jpurure uperations
through his influence. Naturally, peace with Russia would have been more welcome to me than the whole Polish army, with the whole Kingdom of Poland thrown in, to which, as a native of the province of Posen, I naturally had a strong instinctive dislike. The Polish army could at best only provide a few divisions, which were not to be weighed in the scale against the relief which we should experience by the disappearance of Russia from the ranks of our enemies. It was a very simple calculation, on which 1 need not waste words here. The difficulty was that, here as elsewhere, wishes and hopes did not bring peace and that the Government and the diplomats did not seem to get further than wishes and hopes. Doubtless they felt that there was no real ground for these hopes, or they would not in August have produced their Polish programme, which was aimed directly against Russia, They did not get beyond reflections on peace, such as might be indulged in at any time. There was never even a reasonable possibility of getting into touch with Stunner, nor the remotest suggestion of any move on his part. No one really believed in the possibility of concluding peace with Russia. The military situation in September and October did not favour it, even although the Entente must have perceived by October that their great autumn campaign of 1916 would not succeed. On the 2ist October the Chancellor stated that there was then no prospect of a separate peace with Russia, which was far too dependent on England.
In laying for G.H.Q. the foundations for the further prosecution of the war, and to strengthen our forces, I had a wide field of work to cultivate. 1 could, of course, not do all the ploughing and sowing with my own hand. Where I found intelligent co-operation and the same serious view of the situation as I held myself, 1 sowed good seed. But often it was poor, and the field gave no yield. Weeds, too, grew up and choked what had hitherto been a good crop.
END Off, VOLUME I