" It
certainly now appears that all this while England had made her
arrangements with France and with Russia, and had strengthened the war
party in Russia to such an extent that Russia's desire to set Europe
afire was rendered possible.
_Belgian neutrality._ It is charged that Germany violated an alleged
treaty with Belgium, which treaty is supposed to have guaranteed the
integrity of Belgium. When Germany found her efforts to maintain peace
frustrated, Russian troops having crossed the German frontier on the
afternoon of Aug. 1, while France opened hostilities on Aug. 2, she
announced to Belgium on Aug. 2, 1914, that she found herself under
obligation, to prevent a French attack through Belgium, to pass through
Belgian territory; she expressed her readiness to guarantee the
integrity of the kingdom and its possessions and to pay any damage
caused if Belgium would, in a friendly way, permit such a passage of
troops through it.
The English "White Book" contains, Paper 151, dated Aug. 3, 1914, which
paper we repeat in full:
(British Minister to Belgium to Sir Edward Grey.)
French Government have offered through their Military Attache
the support of five French Army corps to the Belgian
Government.
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