Although a meeting was agreed upon in spite of the bombastic [Wilhelm II](https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryMemes/s/7NoI8IGCes), haggling over the conference ensued between both Paris & Berlin. Once more Jusserand and Sternberg fretted that war impended. Just before the negotiations broke down, however, Roosevelt sliced through the bickering with several bold strokes of a pencil. He scribbled, “The two Governments consent to go to the conference with no program, and to discuss there all questions in regard to Morocco, save of course where either is in honor bound by a previous agreement with another power.” He gave this note to Sternberg and a copy to Jusserand; the statement-and the fact that it came from Roosevelt, respected by both sides as an honest broker-provided just the impetus to break the deadlock. The conference itself commenced at Algeciras in Spain during the third week of January 1906. Theodore Roosevelt attended only in spirit but continued to mediate between France and Germany through the agency of Jusserand and Sternberg, both of whom he held in the highest regard.
By contrast, he considered the British ambassador, Mortimer Durand, hopeless. “He seems to have a brain of about eight-guinea-pig-power. Why, under Heaven the English keep him here I do not know! If they do not care for an Ambassador, then abolish the embassy; but it is useless to have a worthy creature of mutton-suet consistency like the good Sir Mortimer.” Further on, Roosevelt lamented, “Oh Lord, what a difference it would make if Spring Rice were here as Ambassador!” In acting as go-between, the president generally spoke with Jusserand directly, while Sternberg and the Kaiser preferred getting their messages in writing. Roosevelt spent the better part of two months reassuring Wilhelm II that a settlement at Algeciras made more sense than a breakdown of negotiations and a likely war. On February 19 the president offered a four-point plan; Wilhelm accepted three points but rejected the fourth.
When finally, in mid-March, Wilhelm seemed to have dug himself into a position from which diplomatic niceties didn’t appear likely to dislodge him, Roosevelt tried something more forceful. He threatened to publish the entire correspondence between himself and Wilhelm, which, he intimated to Sternberg, would cast Germany’s honor and good faith in a bad light. On the other hand, if the emperor could find it possible to come to terms, Roosevelt would keep the correspondence confidential and go out of his way to give Wilhelm credit for wisdom and graciousness. The conference nominally confirmed Morocco’s independence and the principle of equality for all comers commercially; but France got control of Morocco’s state bank, and France and Spain authority over Morocco’s police. While the great powers avoided war in 1906, Algeciras demonstrated Germany’s isolation and left Wilhelm feeling more put upon than ever.
Source: T.R., The Last Romantic, pages 576-578
Rogerboie on
Damn even Swedish is involved!
Justin_123456 on
I assume that’s the Khedive of Egypt and Sultan of Morocco in the background.
Classic high imperialism.
GB: “We’re taking over Egypt.”
French: “What! No, fuck off! We were supposed to share.”
GB: “Ughhh .. don’t worry, you can have Morocco. Morocco’s nice. Yes, yes, we’ve been allies of the Sultan for 100 years, specifically to stop your annexation, but things … ah … change.”
Germany: “And what do we get?”
GB/France: ….
Germany: Remember, we all got together for that holiday in Berlin, and decided to make it a rule that if someone wants to invade and occupy a country, then we all have to get together to make sure everyone is ok with it, and gets compensated?
GB/France: Errr….
Germany: “Hey, you guys wouldn’t use me and the Conference system when you want to keep the Russians out of the Straits, but then completely flake on your own system when you’re conquering new territories?”. Guys …. Guys …. Where you going? Hey, where you going guys? “
3 Comments
Although a meeting was agreed upon in spite of the bombastic [Wilhelm II](https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryMemes/s/7NoI8IGCes), haggling over the conference ensued between both Paris & Berlin. Once more Jusserand and Sternberg fretted that war impended. Just before the negotiations broke down, however, Roosevelt sliced through the bickering with several bold strokes of a pencil. He scribbled, “The two Governments consent to go to the conference with no program, and to discuss there all questions in regard to Morocco, save of course where either is in honor bound by a previous agreement with another power.” He gave this note to Sternberg and a copy to Jusserand; the statement-and the fact that it came from Roosevelt, respected by both sides as an honest broker-provided just the impetus to break the deadlock. The conference itself commenced at Algeciras in Spain during the third week of January 1906. Theodore Roosevelt attended only in spirit but continued to mediate between France and Germany through the agency of Jusserand and Sternberg, both of whom he held in the highest regard.
By contrast, he considered the British ambassador, Mortimer Durand, hopeless. “He seems to have a brain of about eight-guinea-pig-power. Why, under Heaven the English keep him here I do not know! If they do not care for an Ambassador, then abolish the embassy; but it is useless to have a worthy creature of mutton-suet consistency like the good Sir Mortimer.” Further on, Roosevelt lamented, “Oh Lord, what a difference it would make if Spring Rice were here as Ambassador!” In acting as go-between, the president generally spoke with Jusserand directly, while Sternberg and the Kaiser preferred getting their messages in writing. Roosevelt spent the better part of two months reassuring Wilhelm II that a settlement at Algeciras made more sense than a breakdown of negotiations and a likely war. On February 19 the president offered a four-point plan; Wilhelm accepted three points but rejected the fourth.
When finally, in mid-March, Wilhelm seemed to have dug himself into a position from which diplomatic niceties didn’t appear likely to dislodge him, Roosevelt tried something more forceful. He threatened to publish the entire correspondence between himself and Wilhelm, which, he intimated to Sternberg, would cast Germany’s honor and good faith in a bad light. On the other hand, if the emperor could find it possible to come to terms, Roosevelt would keep the correspondence confidential and go out of his way to give Wilhelm credit for wisdom and graciousness. The conference nominally confirmed Morocco’s independence and the principle of equality for all comers commercially; but France got control of Morocco’s state bank, and France and Spain authority over Morocco’s police. While the great powers avoided war in 1906, Algeciras demonstrated Germany’s isolation and left Wilhelm feeling more put upon than ever.
Source: T.R., The Last Romantic, pages 576-578
Damn even Swedish is involved!
I assume that’s the Khedive of Egypt and Sultan of Morocco in the background.
Classic high imperialism.
GB: “We’re taking over Egypt.”
French: “What! No, fuck off! We were supposed to share.”
GB: “Ughhh .. don’t worry, you can have Morocco. Morocco’s nice. Yes, yes, we’ve been allies of the Sultan for 100 years, specifically to stop your annexation, but things … ah … change.”
Germany: “And what do we get?”
GB/France: ….
Germany: Remember, we all got together for that holiday in Berlin, and decided to make it a rule that if someone wants to invade and occupy a country, then we all have to get together to make sure everyone is ok with it, and gets compensated?
GB/France: Errr….
Germany: “Hey, you guys wouldn’t use me and the Conference system when you want to keep the Russians out of the Straits, but then completely flake on your own system when you’re conquering new territories?”. Guys …. Guys …. Where you going? Hey, where you going guys? “