belli. But, apparently, in spite ofdifferences of opinion, the Cabinet had been able by this time. SIR JiDWARI) CRICY THE OUTBREAK OF THE WAR 91 to agree on a formula for a limited intervention. For Sir EdwardGrey gave M. Cambon an undertaking that if the German Fleetcame into the Channel, or through the North Sea to undertakehostile operations against the French coasts or shipping, theBritish Fleet would give all the support in their power. The circumstances under which the Cabinet was persuadedto give this undertaking—we have seen that in 1912 a newstrategical equilibrium had been established in the Mediter-ranean—were given on the following day by Sir Edward Greyto the House of Commons. The French Fleet is now in the Mediterranean, and the northern andwestern coasts of France are absolutely undefended. The French Fleet,being concentrated in the Mediterranean, the situation is very differentfrom what it used to be because the friendship which has grown up betweenthe two countries has given them a sense of security that there was no-thing to be fea
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectworldwar19141918
