File No. 763.72/816
The Belgian Minister (Havenith) to the Secretary of State
Washington, September 5, 1914.
[Received September 8.]
[Translation]
No. 953]
Mr. Secretary of State: By my letter dated August 28 last,1 I had the honor to communicate to your excellency the text of the note that had been handed to the Belgian Government by the Minister of Germany at Brussels and the reply made by the King’s Government to that ultimatum.
On August 9 the Imperial Government through the Legation of the United States at The Hague and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands forwarded to the King’s Government a note that may be summed up as follows:
Germany is not coming as Belgium’s foe. Force of circumstances alone compelled her, on account of the military measures of France, to come to [Page 98] the grave determination of entering Belgium and occupying Liége as a supporting point for her subsequent military operations. Now that the Belgian Army has saved in an extremely brilliant manner the honor of its arms by the heroic resistance opposed to much superior forces, the German Government offers to the King’s Government to spare Belgium the horrors of war. The German Government is ready to sign with Belgium any agreement that may be consistent with the contest it is carrying on with France. Germany renews the assurance that she has no intention to appropriate Belgian territory and that she is ready to evacuate it as soon as war conditions will permit.
The King’s Government returned the following answer to that note:
The proposition made to us by the German Government reproduces that which was formulated in the ultimatum of August 2. True to her international duties, Belgium can but reiterate her answer to that ultimatum, all the more as since August 3 her neutrality has been violated, grievous war has been waged on her territory, and the guarantors of her neutrality have loyally and immediately responded to her appeal.
The foregoing reply has received the approval of the guaranteeing powers appealed to by Belgium.
Be pleased [etc.]
- Not printed.↩