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So, Sir Edward Grey' s own report on the conversation ofthe morning of August 1 st -
Germany has gone still farther in the concessions by whichshe strove to obtain England' s neutrality. The Imperial Chancellorstated to the Imperial Diet on August 4 lh that he had offeredto the English Government "that, as long as England will remain"neutral, our fleet will not attack the Northern coasts of France"; and he added "that, as long as England will remain neutral, we"would be ready, provided reciprocity be assured, to undertake"no hostile operations against French merchant shipping".
The English Blue Book contains nothing of these German concessions. Has Sir Edward Grey submitted them to theCabinet at all? It appears from the French Yellow Book (No. 144)that this omission cannot have been the fault of the German Ambassador in London, for Paul Cambon reports on August 3 rdthat the German Ambassador had sent a communiqué to the Pressstating that, if England remained neutral, Germany would foregoall naval operations and not use the Belgian coasts as a base.
Thus Germany had offered in return for England 's neutralitythe integrity of Belgium, France and her colonies, and furthermorewas ready to forego any naval operation against the French coastand French merchant shipping; but not even at this price, norat any other, as Sir Edward put it quite plainly, England 's neutralitywas to be had. "England will have her hands free" meant,translated from the language of "Cant" into the language ofstraightforwardness, "England is already firmly tied to"France ".
On the same day, the 1 st of August, Sir Edward Grey madethe following statement to Paul Cambon (Yellow Book No. 126):He was going to draw the attention of the Cabinet to the insufficientreply of Germany in the question of Belgian neutrality and wouldask for authority to tell the House of Commons on Monday,August 3 rd , that the English Government would not permit aviolation of Belgian neutrality. Besides, the English squadronswere mobilised, and he would propose to his colleagues thatthe English fleet would oppose the passage of the German squadrons