“I see with pleasure from the articles which your Excellency has sent me for his Majesty, and from other expressions of public opinion in English newspapers, that in the leading Liberal papers of England a more friendly tone toward Germany is making itself apparent.  You would have been able to derive the same impression from reading our newspapers, with the exception of a few Pan-German prints.  Alas! papers like The Times, Morning Post and Standard can not bring themselves to refrain from their attitude of dislike, and are always rejoicing in being suspicious of every action of the Imperial Government.  They contribute in this fashion appreciably to render weak the new tone of diminishing misunderstanding which has arisen between the two countries.  If I fear that under these circumstances it will be a long time before mutual understanding has grown up to the point at which it stood more than a century ago, and as you and I desire it in the well-understood interests of England and Germany, still I hope and am persuaded that the relations of the two Governments will remain good.”

A year after the visit I had paid to Berlin the Emperor came over to stay with King Edward at Windsor.  This was in November, 1907.  The visit lasted several days, and I was present most of the time.  The Emperor was accompanied by Baron von Schoen, who had become Foreign Minister of Prussia, after having been Ambassador to the Court of Russia, and by General von Einem, the War Minister, whose inclusion in the invitation I had ventured to suggest to the King, as an acknowledgment of his civility to myself as War Minister when in Berlin.  There were also at Windsor Count Metternich and several high military officers of the Emperor’s personal staff and military cabinet.  To these officers and to the War Minister I showed all the hospitality I could in London, and I received them officially at the War Office.

But the really interesting incident of this visit, so far as I was concerned, took place at Windsor.  The first evening of my visit there, just after his arrival in November, the Emperor took me aside and said he was sorry that there was a good deal of friction over the Bagdad Railway, and that he did not know what we wanted as a basis for co-operation.

I said that I could not answer for the Foreign Office, but that, speaking as War Minister, one thing I knew we wanted was a “gate” to protect India from troops coming down the new railway.  He asked me what I meant by a “gate,” and I said that meant the control of the section which would come near to the Persian Gulf.  “I will give you the ‘gate,’” replied the Emperor.

I had no opportunity at the moment, which was just before dinner, for pursuing the conversation further, but I thought the answer too important not to be followed up.  There were private theatricals after dinner, which lasted till nearly one o’clock in the morning.  I was seated in the theater of the Castle just behind the Emperor, and, as the company broke up, I went forward and asked him whether he really meant seriously that he was willing to give us the “gate,” because, if he did mean it, I would go to London early and see Sir Edward Grey at the Foreign Office.