Chapter XX: The Sham Blockade

SECRET SERVICE PROTEST AGAINST THE OPEN DOOR TO GERMANY--ACTIVITY OF OUR NAVAL ARM NULLIFIED--LORD NORTHCLIFFE'S PATRIOTISM--BLOCKADE BUNKUM--POSITION OF DENMARK--HUGE CONSIGNMENTS FOR GERMANY--THE DECLARATION FIASCO--BRITISH MINISTER'S GULLIBILITY IN COPENHAGEN--GERMAN BANK GUARANTEEING THE BRITISH AGAINST GOODS GOING TO GERMANY--BRITISH NAVY PARALYSED BY DIPLOMATIC AND POLITICAL FOLLY--STATISTICS EXTRAORDINARY--FLOUTING THE DECLARATION OF LONDON--SIR EDWARD GREY'S DILATORINESS AND PUERILE APOLOGIA--LORD HALDANE PUSHED OUT--LORD FISHER'S EFFICIENCY UNRECOGNISED--LORD DEVONPORT'S AMAZING FIGURES ON GERMAN IMPORTS--FURTHER STARTLING STATISTICS--BRITISH THE GREATEST MUDDLERS ON EARTH--NOBLE SERVICE BY AUSTRALIAN PREMIER, W. H. HUGHES--HOLLOW SHAM OF THE DANISH AGREEMENT AND THE NETHERLANDS OVERSEAS TRUST--BLOCKADE MINISTER, LORD ROBERT CECIL, AND HIS FEEBLE, FUTILE EFFORTS--MORE STATISTICS--THE TRIUMVIRATE--ASQUITH THE UNREADY, SIR EDWARD GREY THE IRRESOLUTE, AND LORD HALDANE THE FRIEND OF THE KAISER--DAVID LLOYD GEORGE THE SAVIOUR OF THE SITUATION--HOW HE PROVED HIMSELF A MAN--A NEGLECTED OPPORTUNITY 264

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