Ottoman Diplomats

Synopsis

Etienne Carathéodory Effendi informs Saïd Pacha about the so-called journal of the German Emperor Frederick III, published by the Deutsche Rundshau. In this journal, the Emperor stated that the Belgian King, Leopold II, had sent a letter conveying felicitations and sympathies to the previous German Emperor, William I, immediately after his victory in the Battle of Sedan and the captivity of Napoleon III. This led to hostilities in the Parisian press, towards Leopold II and the Belgian government. The Parisian press even spread rumours and speculations about a secret treaty between Belgium and Germany, assuring Belgium’s active cooperation and allowing the Germans to pass through Belgium, in case it came to a Franco-German War. The Nouvelle Revue de Paris linked this to the new fortresses in the Meuse region. The official French publications, however, like the Journal des Débats, contradicted these phantasms. The Belgian government formally and categorically denied the accusations. Carathéodory did not believe that Belgium would give up its neutrality, as it assured Belgium’s solid position. He explains that the letter of Leopold II could be justified, for it was written the day after the proclamation of the Benedetti Treaty.

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