WAR- CHRONICLE

22
These facts, added to that contained in my telegram of yesterday,
will put you in a position of proving to the British Government
the hostile intentions of the one and the aggressive preparations
of the other.
Paris, 31 st July 1914."
This document is one of three enclosures sent with Sir Edward
Grey's letter to Bertie. It is a detailed account of the French
Foreign Minister's report to M. Cambon, according to which the
German army was preparing for an attack. If this report contained
the truth, the English Government was obliged to go to war in
consequence of previous promises given by Sir Edward Grey. Here
we have one of the most important documents that had passed between
the Powers.
This document cannot have been sent like this. -
The translator of the Blue Book ascertains during the process
of translation that above mentioned document of the French Minister's
was dated "Paris, 31 st July 1914," while Sir Edward Grey's
letter, in which it was supposed to have been enclosed, was dated
" 30 th July. " How is it possible for a document coming from London
on 30th July to have an enclosure from Paris dated 31 st July?!. The
translator grew suspicious, although only using a copy of the Blue
Book for the translation. But on our comparing the original, we
saw clearly that in it the enclosure was dated: "Paris 31 st July"—
as well as being sent to Paris on 30 th July.. But a still greater surprise
was in store on examination of later editions of the Blue
Book:—The "Hysteron Proteron " had in the meantime seemed improbable
to Sir Edward Grey; in consequence of this—in the second
edition of the Blue Book, which otherwise had exactly the
same form and contents as the first edition, he omitted the dates
"Paris le 31 juillet, 1914" and "Paris 31 st July 1914."
But perhaps there is a question here of a mistake in the dating?
Providence does Its work thoroughly when It wishes to bring
the truth to light: The document has still further traces showing
its origin. In the first sentence of the original edition we read:—
"The German army had its outposts at our frontier yesterday
Friday". Yesterday Friday? The only Friday that can be meant
is 31 st July. "Yesterday Friday" means therefore that the document
was compiled on August 1 st .
We see here a contradiction of the date given below, "31 st July. "
Still more impossible!—A Paris documentof August 1 st enclosed in
a London letter of 30 th July! But here again Sir Edward Grey
notices the inefficient work—and crosses out in a later edition of
the Blue Book, which we have before us, the "vendredi" in the
French text as well as the "Friday" in the English one. Nobody
has remarked the deceit yet; all proofs must be destroyed. As
quickly as possible, so quickly in fact, that in this later edition of