My War Memories, 1914-1918
After my resignation I heard from leaders of the Social Democratic Party that I had been responsible for the manner in which the G.O.C/s of the Corps Districts had administered the regulations dealing with the right of public meeting. This was entirely outside my province.
The following case is typical. In the winter of 1916-17 I was blamed for the shortage of transport and coal. This was mainly due to insufficient provision having been made before I was appointed to General Headquarters. In February, 1917, I urged the appointment of a Coal Controller. Unfortunately the right man was not discovered at once, and another had to be selected later on. In the summer of 1917 50,000 miners were released by General Headquarters from service at the front. In the winter of 1917-18 house-fuel was more plentiful than in the previous one; but General Headquarters, which had taken decisive measures and was certainly more responsible for the improved situation than for the bad conditions of 1916-17, got neither thanks nor credit. That did not fit in with the ideas of those who were agitating against me, or of those others who, though better informed themselves, allowed the agitation to go on.
The enormous responsibility I had to bear made me long for the conclusion of hostilities; how could it have been otherwise ? I often expressed myself in that sense. But unless we got a peace which safeguarded the existence of our country, the war would be lost. I could not see how peace was possible unless the enemy also was ready for it. I thought it very dangerous for us to be alone in announcing a desire for peace.
I was fully aware that nations do not get peace merely by talking about it, or even heartily longing for it. The pacifist idea of a peace by understanding was for many a weapon against us. Many others sincerely believed in it, being moved by that spirit of exalted idealism which has not yet been realized in this world of strife. But did these idealists know whether the enemy thought as they did, and if he did not, was it not clear that by spreading the notion that we could obtain such a peace at any time, they were leading the way to irreparable disaster, because, since human nature is made that way,they were inevitably
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