File No. 763.72/9682
The Minister in the Netherlands ( Garrett) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 24, 9.34 a.m.]
2371. Germany has within the last few days demanded of Holland:
- (1)
- Removal of vexatious customs examinations at the frontiers;
- (2)
- Passage of civil goods on the Limburg railways, from München-Gladbach via Roermond to Antwerp;
- (3)
- That the Rhine convention shall be understood as Germany understands it, namely, that everything goes through in war, as in peace;
- (4)
- Unrestricted and uncontrolled transit of sand and gravel; and—
- (5)
- That troops and munitions shall be allowed to pass through Limburg.
The best obtainable information is to the effect that demand number 5 has not actually been presented to the Dutch Government, but that a statement regarding it was handed in by German Legation [Page 1798] through “mistake” with the four other demands. The Austrian Minister, I learn from what I consider to be perfectly good authority was informed by his German colleague of the presentation of the first four demands, and he learned about the fifth demand only through the British Chargé d’Affaires, the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs having told Sir Walter Townley of it and he having told a go-between. Loudon, Treub and, so far as I can learn, the members of the Government as a rule, and the Dutch Army pretend publicly to believe that these German demands are nothing but a bluff and that they are not in the least worried about them. Bluff or not, they produce a situation that Loudon states privately he considers serious.
German policy is now controlled entirely from General Headquarters. Nobody doubts that they would order Holland entered for their own purposes, at any time, if they thought they had anything to get thereby. The demand for the passage of troops and munitions through Limburg, if it should be made, would not differ in its effects from a demand for the use of the Scheldt, or a demand for the use of any other part of Dutch territory. The Dutch would resent it and though I find that Entente military circles here believe or profess to believe that the Dutch Army would fight, there are other well-informed circles that think that the Dutch would not go beyond a breaking off of diplomatic relations with the Central Powers and the necessary formal protests.
Hada [?], who is an authority on Dutch affairs has just returned from General Headquarters and Gevers is summoned to The Hague and is expected to arrive tomorrow.