4 août 1914 l'Angleterre déclare la guerre à l'Allemagne.
les nouvelles de ce jour selon le quotidien américain The New
York Times :
transcription de cette première page :
England Declares War on Germany
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British Ship Sunk
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French Ships Defeat German, Belgium Attacked
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17,000,000 Men Engaged in Great War of Eight Nations
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Great English and German Navies About to Grapple
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rival Warships Off This Port as Lusitania Sails
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State of War Exists, Says Britain, as Kaiser Rejects Ultimatum
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MUST DEFEND BELGIUM
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King George Issues Call to Arms and Thanks the Colonies for Their Support
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ENVOY LEAVES BERLIN
------------------------------------------------------------------------ British Foreign Office Makes Final Announcement One Hour Before Time
Limit
------------------------------------------------------------------------ VOTE $525,000,000 Fund
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England Takes All Foreign Warships Building in Her Ports -- Two From Turkey
------------------------------------------------------------------------ JAPAN TO AID ENGLAND
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To Smash the Kiel Canal Probably English Fleet's First Attempt Against Germany
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Special Cable to THE NEW YORK TIMES
Kaiser Hurls Two Armies Into Belgium After Declaring War: Liege Attack
Repulsed: German Guns Are Reported to be Bombarding Both That City and Namur:
Belgians Rush to Arms: Parliament Acclaims King's Appeal and Votes $40,000,000
for National Defense: French Border Clashes: Stronger German Forces Crossing
the Border Near Marsla-Tour and Moineville: Russians Attack Memel: Seacoast
Town of Germany Defeats Attempts of Enemy to Capture It
Over 17,000,000 Fighting Men of Eight Nations Now Engaged in the Colossal
European War
Cunarder Slips Out; Will Pick Up British Cruisers as Escorts:
German Warships Near: Liner to Head for Newfoundland, Where Other English
Ships Will Meet Her: French Cruisers Outside: Wireless Code Messages From
Telefunken Station at Sayville Aid German Cruisers: To Be Sent to Washington:
The Dresden Reported Off Cape Cod in an Attempt to Cut French Cable: Our
Destroyers Put Out: Liner Olympic Sails in Under Convoy of Cruiser Essex
-- German Warships Outclassed
German Fleet Sinks a British Mine Layer: Scoutship Pathfinder Is
Chased by the Kaiser's Warships But Makes Its Escape
Two German Warships Taken, Another Sunk: French Fleet in the Mediterranean
Reported to Have Won a Victory
Conspiracy Scare on the Vaterland:
Talk of Plot to Blow Her Up Brings Launches With Searchlights, and 50 Policemen
British Declaration of War With Germany, Following Rejection of Her Demand
England Calls All Unmarried Men From 18 to 30 to Serve King and Country
in This Hour of Need
ondon, Wednesday, Aug. 5-- War is on between England and Germany. An ultimatum
to the German Government that the neutrality of Belgium must be respected
was rejected by the Kaiser's Government and the British Foreign Office announced
last night that a state of war existed.
The time limit for Germany's reply was set at midnight, but the Foreign
Office announced that as Germany had given his passports to the British
envoy at an earlier hour, the state of war existed from 11 o'clock.
King George has issued his proclamation mobilizing the army and has sent
a message to the colonies thanking them for their hearty support in the
hour of national emergency.
The Government has assumed control of all the railways and the Admirality
has taken over all the foreign warships now building in English ports. The
House of Commons has voted a fund of $525,000,000 for the emergency.
England Cool in Great Crisis
England is facing this, the greatest crisis in her history, with calmness
and courage. Sir Edward Grey's exposition has made it clear that the war
is none of her seeking, and that she goes into it because her honor and
her self-preservation alike compel her to do so. There is neither any sign
of panic nor flame of war fever. All parties and all classes present a united
front. The few exceptions are not worthy of mention. The protests that the
Labor members of Parliament and a few Liberals have made in the House of
Commons do not represent the prevalent feeling either in the ranks of labor
or among the avowed pacifists. The peace-at-any price advocates are submerged
beneath the huge majority who would have welcomed peace with honor but prefer
war to dishonor.
Liberal newspapers like The Westminster Gazette, The Daily Chronicle, and
even The Daily News accept the situation as inevitable.
"Here we stand, and we can do no other. The Germans will recognize
that famous phrase," says The Westminster Gazette, "and understand
that it expresses the feelings of the vast majority of the British people."
The demeanor of the crowds last evening and this morning began to betray
growing excitement . A procession of a thousand young men marched along
by Whitehall and up the Strand, cheering. It was headed by a squad carrying
the Union Jack of England and the tricolor of France. As it passed Trafalgar
Square there was some booing, but the cheering outweighed it. Fleet Street
last evening was jammed by crowds watching the bulletins. Occasionally they
sang "The Marseillaise" and "God Save the King."
Soon after the announcement of Germany's declaration of war against Belgium
was displayed on the bulletin board- the crowds, evidently believing no
greater news was likely to come, quietly dispersed, and by 11 o'clock Fleet
Street was as quiet as usual.
Would Smash Kiel Canal
Premier Asquith's statement in the House of Commons yesterday that the German
Government had been asked to give satisfactory assurances on the question
of Belgium's neutrality by midnight was generally regarded as meaning that
England was prepared to strike at once if the reply was unfavorable.
The German fleet is concentrated for the defense of the Kiel Canal. Its
destruction will be the first object of the British fleet. Germany's compliance
with the British ultimatum was not expected. Germany, according to a statement
emanating from her London embassy, would have consented to refrain from
using Belgian ports and would have confined her violation of neutrality
to the inland districts if Great Britain would agree to hold aloof. It is
obvious that a compact on such lines would have been useless to Great Britain.
Belgian neutrality is strategically important in two ways -- by sea to Great
Britain and Germany and by land to Germany and France. If England abandoned
it in its land aspect, nobody, not even the Belgians, would have been willing
to defend it when it was threatened in its sea aspect.
It seemed unlikely from the start that Germany would desist, because it
was a matter affecting the military plans of her General Staff. The whole
German theory of war is to make plans years ahead and have everything down
to the last railway siding ready for their execution, and to carry them
out without deviation. It is probable that the present plan was made as
long ago as when Anglo-German hostility was an axiom, and there was no question
in German minds of so shaping their strategy as to keep Great Britain neutral.
German Ships in Peril
As was anticipated, Germany's first naval effort was to deal a heavy blow
to the Russians in the Baltic, but as yet there is insufficient evidence
that it succeeded or that the Russian fleet was rendered powerless. Germany's
most urgent need, according to experts, is to assemble all her available
naval forces on the west, principally in the North Sea, but, these experts
say, the Germans are not likely to seek battle, hoping the strength of their
adversaries may be reduced by the action of mines and torpedoes.
Two German cruisers seem to be in peril. The battle cruiser Goeben, on the
way from the Mediterranean, is reported to have passed Gibraltar, steaming
westward. She will not venture through the English Channel, and must travel
homeward via the west coast of Ireland and north of Scotland. An attempt
certainly will be made to intercept her, and the need of carrying assistance
to her may bring about a fleet action. The German cruiser Brealau is reported
to have shelled Bona before proceeding westward toward Gibraltar. Her position
seems perilous in the extreme.
Control of Railway Lines
The Governmet took over the railways to complete the co-ordination of the
railway facilities, in view of the military and naval requirements and the
needs of the civil communities. The staff of each railway remains as before.
Supreme control is vested in a committee composed of the General Managers
of the chief railways.
The Acting Chairman is H. A. Walker, manager of the London & Southwestern,
who is well known among American railway men. The committee was formed some
days ago. The Great Eastern is not represented, possibly because its General
Manager, H.W. Thornton, is an American.
News Flashed to Navy
When the announcement of the state of war was made by the Foreign Office,
and the quietness of the Summer night was suddenly broken by the raucus
cries of the news venders, the streets were practically empty. The ordinary
troops of theatregoers were conspicuous for their absence. Midnight was
considered the fateful hour when orders would be flashed by wireless to
the British Navy to begin operations.
Reports which had spread during the evening that German warships had sunk
a British mine finder and chased the destroyer Pathfinder, were taken as
another instance of Germany's method of taking an unfair advantage and acting
before war actually was declared.
Sir John Jellicoe, who has been long regarded as predestined to head the
fleet in case of war, has taken supreme command, with Rear Admiral Madden
as Chief of Staff. Sir John Jellicoe, who is familiarly known as "J.
J.," is a typical, keen-faced officer, distinguished for his personal
courage as well as for scientific gunnery. He has the German decoration
of the Red Eagle. Lord Kitchener is taking the Administrative part of the
work of the War Office, where Lord Haldane is assisting Mr. Asquith.
The only panicky note which struck the English press hard came from The
Evening News, which came out in a poster headed "Treachery" and
stating that Lord Haldane's German sympathies made his apointment to the
War Office a matter of suspicion to France. The New York Times correspondent
saw Lord Haldane at Whitehall yesterday afternoon walking toward Westminster.
When accosted he said there was nothing he could say.
Lord Haldane did yeoman service when at the War Office, and a Liberal paper
says the worst news Germany could receive is that he has returned to the
department.
England's war with Germany is likely to be purely a naval conflict for the
time being. Germany will keep her fleet sheltered at Wilhemshaven and trust
to her submarines and torpedo boats to reduce the strength of the British
investing fleet. The reported sinking of a mine-layer probably is due to
this. The feature of the Anglo-German war will be the strewing of the North
Sea with floating mines.
Asquith's Impressive Speech
The first chapter of the critical events of the day was unfolded when Premier
Asquith read his statement in the House of Commons. The Premier read in
a firm and measured voice, and his hand shook as he held the typewritten
copy. His words were listened to in a silence that was almost uncanny, so
tense and overwrought was the crowded House.
After he had read the telegrams exchanged between London and Berlin and
London and Brussels, Mr. Asquith's announcement of the ultimatum to Germany
demanding an answer by midnight was greeted with prolonged applause. There
was a strange note of solemnity in the deep cheers that rolled up from all
sides like thunder waves beating on a rockbound shore. Plainly enough the
telegrams had eaten deep into the feelings of the audiences, revealing Germany's
disregard of the law of nations in browbeating Belgium.
Until yesterday afternoon a strong minority of the Liberal Party was in
favor of British neutrality. Sir Edward Grey's speech reduced the minority
to small proportions. Today's events almost extinguished it.
Even the Labor members, despite their sworn devotion to neutrality, were
unfavorably impressed by this sample of German methods. A Scotch Radical
member, who hates war, said: "Germany leaves us no alternative but
to fight. We are standing for public law; she is trampling upon it.
"It is another struggle in the incessant conflict between right and
force, wherein the rival champions in the last generation were Gladstone
and Bismarck. Mr. Gladstone, who was a most peaceful statesman, said he
would spend every shilling of the British exchequer and employ every soldier
in the British Army in the defense of the independence of Belgium."
retour cours : origines de la guerre