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VIII. Commercial Interests and German Diplomacy in the Agadir Crisis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 December 2010

Joanne Stafford Mortimer
Joanne Stafford Mortimer
Affiliation:
Muhlenberg College, Pennyslvania
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Extract

Germany's position among the great powers of Europe had endured numerous setbacks since 1890. No longer could the Germans look at a Europe in which most of the powers were closely associated with her while her rival, France, stood alone and isolated. In 1894 Russia had become an ally of France, in 1904 Great Britain had signed an agreement with the French, and in 1907 Russia and Great Britain had come to terms. After 1904 the probability of an Anglo-German rapprochement decreased. One of the principal items settled in the Anglo-French entente had been the future of Morocco. Great Britain had agreed that France might establish a protectorate in that area when the time seemed propitious. Furthermore, the French had also signed treaties with Italy and Spain concerning Morocco's future. But Germany, who had been a signatory of the Madrid Convention of 1880, the original agreement dealing with Morocco, had not even been officially notified, let alone consulted. Thus, Morocco had become a symbol of Germany's declining prestige.

Type
Articles
Information
The Historical Journal , Volume 10 , Issue 3 , 1967 , pp. 440 - 456
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1967

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References

1 Kiderlen to Metternich, Berlin, 30 June 1911 (tel.), no. 81, Die grosse Politik der europaische Kabinette, 1871–1914, ed. Lepsius, J., Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, A. and Thimme, F. (hereafter citedas GP) (Berlin, 1922–27), xxix, 155–6, no. 10579Google Scholar. Minute of Nicolson, London, 1 July 1911, British documents on the origins of the war, 1898–1914, ed. Gooch, G. P. and Temperley, H. (hereafter cited as BD) (London, 1926–28), vii, 322–3, no. 339Google Scholar.

2 Salis to Grey, Berlin, 2 July 1911 (tel.), no. 42, ibid. pp. 321–5, no. 343.

3 Minute of Crowe on ibid. p. 325, no. 344.

4 Memorandum [Langwerth von Simmern and Zimmerman], 3 May 1911, Germany, Auswartiges Amt, Microcopy T-120, National Archives, Washington, D.C. (hereafter cited as GFM; numerals refer to serial and frame), Frankreich 102, secretis., Bd. 6, Document No. AS 724.

5 That territory in Africa, specifically the Congo, would be acceptable so long as it was of large enough extent became clear in the conversations between Kiderlen and J. Cambon on 13 and 14 July (Cambon to Selves, Berlin, 13 July 1911 (tel.), no. 328, 329; Selves to Cambon, Paris, 13 July 1911 (tel.), no. 452; Selves to Cambon, Paris, 14 July 1911, Documents diplomatiques français (hereafter cited as DDF) (Paris, 1956), 2ndser. xiv, 62–4, no. 65; 61–2, no. 64; 66–7, no. 68).

6 See Pick, F. W., Searchlight on Agadir, the diaries and papers of Dr W. C. Regendanz (London, 1939)Google Scholar, and Vagts, A., ‘M. M. Warburg and Co.: ein Bankhaus in der deutschen Weltpolitik 1905–1933’, Vierteljahrschrift für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte, Bd. 45 (Sept. 1958), Heft 3, pp. 289–388Google Scholar. The former contains excerpts from the papers and diary of Dr Regendanz. The material is so entwined with commentary that it is often difficult to tell where fact stops and opinion begins.

7 Memorandum of conversation between Langwerth von Simmern and Regendanz, 9 May 1911, Berlin, 10 May 1911, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., i, A754, 8239/H200201–3.

8 Memorandum [Langwerth von Simmern and Zimmermann], 30 May 1911, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 20, AS853, 8232/H199230–46.

9 Regendanz to Langwerth, Hamburg, 18 May 1911, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., i, AS 806 8239/H 200204–7.

10 Memorandum 30 May 1911, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 20, AS853, 8232/H199230–46.

11 Ibid.

12 Ibid.

13 Memorandum, 12 June 1911, GFM. Marokko 4, 191, A9321, 8231/H199161–2.

14 J. Cambon to Cruppi, Berlin, 12 June 1911 [L. particulière, Secret], DDF, xiii, 651–2, no. 352.

15 Kiderlen to Zimmermann, Kissingen, 16 June 1911, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 1, AS 930, 8239/H 200224–30.

16 Langwerth von Simmern to Regendanz, Berlin, 17 June 1911 (tel.), ibid. A9622, 8239/H 200223.

17 Pick, op. cit. pp. 9–15. Hamburg firms to Auswartige Amt, Hamburg, 21 June 1911, ibid. AS 947, 8239/H 200232–42.

18 The contents of the document which the men signed was kept secret from them. It was not until 2 July that Regendanz explained its purpose to them (Regendanz to Langwerth, Hamburg, 2 July 1911, ibid. AS 1029, 8239/H200272–5).

19 Pick, op. cit. p. 12.

20 Zimmermann to Regendanz, Berlin, 29 June 1911, GFM, Marokko 4 secretis., 1, AS 978, 8239/H 200257–28.

21 For example, the first letters of the first words in each sentence of the third telegram spelled out the point of rendezvous, agadir.

22 Regendanz to Wilberg, Hamburg, 23 June 1911, Streng geheim, ibid. AS954, 8239/ H200247–50.

23 When the ministry of Marine was contacted, they claimed that they had only one gunboat available for duty off Agadir.

24 Wilberg to Regendanz, Agadir, 7 July 1911, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 2, AS 1237, 8239/H 200247–50.

25 Regendanz explained that he had not contacted Maur personally for he felt that since Maur was German consul he should know as little as possible about the situation (Regendanz to Wilberg, Hamburg, 23 June 1911, Streng geheim, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 1, AS954, 8239/H 200247–50).

26 Telegram from Berlin, no. 20, 7 July via S. Cruz, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 22, AS 1097, 8232/H199272–3. The Berlin and the Panther alternated off the port of Agadir.

27 Kiderlen to Regendanz, Berlin, 17 July 1911 (tel.), no. 6465, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 2, AS1184, 8239/H200360–61.

28 Regendanz to Kiderlen, Hamburg, 18 July 1911, ibid. AS1196, 8239/H 200366–9.

29 Among others: Seckendorff to Bethmann-Hollweg, Tangier, 17 July 1911; Wilberg to Regendanz, Agadir, 19 July 1911; Wilberg to Maur, Agadir, 7 July 1911; Seckendorff to Bethmann-Hollweg, Tangier, 21 July 1911; telegram from Berlin, 21 July 1911; telegram from Panther, 21 July 1911 (ibid. AS1244, 8239/H200394–5; AS1294, 8239/H200431–5; AS 1277, 8239/H200422–5; AS1218, 8239/H200386; AS 1217, 8239/H200384–5).

30 Regendanz to Langwerth, Hamburg, 2 July 1911, and same to same, Hamburg, 4 July 1911, ibid. AS1029, AS1053, 8239/H200272–5 and H200281–2.

31 Langwerth to Regendanz, Berlin, 5 July 1911, ibid. AS 1053, 8239/H200284.

32 Regendanz to Langwerth, Hamburg, 5 July 1911, ibid. AS1068, 8239/H200287–90.

33 Regendanz to Langwerth, Hamburg, 10 July 1911, and same to same, Hamburg, 12 July 1911, ibid. AS1140, AS1150, 8239/H 200330–4, 8239/H 200347–9. This contradicts Pick who says that the agricultural possibilities were great, but that the ‘hopes entertained for easily accessible veins of ore, especially near Mogador, must be considered as having been shattered by recent experience’. Pick, p. 23. He has taken one sentence from one of four areas Regandanz discusses in his survey of mineral possibilities and applied it to mining prospects of the entire region.

34 Regendanz to Langwerth, Hamburg, 10 July 1911, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 2, AS 1140, 8239/H 200330–4.

35 Memorandum of Marokko-Mannesmann Co., Berlin, 7 July 1911, GFM, Marokko 4, secrets., 22, AS1119, 8232/H199282–5.

36 Thyssen to Auswartige Amt, 11 July 1911, GFM, Marokko 4, 193, AS1001, 8231/ H199208.

37 Hamburg merchants to Auswartige Amt, Hamburg, 11 July 1911, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 2, AS 1137, 8239/H200323–9.

38 Warburg to Kiderlen, Hamburg, 13 July 1911, Kiderlen to Warburg, Berlin, 15 July 1911, AS1157, no. 6443, ibid. 8239/H200352–5 and H200355–6.

39 Cambon to Selves, Berlin, 21 July 1911 (tel.), nos. 341, 342, 343, DDF, 2nd ser. xiv, 93–5. no. 90.

40 Kiderlen to Metternich, Berlin, 23 July 1911 (tel.), no. 98, GFM, England, 78, secretis., 26, AS 1229, UCI/Reel 63.

41 Memorandum (Langwerth and Zimmermann), 21 July 1911, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 22, AS1221, 8232/H199303–13.

42 See Jackh, E., Kiderlen-Waechter der Staatsmann und Mensch (Stuttgart, 1925), ii, 203–4Google Scholar.

43 Cambon to Selves, Berlin, 24 July 1911, no. 348, DDF, 2nd ser., xiv, 101–3, no. 97.

44 Selves to Cambon, Paris, 25 July 1911 (tel.), no. 405, ibid. p. 109, no. 101.

45 Telegram of Panther out of S. Cruz de Tenerife, 21 July 1911, no. 26, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 2, 8239/H200384–5; telegram of Berlin, 21 July 1911, ibid. AS 1218, 8239/H200386.

46 Kiderlen to Berlin, 21 July 1911, ibid.

47 Seckendorffto Bethmann-Hollweg, Tangier, 25 July 1911, no. 261, ibid. 8239/H 200440–7.

48 Regendanz to Kiderlen, Westerland-Aylt, 30 July 1911, ibid. AS 1294, 8239/H200430.

49 Wilberg to Regendanz, Agadir, 1 Aug. 1911, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 23, AS1451, 8232/H199329–31.

50 Seckendorff to Bethmann-Hollweg, Tangier, 30 July 1911, no. 272, Seckendorff to Auswartige Amt, Tangier, 15 Aug. 1911 (tel.), no. 141, ibid. 8232/1–1199320 and H199323.

51 Note of Kiderlen on ibid.

52 Memorandum (Langwerth), Berlin, 9 Aug. 1911, ibid. AS1387, 8232/H 199319–20.

53 Hamburg merchants to Kiderlen, Hamburg, 20 Aug. 1911, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 24, AS 13297, 8232/H 199342–9.

54 Langwerth to Warburg, Berlin, 19 Aug. 1911, ibid. AS 1486, 8232/H199335–8.

55 Warburg to Langwerth, Hamburg, 21 Aug. 1911, ibid. AS1515, 8232/H 199339; Pick, op. cit. 36–7.

56 Kiderlen to Seckendorff, Berlin, Aug. 23 1911, no. 89, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 23, AS 1527, 8232/H 199341.

57 Cambon to Selves, Berlin, 4 Sept. 1911 (tel.), no. 432, 433, DDF, 2nd ser., xiv, 336–7, no. 254.

58 Memorandum (Langwerth), 7 Sept. 1911, GP, xxix, 364–5, no. 10735.

59 Melchior to Regendanz, Hamburg, 29 Aug. 1911, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 26, AS 15384, 8232/H199449.

60 Regendanz to Melchior, Agadir, 16 Sept. 1911, Melchior to Kiderlen, Hamburg, 28 Sept. 1911, ibid. A15384, 8232/H 199452–55.

61 Regendanz to Melchior, Agadir, 18 Sept. 1911 (enclosure in Melchior to Zimmermann, Hamburg, 6 Oct. 1911), GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 27, A15918, 8232/H 199478–93.

62 Ibid.

63 Ibid.

64 Ibid.

65 Cambon to Selves, Berlin, 4 Oct. 1911, no. 507, 508 (tel.); same to same, Berlin, 4 Oct. 1911, no. 510 (tel.); same to same, Berlin, 6 Oct. 1911, no. 517, 518, 519 (tel.); same to same, Berlin, 8 Oct. 1911, no. 525 (tel.); same to same, Berlin, 11 Oct. 1911, no. 533, 534, 535, 536, 537, 538, 539 (tel.); Bethmann-Hollweg to William II, Berlin, ii Oct. 1911, no. 76 (tel.); DDF, 2nd ser., xiv, 582–3, no. 393; 585–6, no. 396; 604–5, no. 407; 608–9, no. 410; 628–9, no. 422; GP, xxix, 397–8, no. 10761.

66 Pick states that the change in attitude in the Wilhelmstrasse was caused by Regendanz's reports (op. cit. p. 79). The sequence of events seems to invalidate this conclusion.

67 Ibid. p. 82.

68 Regendanz to Langwerth, Hamburg, 7 Nov. 1911, GFM, Marokko 4, secretis., 28, A18106, 8232/H199547.

69 Speeches of Hertling, Heydebrand, and Bassermann, 9 Nov. 1911, Stenographische Berichte, vol. 268, pp. 7716–38.

70 Speech of Bethmann, 9 Nov. 1911, ibid. pp. 7754–6.