Absolute governments have certain advantages in war.  They have also disadvantages.  When things are not running smoothly in Germany the Germans worry more than do the English when things are not going well in England.  When the German leaders began to disagree as to the best methods to conduct the war, the effect upon the people was demoralising.  Only their gullibility saved them from complete dismay, Month after month the great struggle raged, under the surface for the most part, but occasionally boiling over.  Would it be to the best interests of Germany to go the limit with the submarines or not?  Not once did I hear the subject discussed on ethical grounds.  Some remarks made to me by Doctor Stresemann, one of the powerful rational Liberals behind the mammoth industrial trust in Germany, and the most violent apostle of frightfulness in the Reichstag, aptly express the sentiment in favour of unrestricted submarine warfare.  He and the rest of the men behind Tirpitz had fought and lost in the three Committee assemblies called to discuss U-boat policy in 1916.

As the day set for the September meeting of the Reichstag approached I noticed that Herr Stresemann was growing more and more excited.  “This war is lasting too long,” he declared to me in great agitation.  “The Kaiser’s most glaring fault is that of trying to fight Great Britain with one foot in the grave of chivalry.  If the Chancellor continues to sway him, we will wreck the Chancellor at all costs.  The only way to win this war is to publish again, and this time enforce, the decree of February 4th, 1915, warning all neutrals to keep out of the submarine zone.”

“But, according to the ‘Sussex Ultimatum,’ that will cause a break with the United States,” I said.

“We cannot let that deter us,” he declared.  “Britain is the keystone of our enemies.  If she falls they all fall.  We must attack her where she is vulnerable. We must starve her out.  As for America, we have little to fear from her.  In the first place, although she may break off diplomatic relations, she will not enter the war if we are careful not to sink her ships.  As American ships play a small part in the carrying trade to England, we can thus refrain from sinking them—­although we naturally should not proclaim this.

“In the second place, if America does declare war upon Germany, it would have little effect.  The war will be over before she can organise after the manner of Great Britain.  Herr Helfferich (former Minister of Finance and now Vive-Chancellor) feels that we should do everything possible to keep America out, inasmuch as thereby we shall be in a better position to conclude commercial treaties after the war.  Herr Helfferich exerted powerful influence in the meeting at Great Headquarters at the time of the Sussex Crisis.  But our duty to ourselves is to win the war.  If we starve out England we win, no matter how many enemies we have.  If