Agent of Peace (23 page)

Every day, they say, they are learning some new method. Soon, too, when the hay is saved and the crops garnered, the cows can be turned into the fields to fatten and yield more milk. That at least is their hope. Meantime their war bread, the ‘K Bread' which has been so much decried, is very excellent and wholesome and being less dry than much Continental bread it is easy to eat without butter. Fish is abundant. At the restaurants ordinary food was not dearer than in other countries, but luxuries were high. Portions were perhaps smaller but that was less noticeable in Berlin than in Cologne where they were extremely small. At a large working women's restaurant under philanthropic management the food was very well prepared, excellent in quality and quantity, and provided for 3d per head.

The Food Queues

The habit of standing in queues outside the shops now almost universal, to get their share of meat or groceries is very trying for the women. They feel the waste of time and get restless and impatient, with the result that several miniature street riots have arisen; these are not, however, considered of any importance.

Up to the present the general population does not seem to have been very seriously affected in health and the anticipated improvement in distribution and supply will relieve the severity of the pressure felt by the poor. Infants under 1 year and children aged from 10–14 have hitherto been the chief sufferers. A doctor of the municipal schools stated that he had weighed all the school children of Berlin last year and again this year finding no divergence from the normal but he admitted a general enfeeblement of children of the ages above named. Figures show that children of those ages living in the large towns have died to the number of 5,000 above the normal during the past twelve months of blockade but in the country districts no increase has been observed.

A well-known clergyman who inhabited the poorer quarters of Berlin and who lives as the poor there live acknowledged very simply: ‘We are hungry, we are often very hungry; but we do not mind.'

This article had to be submitted to the censor and was cut. Emily had said, in effect, that applying the blockade did not improve the feeling towards the British.

The same day, 8 August, Dr Markel wrote to her from the Prisoners of War Relief Agency enclosing a cutting that said Emily had been to Ruhleben.
7
‘So,' he said, ‘it seems your visit to Ruhleben is a secret no more.' He also said that he was not allowed to visit the camps any more
*
and this only increased his work, ‘as also of course the large influx of fresh prisoners, especially wounded'. He hoped to see her very soon.

Emily had at last managed to get to Bude, but was prepared to come up to London for meetings. In Bude there was a family gathering. Leonard, Nora and their girls were there; Leonard Courtney and his wife Kate; and Kate's sister Maggie (Margaret), who was married to their cousin Henry.

Maggie Hobhouse was much concerned about her eldest son, Stephen, the Quaker convert, who was absolutely opposed to conscription for the army which was now in force. He was determined not to do ambulance work or any other work to take the easy way out. He was prepared to go to prison, which he later did. He was not a strong man and his mother was at this point trying to do all she could to keep him out of jail. What with Emily's efforts, Leonard told Oliver, who was with the army in Burma, they could expect a lot of notoriety.
8

Oliver's reaction was interesting.
9
While he was being ribbed about Emily and thought he would have to wear a placard saying: ‘Yes, my Aunt', he said he had no patience at all with Stephen. He said: ‘We have buried our souls and are prepared to put our bodies on the line.' He must have talked for many of his contemporaries. Religion had lost its hold. For a thousand years, at a time when people were expected, even compelled, to go to church, the message of peace had been proclaimed from the pulpit but it had not been acted on. The message had failed to go deep enough.

On 15 August Emily received an obscure telegram from Gertrud Woker in Switzerland, via Leonard Courtney, that she should be at the St Ermin's Hotel [Westminster, London] on the next day.
10
She will have been overjoyed to hear of her friend, and possibly this provided her with the opportunity she needed to get a message through to German Foreign Minister von Jagow to ask if she could be released from her promise.

She prepared a postcard on 16 August for Dr Kocher in Berne to give to the German Ambassador, Romberg.
11
It read:

Have you seen anything of Henry or has he also gone away for his holiday? If he would ask his Chief to release me from the promise I made I think something might be done pretty soon. Do try and see him and tell him so …

Anyhow the door was not shut in my face rather postponement suggested and I am not entirely dissatisfied considering the moment was not opportune.

It seems Emily had not receved a reply from von Jagow at the German Foreign Office.

We now pass to a new venture. One of the leaders of the women's movement in Denmark, Henni Forchhammer, was a fluent English speaker who later became the first woman to speak at the League of Nations. She was in England with a party of delegates. They were interested in civilian detainees and in peace. Although Henni's group did not have any success in seeing government members, she met Emily at the St Ermin's Hotel and they struck up an immediate rapport. Henni told Emily:

I am so happy that I've made your acquaintance and hope that the time may not be far away when we can meet under more peaceful conditions. Till then we must not lay down our weapons fighting for the best cause in the world. It has been such a help and inspiration for me to meet you …

They again agreed on a code so a message could be got to von Jagow. This time he was Jack!
12

Here Emily kept a few pages of Notes.
13
She was working hard and thriving on it:

Aug 15:
Came to London – saw Miss Forchhammer supped together – She told me all her mission.

Aug 16:
Went early to St Ermins to tell Miss Forchhammer she should try to see Archbishop – told her of my interview and correspondence with him and suggested that hers would endorse and verify what I had said. She agreed.

Went to UDC and saw Mr Buxton. Spoke to him of Negotiation work – and how to arrange meetings and speakers. He alluded to lack of money.

At 3 p.m. Dr. Markel called and we had a two hour talk. He spoke of our work for Civilian Camps. Of Dr. Taylor's Confession of Error – of Donnington Hall, of tiresomeness of the American Embassy, of the need of Peace. Wished to forward the Negotiations Memorial and offered me money up to £100 or £200 to organize meetings. Great faith in Dunnico [Secretary of the Peace Negotiations Committee of which Emily was a member].

After him came Mr Outhwaite to bring White Book and we chatted. Said that in this offensive (six weeks) 300,000 men and 10,000 officers were the casualities [still the Battle of the Somme].

Mr Hoover came and I dismissed Mr Outhwaite and went to receive him. Very nice – talked facts for one and a half hours a great strain on my ears and brain. Very clear and neutral.
14
Advised that I, an English woman, should write to help Belgium something to arouse the English Conscience. Left Reports …

Said peasantry better off – good harvest and fruit and veg – high prices. Said babies up to 3 yrs better and mortality reduced for well looked after. Said rich classes in good trim for various reasons. Burden falling on 5 millions of intermediate ‘petite bourgeoisie', and artizans [
sic
] and factory hands – especially on children from 5–16 and age of adolescence.

Confirmed what I had learned – Vital Statistics carefully tabulated tubercular trouble 600 per cent above normal.

They are now spending 1.6 million a month and only the 1 million is from the Belgian Government. Fears he won't be able to maintain the rest more than two or three months.

Can't get Allied Govts to let in more fats – need 10,000 tons a month, only allowed about 2,500 but hopes 3,200 next month. Has arranged at cost of £200,000 a month to give meals to school children in all the towns a good midday meal. Wants Sanatorium for tuberculosis – will try Rockefeller.

Said Germans kept letter of law often broke spirit – took fish of artificial ponds, took wool but left sheep – took half sugar produced at 35 cy (only 60,000) and sold in Germany for 3 frs. Left Belgium with half supply but this not under guarantee at the time.

No Belgian would work on the railways. Out of 80,000 employees to whom the Belgian Govent sent 30 frs a week thro' the Relief, only 250 would work for the Germans. Co-erced Labour not success. About five men a week shot in Brussels for Espionage technically correct because treason.

Spoke well of Captain Bruhn, a fine man. And well, but not so well, of von Lancken etc. Visé and Tirlmin quite destroyed. 800,000 cattle left in Belgium.

157 districts to which Relief Commission distribute supplies and then leave to Belgians. This necessary as they are not always fair to each other. People get 60 per cent of minimum necessity.

Spoke of difficulties with Belgian Government. Grey and Cecil humane – Kitchener impossible. Better now with Lloyd George.

Hard to find ships. Scrape up anywhere. Enormous prices for voyage to Rotterdam worst there is. Pay the cost of the vessel in two trips. Not ships enough and much much more. Feed on the basis of 5 frs per capita [a week?]. Had all the cereal harvest last year and again this …'

When Theodor Kocher received Emily's message, 23 August, he answered with an eye to the censor:
15

Today I got your message. We were so glad, my wife and I – as we had not heard from you such a long time. We found it very hot here in coming back from the mountains ten days ago. I did not hear from Henry since our return. But still I can not think he would have been able to go away being hard at work. I shall try and see him tomorrow. This would be a very fine scheme to go to your sea altogether. I hope your stay shall give you much benefit. I am happy to think you are not absolutely disappointed and send best wishes, which my wife joins. She sends her love to you. The holidays did much good to the children.

Yours T K.

Dr Kocher sent a little formal note off via Romberg to Jagow in the German Foreign Office [undated on file]:
16

Miss Emily Hobhouse says: The moment was inauspicious but the door was not entirely shut in her face. The matter was rather postponed awhile.

She asks: Is it possible to withdraw the prohibition made by Hr v. J. in writing and release her promise to respect it. If so she has reason to believe that something may be done very soon.

Sadly, for Emily the answer was ‘
Nein
' [No].
17
In the German Foreign Office they were probably well aware of the difficulties Emily was having.

And there was another disappointment. If Emily thought she had made some headway with Tom Newton her doubts were raised once again on 23 August when in answer to a question in the House from Sir Henry Dalziel, Liberal MP for Kilcaldy Burghs, Cecil said:

In the first place the Rt Hon. gentleman asked me whether any overtures for peace had been made to the British Government. I can say quite definitely and explicitly that no such overtures have been made. There is only one way in which overtures of peace can be made and that is by communication of the enemy governments to this Government. If any such communication had taken place the first thing we would have had to do would be to consult our Allies. No such overture has taken place of any kind …

Emily wrote hurriedly to Tom Newton:

Draft Confidential

Aug 24/16

Dear Lord Newton,
18

When I read Lord Robert's reply to Sir H Dalziel in the Times today I felt very uncomfortable.

I feel so sure that what von Jagow said to me was an indirect overture for peace but perhaps in my blundering way I did not make it clear to you. He said that as Germany has (and she believes she has) made two open pronouncements of her desire for peace and her readiness to enter into negotiations to arrange it – and has received only insults in reply (for this is her view) – therefore it is impossible for her to make another public move, it must come from our side now, but on the other hand she is ready and more than ready and desirous for peace – and, it is obvious would be very moderate in her terms.

Also he expressly answered Viscount Grey's remark when he said the first step towards peace would be when Germany recognized and acknowledged that the Allies are not beaten – von Jagow said that ‘they fully recognized that England was not defeated.'

It seems to me so horrible this massacre and misery when all the time the right hand of fellowship is ready for our grasp.

If only you could meet him privately I feel more and more sure you would together find a basis for public negotiation.

Forgive me for writing this but it is prompted by a feeling of responsibility as if I had not clearly conveyed what I believe undoubtedly was an indirect word of great import as regards their willingness.

Newton answered privately 27 August: ‘I think you must realise that, in view of my holding an official position, it is quite impossible for me to act as you suggest.'
19

To return to Ruhleben. Lord Newton recorded in his diary: ‘August 15: Hear that Asquith is in favour of letting all German civilians go, personally, and that Robertson [Army] is difficulty.'

In the following week Newton had interviews with both Asquith and Grey, Asquith claiming he knew nothing about the subject but was quite surprised to hear there was any opposition: ‘seemed sensible enough and in favour of it.'

Grey also promised support to let all prisoners over the age of 45 go free. Newton had pointed out that this was the only chance of getting anything done and noted in his diary that it remained to be seen if he, Grey, would ‘stick to it'.