File 2764/1904 Pt 3 'Baghdad Railway: general negotiations 1910-1912.' [‎168v] (347/544)

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come within its purview. I replied that, from the experience which I had had ‘ of
German methods, I very much doubted whether that Government would remember the
explanations which his Excellency had given them when the occasion arose, and that
they would be much more likely to hold him to the strict letter of the bond which he
was about to sign. I should, therefore, personally prefer, were I in his Excellency’sas
position, to alter the text, so that there could be no possible misunderstanding. This
M. Sazonow said, was now impossible, as the draft agreement had already been
dispatched to Berlin, but he did not anticipate any such misunderstanding. I then
enquired whether, after the signature of the agreement, his Excellency would be able
so far as the Gulf section of the Bagdad Railway was concerned, to co-operate with us
and to support us in the future in the same way as in the past. To this M. Sazonow
at once replied in the affirmative.
I then turned the conversation on to the subject of the speech which the German
Chancellor has recently made in the Reichstag respecting the Potsdam interview and
the relations between the two Empires. After expressing his satisfaction that
M. Bethmann-Hollweg should have publicly confirmed what he had said to him with
regard to Germany’s policy in the Near East, M. Sazonow told me that the French
Ambassador had just been to see him, and had questioned him with regard to the
passage where reference was made to an engagement which had been taken, to the effect
that neither of the two Governments would join a combination directed against the
other. There was, his Excellency said, not the slightest reason for the uneasiness
which this passage had apparently caused at Paris. In the course of their conversa
tions, the Chancellor had declared that the German Government had no desire to
detach Russia from the Triple Entente, while he (M. Sazonow) had made a similar
declaration with regard to the position of Germany in the Triple Alliance. Assurances
were subsequently exchanged to the effect that neither of these combinations contained
any point that was directed in a hostile sense against Russia or Germany respectivelv.
M. Sazonow then observed that the Chancellor had made some interesting remarks on
the subject of naval armaments, and enquired whether it was true that His Majesty’s
Government had put forward no definite proposals on the subject. I replied that
intermittent conversations had taken place between the two Governments, but that His
Majesty s Government had, so far, had no occasion to draft any definite proposals. As
regarded what the Chancellor had said respecting an economic or political under
standing, his Excellency might be sure that His Majesty’s Government would never
commit themselves to such a policy without first consulting the Russian Government.
Our conversation, which was throughout of the friendliest character, gave me the
impression that M. Sazonow was quite sincere in what he told me, but that, owing to
ms ack of experience in the. conduct of difficult negotiations and to an unfortunate
habit of arriving at his decisions without giving himself sufficient time to reflect on
^ e3 P. possible consequences, he is allowing himself to be out-manoeuvred by
M. Ividerlen.
I have, &c.
GEORGE W. BUCHANAN.
P.S. I omitted to mention that M. Sazonow told me that the Russian Government
had taken no engagement whatever with regard to the question of the 4 per cent,
cus oms increase, as they preferred to treat it as a matter quite distinct from the
^ i aC i + ai i Wa ^ff ^ gathered that is the reason why a statement was inserted in
ar 1C e o t le effect that no sacrifice of a pecuniary or economic character would he
required on the part of Russia.
G. W. B.