Chapter 22 : Allegiances

Eyre Crowe leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands together under his chin. The deep furrows on his forehead were pulled inwards and down as he contemplated the two dispatches spread out on his desk. One was the letter from Major Samson, written before he had left Athens. Crowe did not know what to make of it. It did not sound like Samson at all. There was an undercurrent of fatalism in the letter which was abhorrent to Crowe. What had happened in Athens, he wondered? Crowe knew he would soon have to face Nicolson with the news of the failure of Samson’s mission: “put as much trust in Venizelos as you can afford; as little as you dare.” What sort of advice was that? Crowe rocked forward and picked up the second letter, which was from Sir Francis Elliot:

“Athens,

11 July 1913

My dear Crowe,

                I have just received the news about Samson, which has come as a great shock to me. What he was doing near the battlefield, I cannot imagine. It will remain a mystery until I am able to interview him personally, and that may take some time. All I know is that the Major was taken to the Greek Army field hospital in Avret Hissar with a severe bullet wound. It was here he was identified as a British officer. This was fortuitous, as he was then given special treatment. His lot would have been a grave one had he been placed among the ranks of wounded Greeks. He was fortunate also that Professor Geroulanos, one of the most eminent surgeons in Athens, had generously and bravely volunteered his services to serve in the temporary military hospital which was set up just behind the lines. Although, as you are no doubt aware, the complete rout of the Bulgarians took place further east, it was at Avret Hissar that the advance was first turned back. The town was, I am assured, fairly comprehensively destroyed as a result of the fierce Bulgarian shelling before their lines broke but the hospital itself was undamaged. So Samson was doubly lucky; I doubt that any other surgeon in this region could have saved the Major’s life, as his lung was punctured and he had bled profusely. He is not yet out of danger and I anticipate he will spend many months recuperating.

                The war continues to go exceedingly well for the Greeks and I fear that, following the Roumanian mobilization last week, the collapse of the Bulgarian Army will soon ensue. In the absence of the Ambassador, Marling is trying his best to deter the Turks from capitalizing on the situation, though I personally believe it will prove impossible to restrain Enver Pasha. The dangers presented by an enlarged Greece are manifest, and I expect we will find an outbreak of irredentism following the latest victories. Constantine has covered himself in military glory and will have greatly strengthened his position as a result. I anticipate that, unless his advisers can protect him from the more rabid elements in the General Staff, an eventual clash with Venizelos will become an inevitability. Quadt has been very subdued since the outbreak of the fighting. There are persistent rumours that he was forced to disappoint Colonel Metaxas in some way. I believe Samson knew more of this but I cannot spare anyone at present to travel to Salonica to interview him. As soon as he returns to Athens to convalesce I will arrange for a meeting. My official dispatch goes off tomorrow.”

Once Elliot’s dispatch was received in London, Crowe would have some explaining to do. The man he had carefully selected for this delicate mission had failed comprehensively. Or had he? Crowe re-read Samson’s letter, hoping that it would reveal something he had missed previously, and which he could use in his defence. Samson mentioned an ‘extensive dossier’ now destroyed: had it in fact been destroyed? If so, could it be rewritten from memory? This was at best a slim possibility; in any event Samson was currently too ill to attempt such a reconstruction and Crowe needed help immediately. There was only one crumb of comfort: “It should be possible to make capital out of a policy split in Berlin if one genuinely exists. I leave such calculations up to you.” Crowe knew from his talks with Kühlmann at the German Embassy that the Foreign Office in Berlin was content with Greek neutrality in any future conflict; the Ottoman Empire featured larger in their plans. If Samson was right and Wilhelm was advocating closer ties with Athens, it could only be through the agency of King Constantine. The split in Berlin therefore would be mirrored by a split in Athens: Kaiser and Foreign Secretary in the former; King and Premier in the latter. Samson may be right after all — the question of trust was irrelevant.

                Rather than await upon events Crowe decided it would be better to anticipate them, and this could be achieved by fostering the development of a split. He could make sure that word reached Berlin that official British policy was to support Venizelos at all costs; what he needed was someone who could place the suggestion in Constantine’s ear that, in certain circumstances, Venizelos was not indispensable. If the Premier and the King could be set against each other it might leave them no time or opportunity to indulge in pet projects. What Crowe lacked was a conduit. He opened a folder and perused the list of Legation personnel: Elliot, Beaumont, Rendel, Goodhart. They were all, from the reports he had received, too close to Venizelos. What of Montgomery-Cuninghame, the Military Attaché? That might work, although from what he had heard, the Colonel was a bit dim. Crowe flicked over the page to the Naval Mission, with Admiral Tufnell at the top of the list. The Under-Secretary paused: was not Tufnell to be replaced?

                He called down to the Registry for the latest correspondence with the Legation. In the copy letters for June he found what he was looking for: the proposal by Churchill to send Admiral Kerr in Tufnell’s place. The mention of the Admiral’s name would not normally have excited any comment within the Office. Crowe himself had only the vaguest recollection of the Admiralty correspondence and had thought nothing untoward of it at the time. But, as he sat staring at the copy letter, the name began slowly to emerge from the haze which surrounded it and come into sharp focus. Was there not some question of Kerr being the Kaiser’s dupe? He lifted the receiver of his telephone and called down to Reynolds, one of the senior clerks, who had been a senior clerk for as long as Crowe could remember. Reynolds, Crowe knew, took a personal interest in naval affairs and possessed a memory to rival or better his own.

                ‘Reynolds, what do you know of Admiral Mark Kerr? Am I right in thinking he has some connexion with the German Emperor? I seem to recall an incident a few years ago … ’

                ‘Corfu,’ Reynolds replied without hesitating.

                ‘That was it! In … ’

                ‘Nineteen-eight; just after the Daily Telegraph affair. As soon as the interview was published and the storm broke around him, Wilhelm decamped to his sister’s villa on Corfu to escape. Whether he was politely requested to absent himself from Berlin in the wake of the outcry we were never quite sure. It was thought, though, that at the very least he would be brooding following the failure of his ploy and, as you are aware, in such moods he tends to become morose and more loose-tongued. Sir Edward was still learning the ropes then and, if I remember correctly, it was a suggestion from your predecessor that a well-timed visit by a British naval officer might take advantage of the Emperor’s melancholy. After a quick trawl through Admiralty records we came up with Kerr’s name. Not only did he know the Emperor personally but Wilhelm was godfather to Kerr’s daughter. I can’t recall the precise details but I do remember that the Admiral — or Captain, as he then was — was rather a disappointment. Let me check the files and return to you.’

                Crowe replaced the received and only then noticed that he had been absent-mindedly writing Kerr’s name all over his blotter. Could the Admiral succeed this time where Samson had failed? As Crowe continued to circle Kerr’s name, Sir Arthur Nicolson appeared, dwarfed by the enormous door surround. Crowe looked up as the Permanent Under-Secretary spoke: ‘Sir Edward would like to see us both.’ Nicolson then waved the paper he was carrying. ‘Have you seen this? The Russians have proposed mediation.’

                ‘That must mean the Turks are getting ready to move. What will our policy be if they cross the Tchatalja lines?’

                ‘Studied disdain. I, for one, would welcome it if they could retake Adrianople. If they are to be confined to Stamboul and its suburbs it makes it all the easier for the Russians eventually to dislodge them. You know my personal sympathies better than anyone, but it does not extend to having the Tsar hold sway over the Bosphorus. Sir Edward feels the same way.’

                ‘You realize that will mean Bulgaria is lost to us?’

                Sir Arthur smiled ruefully: ‘We cannot lose something we never had!’

                The telephone rang. Nicolson frowned while Crowe asked for him to wait a moment.

                ‘Crowe? It’s Reynolds. I have the information. Kerr was an utter dud. Far from getting anything useful from Wilhelm while the Emperor had his defences down, he only succeeded in coming away with a daintily coloured diagram, done by Wilhelm himself, purporting to show that the German Fleet in 1920 would consist of no more than seventeen battleships in full commission! Kerr fell for it, hook, line and sinker. Fisher was furious. I’ll wager Kerr did more to revive Wilhelm’s spirits than the restorative climate of the island. Unfortunately, Kerr didn’t see it this way and it has given him an inflated opinion of his worth. Ever since, he has been in the habit of writing letters to Cabinet Ministers giving his views on the international situation. I believe Sir Edward himself has been the recipient of such a missive. It appears to me as if he requires careful handling. Why do you want to know?’ It was typical of the Admiralty, Crowe thought, to employ such an unsuitable character in such an important posting.

                Sir Arthur patiently tapped the latest dispatch from the Ambassador in St Petersburg against his thigh in an unconscious movement, which was nevertheless all too apparent to Crowe. ‘Not now, Reynolds.’

                ‘Something important?’ Sir Arthur inquired as Crowe replaced the receiver.

                ‘No, Sir Arthur, a personal matter.’

                Nicolson emitted a low grunt: there was no need to say anything to Crowe, though he would perhaps have mentioned something to one of the other Under-Secretaries. Together they entered the Foreign Secretary’s room. Sir Edward had his back to them, studying the large wall map. Nicolson coughed. Grey did not acknowledge their presence. ‘This map has only just been replaced after the last boundary changes following the signing of the Treaty and already it is out of date. If the latest dispatches are accurate the game is just about up for the Bulgarians. That means a new Treaty and a new map. Tell me, Arthur, now that we know enough to affix numbers to these conflicts, do you anticipate a Third Balkan War?’

                ‘Once the Turks make their move, as I’m sure they will, further Bulgarian resistance will be futile. Look at the map — while it is still current!’ Nicolson ran his gnarled hand over the map, calmly explaining how, with an enfeebled Bulgaria and an enlarged Serbia, Greece and Turkey, an equilibrium of sorts would be achieved.

                Grey sighed: ‘So the situation remains more or less the same as when we last examined it: a kind of stable instability. And, as nothing has changed, so I am still in the dark about our friend, Venizelos. However, with the Greeks occupying Macedonia it is more important than ever that we keep them on side. Look at this latest letter from Bertie: “The more territory Greece can squeeze out of Bulgaria the better. Greece will be more get-at-able than Bulgaria, and can be used as a block against a seizure of Constantinople by Bulgaria on her own account or on behalf of Russia later on.” Doesn’t he think I know that? You know he considers himself a law unto himself; he’ll be telling the French the same thing. Just when Venizelos is desperate to raise a loan in Paris which will give the French a lever to pull whenever they like. Have you heard from your agent yet?’ Grey asked, turning to Crowe.

                The Under-Secretary showed no sign of hesitation. ‘There has been some trouble, Sir Edward. I have not yet received a full report, but I have been informed privately that Major Samson has been seriously injured in the fighting.’

                The Foreign Secretary looked non-plussed. ‘I thought his mission was in Athens? How has he become involved in the fighting?’

                ‘That I have yet to establish. Samson is still too weak to be interviewed. I do know, however, that he was making headway with his investigation. In the meantime, there is one thing that occurs to me. We have received indications that there is a divergence of views in Berlin as to how to treat Greece. I believe it would be in our interests to play on this fact. It should be a fairly simple matter, now that Constantine’s prestige has been so enhanced on the battlefield, to let him know that we are not wholeheartedly committed to supporting Venizelos.’

                ‘How does that benefit us?’ Grey inquired.

                ‘From what I have been able to ascertain, Constantine has taken to heart the prophecy … ’

                Nicolson interrupted: ‘If I may remind you, Sir Edward, that when a Constantine is on the throne Greece will regain Constantinople.’

                ‘Precisely,’ Crowe continued. ‘The Russians will never stand for it for one; and the German Emperor, if he supports his brother-in-law, will never be able to square the Turks. Venizelos however is more the pragmatist. He might dream of Constantinople but he aspires to Smyrna. Our best hope is to keep them at each other’s throats.’

                ‘And on that hope we are to base our Balkan policy?’ The pitch of Grey’s voice rose slightly.

                ‘I am afraid there is little more we can do. The Third Battle Squadron has been withdrawn from the Adriatic, leaving only the battle cruisers at Malta to cover the whole of the Mediterranean. Everything else, as you know, has been concentrated in the North Sea.’

                ‘I do not need reminding of that short-sighted policy.’ The Foreign Office defeat by the Admiralty still rankled.

                ‘We simply,’ Crowe confirmed, ‘have no means to impose our will if the Admiralty refuse to sanction a further temporary detachment of their North Sea strength.’

                ‘Could we not,’ inquired Nicolson, ‘entertain the idea of a grand cruise, or perhaps the autumn naval manoeuvres, in the Mediterranean? I know that Milne is certainly keen on the prestige value of showing the flag.’

                Grey shook his head. ‘It might impress the locals, however I fear it will be seen as a sign of weakness in Berlin and Petersburg. I am not sure I like the idea of divide and conquer. We had best wait for the outcome of the war to be settled. And I do not want another conference held here; let them chose somewhere in their own backyard this time. Also, let Marling know that, without giving them carte blanche, we will not look unfavourably upon the Turks retaking Adrianople — if they are capable.’ Grey turned back to stare at the map.

Eyre Crowe read Samson’s last letter again; he knew something was not right. Samson had never let him down before. But what he could not get out of his mind was the choice of Admiral Kerr. Reynolds had sent up a full dossier on the Admiral, and the more Crowe studied it, the greater was his unease. Logic told him that the choice was due to Kerr’s existing friendship with the Greek King which, the Admiralty perhaps thought, might be the best way to avoid the trouble which had arisen over Admiral Tufnell’s less than successful mission. However, Crowe understood only too well that logic was a useful tool in philosophy and mathematics, but was often found wanting when human motivation was involved. And this was one of those occasions. He knew that Churchill was up to something: but what? When would Churchill learn that foreign policy was the sole province of the Foreign Office? Look at the trouble which had arisen over the senseless overture to Italy the previous year. It was only with the greatest of difficulty that an international incident had been avoided and the result now was that Italy had renewed her membership of the Triple Alliance.

                Reluctantly, for he felt he had no choice, Crowe drafted a letter to Samson. The possibility of a new posting, requested by the Major, was out of the question while he convalesced. In any event, it would be some weeks before Kerr arrived in Athens, by which time Samson might have recuperated sufficiently to undertake one final mission in Athens.

Admiral Mark Kerr emerged from the taxi, paid off the driver, adjusted his collar, and walked into the Admiralty Building. He was shown to the First Lord’s room, where Churchill and Battenberg awaited him. As he entered, Battenberg strode forward, arm outstretched: ‘My dear Kerr, a pleasure, as always, to see you. I believe you met the First Lord in Portsmouth last year.’

                ‘Yes,’ piped up Churchill, ‘the Admiral and I are already acquainted. A novel idea that of yours, Kerr — no battleships in the North Sea. I put it to my advisers. Their views are obviously not as forward looking as yours! Are you going to try a similar approach in the Aegean?’

                ‘I have studied the requirements, First Lord. I fancy my recommendation will be as welcome to the Greek Premier as my other ideas were to your advisers. No capital ships — but flotillas of lighter, more manoeuvrable craft, and plenty of submarines of course.’

                The First Lord of the Admiralty shook his head: ‘I am sure it makes sense, but the Greeks will never hear of it. Not while the Turks have a super-dreadnought building at Barrow.’

                ‘They might, if I can show them how, at a fraction of the cost, they can match and overcome such a vessel.’

                Churchill cast a knowing glance at Battenberg before continuing: ‘And you have been fully informed of your duties?’

                ‘I will do my best to impress upon His Majesty the folly of aligning too closely with Germany,’ Kerr intoned.

                Churchill nodded. ‘There is something else. While in Athens, I would be grateful if you could ascertain the precise role of a Major Samson, who styles himself the Assistant Military Attaché. You will be discreet — and do not become carried away with your task. Remember also, your allegiance is to this service. That is an order you would do well to remember at all times. Good luck.’

                Battenberg showed Kerr to the door after the short interview, closed it and leant back on it as he extracted a cigarette. ‘Well?’

                ‘I wish I had more confidence in your choice, Louis.’

                ‘Kerr will not let us down.’

                ‘You should pray that he does not.’

After the disastrous opening to their campaign, the Bulgarian army was beaten back ever further by the Greeks and Serbs. Fully committed thus, Enver Pasha seized his chance and ordered Turkish troops to cross the Tchatalja Lines and march on Adrianople. The Roumanians, sensing the opportunity afforded by the egregious miscalculation of the Bulgarian General Staff, mobilized their forces. On all fronts now the Bulgarians were being pushed back, past the blood soaked ground they had only recently conquered, past the villages they had only recently laid waste, past the women they had only recently raped. Once Adrianople was successfully recaptured by the Turks on 20 July it was obvious that then end was near for the Bulgarian army and an armistice was signed on the last day of the month. Sir Edward Grey had his wish granted — this time the Conference was held in Bucharest and, once again, new boundaries appeared on the map.