My Four Years in Germany

My Four Years in Germany is by James W. Gerard, late ambassador to the German Imperial Court. The foreword says its writer is writing what should have been the last chapter of the book as a foreword, because he wants to bring home to our people the gravity of the situation. The foreword says its writer wants to tell them that the military and naval power of the German Empire is unbroken.

The text describes court balls, where the guests were required to assemble before eight-twenty in the ball-room, and where the orchestra sat in a gallery dressed in mediæval costume. The text reports that General Ludendorf had stated that he did not believe America could do more damage to Germany than she had done if the two countries were actually at war, and that he considered that, practically, America and Germany were engaged in hostilities. A chapter headed The German People in War says that with the declaration of war the ultimate power in Germany was transferred from the civil to the military authorities.