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Show HERTLING AIMS NOT FOR PEACE i I Foreign Diplomats See Threefold Three-fold Plan in German Chancellor's Chan-cellor's Speech. CREATE ALLIED BREAK Hopes to Impress Public Opinion Opin-ion in Germany and Abroad in Favor of Rulers. PARIS. Feb. 2G The concensus of opinion in - official and diplomatic circles cir-cles concerning Count von Hcrtling's speech is that it is a "war speech." not a "peace speech." A high official of the foreign office informs the Associated Press that the ' aims of von Hertling's oration were three-fold. First, ho desired to create a division between the allies, especially between the Anglo-Saxon group and the Latin group. Second, he wanted to stimulate peace talk in allied and neutral countries coun-tries in an effort to bring about another an-other "Brest-Litovsk." Third, the chancellor's maneuver was expected to impress public opinion opin-ion in Germany and abroad that military mili-tary officials do not rule Germany, but that tho diplomats and politicians have the upper hand. Trying to Deceive the United States. "Count von Hertling has failed to understand President Wilson's speeches," this official said. "Ho has Interpreted as if thoy had been written by himself. The offer mado to Belgium Bel-gium to state her terms is only for 1 the purpose of influencing public opin-. ion in the United States which Germany Ger-many knows is fighting for no other purpose than to redress the wrongs' committed against Belgium, As the treatment of Belgium was the most flagrant and initial wrong perpetrated by Germany, the chancellor thinks that by restoring a semblance of liberty liber-ty in Belgium he will thereby separate America and Great Britain from the Latin allies. "By stimulating peace talk among the allied countries von Hertling hopes that one among them may be brought to sit at a conference similar to that at Brest-Litovsk. Tho voice is that of von Hertling, but it Is the hand of von Hindenburg." ' The imperial chancellor, it was added, add-ed, also wished to minimize the unfavorable un-favorable impression at homo and abroad that the military rulers rule Germany and to create a feeling that the military has been relegated to a secondary position and that Germany was now willing to meet the allies in the diplomatic and political field. Tho official concluded: "It seems to be a treacherous move on tho part of von Hertling to secure a respite In the west and give military leaders sufficient time to consolidate the ephemeral success In Russia " A Belgian diplomatic official told the Associated Press that Belgium probably would not begin to respond to von Hcrtling's brutal and undiplomatic undiplo-matic request. He said: B?,ans to, Remain Silent. Dignified silence is the best reply to tho undignified and thoroughly German Ger-man proposal. This is tho second time that Germany has offered openly a separate peaco to Belgium. Onco be-fore be-fore i in 1014, after the fall of Llogo, a similar proposal met with an emphatic emphat-ic rebuff from tho Belgian government and f any reply 13 vouchsafed by the Belgian government now it will bo equally as emphatic. It is Belgium's imaltcrab e decision to remain staunch to Its nllies, friends and protectors." I |