WAR MEMOIRS OF DAVID LLOYD GEORGE 1917

232 WAR MEMOIRS OF DAVID LLOYD GEORGE
Germany was to restore the independence of Belgium
and to give Alsace back to France, Serbia was to be bribed
at the expense of Albania, but not a word about Italy. Austria
was to concede nothing in return for a peace her sovereign
ardently desired.
Prince Sixte reached Paris with this letter on March 30th,
1917, and on the 31st he had a further interview with
M. Poincare, at which M. Cambon was present in the unavoidable
absence of M. Ribot (Briand by this date had
resigned and been succeeded by M. Ribot), and the Emperor's
letter was laid before them. They were favourably
impressed with its contents.
After some discussion, both Poincare and Cambon were
in favour of Prince Sixte proceeding to England and informing
King George and myself of the proposals made by the
Austrian Emperor. But in this they were reckoning without
M. Ribot, who on learning later in the day what had taken
place, insisted that he must himself play the part of the channel
of communication with the British Government. He sent
word to Sixte that he was inviting me to meet him in a few
days' time at Boulogne, that he would inform me under a
strict pledge of secrecy about the Emperor's letter, and make
preliminary arrangements with me for the Prince to visit
King George and inform him about Karl's proposals.
The matter of secrecy was vital at this time. For Karl
had a well-founded fear that if it should get to the ears of the
German Government that he was trying to negotiate a separate
peace behind their backs, they would promptly take
steps to render this impossible, by ordering him either to send
Austrian troops to the Western Front, or to enter on an
offensive against Italy, or otherwise destroy the atmosphere
in which peace could be negotiated with the Entente;
and even his life would be in grave danger. The fate of the
heir to the Turkish throne, Prince Youssouf Yzzedin, was a