37 Days (2014) - full transcript

'I once calculated
that the Foreign Office

'receives 250 telegrams
every hour.

'That is 6,000 telegrams per day.

'Or 42,000 each week...'

You thought I was Persia,
didn't you? I've been promoted!

...which comes to 2,190,000
telegrams every year.

'Britannia rules the waves,
I suppose.

'And for that reason, we must
welcome these tides of information.

'Political crisis in Argentina.

'The abolition of slavery
in Siam, I love it.

'It means that I am working
at the centre of the world



'and get to find out what is
happening, as soon as it happens.

'Well, within a few hours, anyway.

'But, my word, it is
an awful lot of telegrams!'

Could you do these promptly, Muriel?
Please! Please!

'This particular one though,

received in London from
His Britannic Majesty's Consul

'in Sarajevo, on June 28,1914.
Well, I should be honest with you,

'the Archduke Franz Ferdinand,
murdered in Sarajevo.

'Interesting, for sure, over
breakfast,

'but forgotten by tea-time.'

Thank you.

'Or so I thought.
As did everyone else I spoke to.

'But it was not forgotten.
And I think it never will be.'

Shoulders back.
Doubtless that is for me, Alec.



It is, sir.
Well, let's take it into my office.

'That's my boss, Sir Eyre Crowe.'

So, what do we have?

'The Assistant Undersecretary
at the Foreign Office.

'German born,
educated in Berlin, but now,

'he is more British than
any one of us.'

We||,we||.

'I have learned to watch Sir Eyre
closely

'because everyone knows he is
a brilliant man. Including himself.'

Do you know, I was about to
predict something like this?

'This man had come to Britain at 17,
a German speaker still,

'and sailed through his
civil service examinations.'

I thought so. Rash, rash, rash.

'I think he likes me too.

'I am a scholarship boy,
you see.

'A bit of an outsider myself.'

Look at this.
The 28th was the Serb holy day.

What a time for an Austrian archduke
to go to Sarajevo - It is rash, sir.

Yes. Rash.

So...
Is this important or not? It is.

But important enough to disturb
the Foreign Secretary. Right now?

Right now.

No.

CLOCK CHIMES

I believe you may want to think about
that one again.

KNOCK ON DOOR
Come.

I am leaving, Crowe, Is it urgent?
It's Bosnia, Foreign Secretary.

I think that might wait.

Really? Come and walk me out then.

'That is Sir Edward Grey,
the Liberal Foreign Secretary.

'As a statesman he was,
we believed, trusted and admired.'

The Mesopotamia minute.

And I shall need the Persian text
first thing tomorrow.

So who would want him dead?
Many people.

Franz Ferdinand was an unpopular man
and made enemies easily.

What does your stomach say? Croat?
Muslim? I doubt it.Hungarian?

Hmm...possibly.
More likely to be a Serb, then?

That is where I would place my money.
Me too.

The question is,
how will the Austrians take it?

You are going to give me
a very brief

but wonderfully incisive answer.

The same way they take all
their disappointments.

Hysterical condemnation,
a baroque display of official grief

and a demand for financial
compensation from?

Oh, from whomever they can find
to blame.

We don't want it to be Serbia,
do we?

No. It would be messy.
It would...Yes?

Austria does have rather too many
unruly Serbs within its own borders

to go picking a fight with
a whole lot more outside.

So do we need to worry?
We always need to do that.

But I should enjoy my supper?
m-hmm.

BELL CHIMES

'You know,
Sir Edward might also have been

'the unluckiest man in Britain.

'His wife had recently died after
being thrown by a horse.'

How is your boy doing?
Very well, sir.

I hope to see him
back here before long.

'His elder brother
had been eaten by a lion

'and his younger brother would be
mauled to death by a buffalo.

'That is enough personal tragedy
to finish a man,

'but Grey bore it, somehow.'

That dreadful man, Eyre Crowe,
I'll wager he sees this

as an opportunity
to have a go at the Germans.

Now, now, dear, Sir Edward has come
here to relax, not to talk shop.

Oh, nonsense, he loves talking shop,
you all do. Look at David over there.

Do you want him to recite Welsh
poetry? No, you don't.

You want him to relate some
tittle-tattle from the Treasury!

You can never distinguish between a
dinner party and a cabinet meeting

and much as we would all welcome

your feminine wisdom in Cabinet,
Margot, there is a difference!

More's the pity!

But at least tell me this, Sir
Edward, is it Serbia or Servia? Oh!

B for "Barbarian",
or V for "Villain"? I am at a loss.

Some of our clerks type it up as B,
others V.The Times favours V.

Never.
In the Manchester Guardian, it is B.

And the News of the World says,
"Who the hell cares?"

About the spelling? About anything!

I have no firm allegiance to either,
Margot.

Well, you should get these
things straight.

A misspelt name is like a
forgotten face. A grave insult.

Just the sort of thing men will
go to war over. Quite so!

Those Serbs do appear to enjoy
killing royalty, though.

We don't know it is the Serbs yet.
Yes, but Margot is quite correct.

They are thrilled by violence,
by the reality, not just the idea.

Winston's kind of people!
LAUGHTER

Their own King Alexander

stripped and butchered in the
Royal bedchamber. His wife, too.

Both of them thrown
from open windows.

It is the land of the blood feud.
A contested will, pistols are drawn.

An argument over a worthless
plot of land, out come the knives.

And the embittered past,
always there -

threatening to engorge the present.

Dear God,
it sounds just like Ireland.

Please, can we NOT talk
about that Here.

Of course, my dear,
except to say,

that if I were Prime Minister
instead of you,

I'd have had the leaders of the
Ulster Volunteer Force shot by how.

I do believe she would!

And anyone else bent on using
guns to overturn the decisions

of the British House of
Commons. Ah! bloodshed...

The perfect solution to the Irish
problem(!!??) But there will be blood.

You've all let it slide too far.
The only question is, whose?

Thank you, Margot.

You have been keeping your cards
close to your chest tonight,

Sir Edward.

So, please,
give me something to take away.

Ireland is not my department,
Margot.

Oh, I am not talking about that.

Home rule will be resisted by Ulster,
and the Tory leadership,

and there will be a horrible
civil war, that is obvious.

Now, I want to know about
the Sarajevo assassination.

Should I be worried?
Well, I don't see why.

You see, now I am worried.
I can read you like a book.

Well, I do hope I am not so
transparent to foreign diplomats.

So what is the Foreign Office plotting?

Plotting?

We all know you sit
on a mountain of secrets.

Nobody is plotting anything, Margot,
but you have my assurance,

if this country has
anything to worry about

you will be the first to be told.

Edward.Thank you.
Good night, Winston.

Yes, Edward.

Good night, David.

You are still up, William.
That wasn't necessary.

It's me.Crowe?

I was let in by your men.
What is it?

I was right, it was a Serb.

A young student, a fanatic, clearly,
possibly an anarchist, I forget.

Principo, I think. The details
all are here, such as they are.

I thought you would want to know
before the morning papers.

Thank you, Crowe.

'The Archduke's assassin was
Gavrilo Princip,

'a Bosnian Serb, and a nonentity,

'but a nonentity
with a very powerful idea.

'Princip believed that Bosnia should
be part of the Kingdom of Serbia

'and that it would take violence

'to get rid of the province's
Austrian overlords,

'violence that he and his
friends were willing to inflict.

'And the victim
they chose was this man.

'The Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

'The heir to the Habsburg throne
and the symbol of everything Princip

'hated about Austrian rule -

'its arrogance, its bullying, and...

'Well, the sheer fact that it
regarded the Serbs in the province

'as an inferior race.

'And it was madness for
a Habsburg to visit Sarajevo

'on this day of all days,

'for the 28th was the most important
date in the Serb calendar.

'A day of holy mourning.

'It would be like an English king
going, in battle dress,

'to Dublin on St Patrick's Day.

'An act of self destruction.

'Yet this fool might
still have escaped.

'The young assassins had lost their
nerve and all Princip had seen

'of the Archduke's car
was a blur as it raced by.

'He had retreated to a little cafe

'and was no doubt contemplating
what might have been.

'But then...

'by some perverse roll of the dice,
the boy got a second chance.'

Back, back! back! is fine!

'The Archduke's driver had got lost
in the city's old town

'and the car... Well, this makes
me laugh and cry even now,

'the car was stuck right outside
Princip's coffee house.'

DOGS BARK

ENGINE REVS

SHE GASPS

'These shots, from this boy,
they were loud in Sarajevo.

I promise you,
they were even louder in Berlin.

'For Austria was our ally
and Franz Ferdinand was our friend.'

Good morning.

'For most of my colleagues in the
Chancellery of the German Reich,

'it was as if we ourselves
had been shot.

'There were very few like me
in the Imperial Government.

'I count myself a liberal

'and liberalism is understood to be
a kind of poison here.

'I favour making the Fatherland
a true democracy, too.

'And that, should it
ever become known,

'would be enough
to see me cashiered.

'For this is a Prussian institution,
still, not a German one.

'And here is
the man at the head of it -

'the Imperial Chancellor,
Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg.'

The Kaiser needs to know
the title of the book,

not the chapter and verse.
This one.

'Bethmann-Hollweg
had spent a lifetime

'in the Prussian civil service.

'He was extremely competent

'But Bethrnann-Hollwegs special
gift was for obedience.

'Obedience to the right man.

'Obedience to this man...

'..Kaiser Wilhelm II.

'You all know him.

'The eldest grandson
of Queen Victoria.

'The withered left arm with which

'he was yanked into life
by a panic-stricken midwife.

'The moustache pointing to heaven.

'He was often a puzzle
to us, though.'

No crime greater.

There is no crime greater.

Regicide attacks
the apex of civilised life.

When you kill a king

you kill the order
in which people find all meaning.

Your Majesty...
And these Serbs! I hate them!

We all do.

I know it's a sin to hate anybody
and we ought not to do it.

But we cannot help hating THEM!

Tell them about the Browning.

The gun that was shot in Sarajevo.
Yes.

Well.

We don't know for certain,
but it might appear...

Ah! We know!

The bullet displays markings
of the Royal Serbian arsenal.

That's what Vienna is telling us.

It wasn't a deluded boy
who fired the gun,

it was the Serbian Government.

It is possible the gun was stolen.

It is fairly well known, I think,

that practically every
farm in Serbia has become

a dump for pilfered weapons
since the last Balkan war.

Good, Prince Lichnowsky.

That is what they will want us
to think.

What does my Chancellor say?

In terms of Imperial policy, sir,

we first ought to see what line
of thinking emerges from Vienna.

In the meantime,
we might sound out the Russians,

for the obvious reason that
they continue to see themselves

as the "protectors
of the Serbian nation".

We know from experience
that Russia gets nervous

whenever there is a disturbance
in the Balkans...

Do you think that is
an appropriate German response,

to wait and see how Russia reacts?

I didn't quite say that, Your
Majesty. It's what you meant!

The Austrians! They're our problem.
Isn't that so?

As soon as the corpse is buried,
their courage will fail.

And if it fails this time,
she is finished.

Every Serb, Croat, Polack,
Transylvanian-Romanian-Negro-Gypsy

in the Habsburg Empire,
any race with a grievance,

will pick up the gun
and point it to the Austrian heart!

We all know this, don't we?

Well, don't we?

That is why, this time,
we must give Vienna some backbone.

Serbia must learn to fear
the Habsburgs again.Hear, hear.

We should let Austria know that

whatever she intends to do to
the Serbs, we shall support her.

Won't they still procrastinate?

Not if Bethmann here tells them
that our support is conditional

on their taking immediate and
decisive action against the Serbs.

Military action?

Of course, military action!
But it must be swift!

None of their usual
coming and going.

Look at you!

You're all worried about Russia.

Where the hell is Moltke
when you need him?

That was not a rhetorical question.

Well, General Moltke is still on
vacation in Carlsbad, Your Majesty.

Oh. My Chief of Staff
didn't think it worthwhile

to break his holiday over
this, like the rest of us?

I have an appointment with him
in two days' time, Your Majesty.

And for the rest of you.

Stop worrying about Russia.

If there's one man in the world

who detests regicide more
than I do, it's the Tsar.

God knows, his family has seen
enough king-killers in its time.

Prince Lichnowsky, if you will.

You will be returning
to London soon?

Tomorrow night, Your Majesty.

Yes, yes, tomorrow, that's right.

You know, Max,

what really matters is what
our English cousins will say.

They don't understand that,
but we do.

Look at this.

Do you know where
this oak comes from?

I suppose it... You're going
to tell me it's from England.

Oh, better than that Max.
Much better than that.

It's from the quarterdeck
of Nelson's Victory.

It's a gift from my grandmother.

HE INHALES

You can still smell the salt.

Do you know that Lord Nelson
used to get sea-sick?

I can get sea-sick, too.
It's a damn shame for us sailors.

Do you think Sir Edward Grey will be
in a flap over what has happened?

Oh, I have always found him
to be very calm.

Easy to be, of course,

when you have the deck of cards
arranged just as you want it.

That is true, sir.

It is.

And I'm pleased you think
Edward Grey will be calm.

Austria needs to be
loved by the other great powers.

She's gravely ill. We all know that.

BELL CHIMES

The best medicine is
to get their soldiers

in some foreign capital,
just for a short while.

The Serbs are wild animals.

But you can tame them,
and then you can order them around.

They have a special
talent for servility.

You're my friend, Max.

I picked you for London myself

because I wanted somebody there
who would tell me the truth.

Not just what I want to hear.

Well, I believe Grey
will look sympathetically

on any Austrian effort
to punish the assassins.

But we should be aware that
there is still something

in the British mind that revolts
against overweening force.

Against the bully, if you will.

Especially in the Balkans.

It is still the land
of Lord Byron, in that respect.

Yes, yes, of course.

They see a large nation oppress
a small one and it raises a...

protective instinct, I suppose.

Unless Britain herself
is the oppressor.

And then they call it paternalism!

There is some truth in that, sir.

The hypocrisy of the English, Max!

I don't know how you endure it.

'Two days later, the Kaiser's
belligerent thoughts about Serbia,

'now written up into smooth prose,

'were handed to the Austrian
ambassador in Berlin.

' "We will back you", it said,
"in whatever you choose to do".

'We would all come to know
the Kaiser's memorandum to Austria

'as "the blank cheque".

'But that phrase doesn't really do
it justice. It implies a choice.

'Whereas we were expecting,
even requiring the Austrians

'to open hostilities with Serbia.

'Of course, the old Emperor
in Vienna, Franz Joseph,

'worked to his own stroke.

'Our blank cheque was meant to be
cashed straight-away.

'There was little chance of that.

'Nothing happened.

Yeah, here's our problem.

About 30,000 German rifles
have been landed at Larne,

County Antrim,
in the past few months.

Now, we can get no help
from the local authorities there,

once those weapons are in the hands
of the Ulster Volunteers.

Because the Ulster Volunteers
ARE the local authorities?

Our fairest chance is for me
to put more ships into the Irish Sea

to try and intercept the gun running.

But, of course, it's
the Nationalists, too, who...

What is it, Edward?

Ah, well, perhaps it's nothing.

Ah,we||, it transpires
that the assassins -

the Sarajevo assassins -
were trained in Belgrade.

The Black Hand?

Well, that's what
they call themselves.

It's a pantomime name.

Not pantomime blood, unfortunately.
Quite.

Evidently the Black Hand has
warned the Serbian secret service,

whose leading officers seem
to be terrorists in all but name.

I don't think the Serbian
Prime Minister or his Cabinet

knew anything of Princip

The Austrians know all this,
presumably?

According to our intercepts,
they do.

Oh, well. That's good.
Means they've absorbed the shock.

But still no official
reaction from Vienna? Nothing.

So what do you think is happening?

Well, I imagine that
the Austrian and Serb governments

have opened a private channel
of communication

and are sorting the problem
out between themselves.

But?

But?

I'm expecting you to say what you
always say at this moment.

Yes?, yes?

What do I always say?

You wear what you imagine
is your guileless face

and you tell me that where
central Europe is concerned,

it is better to listen to what
Berlin is saying than Vienna.

I do that?
Mm. And then you say...

In fact, why don't you say it now
while I get my things together?

No, I know the face.
You don't have to do that.

Just give me the words.

I probably say something like,
"Austria's reached the point

"where she can do nothing
in her foreign policy

"without consulting Germany first."
Mrn-hm.

But sometimes
I go further than that

and say, "Austrian policy
is made in Berlin."

As you know Good.

I'm glad you've got
that off your chest.

And you know I have an appointment

on this beautiful
summer's afternoon

with the Invincibles,

which not even the appearance
of the German Navy in the Channel

would stop me from attending.

Very Francis Drake,
Foreign Secretary.

You know, Crowe,
you should really take up cricket.

It teaches one an awful lot
about life.

Prince Lichnowsky loves it.

The cover drive! Ha-ha!

You know, that's the finest sight
in cricket.

Oh, and in the whole field of
sport, Edward?

Quite so. Good to see you back, Max.

I was sorry to miss your innings.

You mean you blinked? Oh, it was over
that quickly?

Clean bowled, I'm afraid.

Hardly saw it.

Your eyes?

No! It was just a very fast ball.

Let's take a walk around the rope.

I've been reassured
by the Austrian silence.

I think that's a good sign,
don't you? | do.

It suggests a very responsible
approach,

the Balkans being such a tinderbox.

I agree.

Ah! There's two there!

Let's just speculate for a moment,
if you don't mind.

What do you think would happen
if Austria decided to punish Serbia?

To punish her? Teach her a lesson.

Do you believe that Russia would
come to the aid of the Serbs?

Well, she might.

And if that happened, would France
have to follow Russia and...

Would Britain be bound to
follow France? Yes.

Would Britain be bound to follow
France? Yes, ah...

You're trying to get me to say that
if Russia cries help,

a French gendarme and a British
bobby will turn up on the doorstep.

You're teasing me, Edward.

I fear you are almost trying
to tell me something, Max.

But you do have an
understanding with France.

You know we do,
just as we have one with Russia.

But nothing that binds you in a
crisis? We are still speculating.

Yes, well, I have nothing to hide.

His Majesty's Government has
an obligation to Parliament

not to incur secret liabilities
abroad, you know that.

I often think we are a little more
open on that score than you are.

I sometimes wonder what
your Reichstag doesn't know.

I'll tell you this,
no speculation now.

What happened last week much
depends on Austria maintaining

its sense of proportion.

It's important that Serb sentiment
isn't raised to a point where

Russia finds it impossible
to stand aside.

APPLAUSE

Good shot.

Edwards, what about your eyes?

I told you,
it was a very quick ball.

Yes, of course.

But the physician I mentioned
in Nuremberg, the oculist,

he can see you in August
when you take your vacation.

The whole thing would be
very discreet.

Thank you, Max.There are some
secrets we have to keep.

KNOCK AT DOOR

Oh!

Do you have any chalk with you?

This stuff doesn't seem
to work properly.

I... I...Of course you don't.

It would be too strange if you did.
Thank you for coming, Crowe.

I've taken the liberty of ordering up
a rather superb Elbling (wine bottle).

He's odd, isn't he? Your boss.

He's never been to Germany in all
his time as Foreign Secretary.

Not really. He hasn't been
to Austria or Russia either.

He says it allows him to keep
an open mind

and to play the ball, not the man,
whatever that means.

Sporting metaphors will be
the death of us one day.

I must confess I have never
understood the British

obsession with sport.

Pursuing a rolling ball teaches
you nothing apart from

how to pursue a rolling ball.

KNOCK AT DOOR

You should be in no doubt, Crowe,
there are some very important

people who admire what you have done
at the Foreign Office.

It can't have been easy to educate
the old guard about Germany.

There was a terrible blind spot
there.| am not popular.

I'll bet you're not.

No mandarin likes to be told
they've been hoodwinked by a rogue.

Sir Edward though, is a fair man.
There is no grudge there.

He is supremely fair.

He truly believes in the role
of honour in diplomacy.

That's one thing a rogue can never
forgive, outwit them by stealth

or by deceit and they will grin and
bear it, they might even admire you.

But defeat them by acting honourably
and they will burn for revenge.

That's something cricket
doesn't teach you.

I think I'm correct in saying
that I'm the only

member of the entire Government who
has spent some time with the Kaiser.

|\/lost probably.He looks
on war as a child looks on war.

He never got past the tin soldier
stage, uniforms, naval signals,

regimental colours, of actual warfare
he knows nothing and fears the worst.

So we should treat him like a child?
In a manner of speaking, yes.

The only gesture he will understand
from Britain is the raised hand.

That's what I think.

You must have told Sir Edward
this yourself?

Hm...

Politics is a curious business,
isn't it?

Who's strong? Who's weak
and whatnot?

I think it's better it comes
from someone

who doesn't constitute a threat...

CHURCH BELLS RING

'Where the hell is General Moltke
when you need him?

'That's what the Kaiser had
asked his men in Berlin.

'Well, here he was.'

General? 'In Carlsbad.'

Ah, a storm from Berlin!

'Taking the cure.'

You want a towel?

No... Thank you.

Someone get him one.

'Every bit the Chief
of the General Staff...

.even out of uniform.

'And I will tell you
something about this uniform.

'The Chief of Staff is not
a hereditary position in Germany,

'but Moltke's uncle had worn
it before him.

'And in the Franco-Prussian War
of 1870, the uncle had led

'the German army that crushed France
and occupied Paris...

'What did the nephew think of that?

'An example to follow?
A burden to carry - both?'

The Kaiser thinks the Russians will
stand back and let the Austrian army

enjoy the whore houses in Belgrade
for a couple of weeks, doesn't he?

He wants a victory without
paying a price.

Just a small victory —
in a local war.

But it can't happen.
The Russians aren't that stupid.

And let's stop pretending
the Austrians are going to

solve our problems for us.

I agree.

If we really wish to change
the balance of power in the Balkans

we ought to think about what kind
of price we are prepared to pay.

The German army isn't just
there for decoration.

So will you come back to Berlin?

If I do that,
everything will speed up.

Precisely.

But I don't want things to speed
up, I want them to slow down.

The longer things
drag on with Serbia,

the more agitated
the Russians will get.

With the Russians agitated,

the less belligerent we shall
appear in the weeks to come.

I'm staying here for a while.

Harder!

Not so hard.

You can't send your ultimatum

because your soldiers
are wanted at the harvest?

What happened to the idea of farmers
doing the harvest?

MUFFLED LAUGHTER

So the middle of August -five weeks?

You will be ready in five weeks'
time, brilliant!

Do you think there's any chance
the Serbs might discover

what we're up to by then?

And the Russians?

Will they still be seething at
the regicide in a month's time?

Or will they be Serbia's
gallant protector again?

Do not sit down!

This is Austria's last chance.

So please, explain to your Emperor,
using your own words, that unless

action is taken against Belgrade in
the next week it will be too late.

Too late forever.
You won't get another chance.

It's like taking care of a pony.

LAUGHTER

BELLS RING

'Quick to take offence, slow to act.

'Isn't that always the way with
people who stand on their dignity?

'The same with nations.

'Since the Archduke's assassination
a whole three weeks

'had passed before the Habsburg
Emperor finally got round to

'composing his ultimatum to Serbia.

'But don't be fooled by this
pathetic quadrille.

'Austria was in no haste,
but weak and decadent as she was,

'her vindictiveness was...amazing.

'In Berlin we waited...

'We cursed the Austrians
for their stupor.

'And then... This!'

It's inept. They might as well
have just invaded.

This makes them look unreasonable.

'Unreasonable?

'What Austria wanted from Serbia was
complete humiliation!

'In a police cell in faraway
Sarajevo, the Austrians already had

'the Archduke's assassin
Gavrilo Princip -

'he and his wretched comrades still
dreaming of a greater Serbia.

'And the boys had confessed
to receiving shooting lessons

'and a case of revolvers in
Belgrade - but now Austria blamed

'the entire Serb nation for their
operation and its list of demands

'on the Serbian Government was
so extreme that, in meeting them,

'the Serbs would have completely
surrendered their sovereignty.'

This is an astonishing ultimatum.

It is.
So much for Fermanagh and Tyrone.

I wouldn't take your eyes
off Ireland, gentlemen.

I'm happy to. Such a dreary bog.

I'd bet on an Irish war before I
would a Balkan one... Sadly.

But the Austrian ultimatum has been
purposely designed to be

rejected surely?

It probably has.
But that doesn't mean it will be.

So, you have cause for hope?

I know Serbia is in no shape
to fight a war.

Nor I understand is Russia.

Just keep them supplied with tea
until Sir Edward's ready.

Oh, and don't...don't let them
speak to each other.

How...how do I do that?

'We'd gathered the principal
ambassadors at the Foreign Office.

'Prince Lichnowsky you know.

'Count Benckendorff - German name,
but the ambassador for Russia.'

'And the Times reader is
Count Mensdorff of Austria.

'They're all cousins.
That's worth saying again...'

The three cousins are here.

Who would you like to see first?

Austria - I suppose.

Count Mensdorff,
if you'd like to come this way.

What is this country - Servia?

My government,
after a thorough police

investigation into the murder
of our Archduke Franz Ferdinand

and his consort, have sifted through
the accumulated evidence...

Yes, yes, what I want to know is
what you think of this ultimatum.

"The Serb government should
suppress any newspaper which creates

"anti-Austrian feeling.

"It must outlaw all
pan-Serbian cultural societies.

"it must rewrite its school
textbooks to eliminate any negative

"references to
the Habsburg monarchy."

What an extraordinary thing to
demand of an independent country.

Don't you agree?

It's as though you imagine
Serbia to be a little

province in your own empire.

|don't think that
there is that assumption.

Do you know what
I said to Crowe here

when I read this thing two hours ago?

Oh, you said it was the most
formidable document ever

addressed by one state to another.

Was that before or after
I fell off my chair?

It's designed to
be rejected, isn't it?

No, it is.

Let's not act like children today.

No government wishing
to maintain its sovereignty

could agree to these terms.

There would be a revolution.

They'd be overthrown by their own
people. Is that what you want?

We have no opinion on these...

Because if it is, you'll be dealing
with someone far worse in Belgrade.

You'll get someone in charge
who actually does hate you.

(Point five.)

Ah. Ah, yes. Point five.

How will that be achieved?

You demand the right for your
own state officials to take

an active role in policing
anti-Austrian feeling in Serbia.

There are many police forces

co-operating over national
boundaries these days.

Give me strength.

You've also given us 48 hours -

well, that's 18 hours now -
to use our influence

and help Serbia move towards
some of these demands.

I have been instructed to ask you
what position Britain would take

if a conflict would break
out between Austria and Serbia.

There is a strong feeling
in this country that

Serbia shouldn't be humiliated.

There's considerable
admiration for her.

There is.

Is there?

But, you know, I would
very happily let you

and the Serbs sort this mess
out between the two of you.

But I can't do that because we both
know there is a danger that Russia

will be drawn in and the British
interest would become involved.

To join forces with Russia?

To mediate, you fool!

Diplomacy is a branch of manners.
That man has none.

BENCKENDORFF:Russia is
outraged by this, Sir Edward.

We have our dignity too.

And Serbia is a friend of ours.

We can't let her be put on
the end of an Austrian chain.

I think that's a slightly fanciful
image, Count Benckendorff.

My government hopes you will
support us as our trusted ally.

It's quite true.

We have co-operated well in
recent years, especially in Asia,

and that has been gratifying.

But Afghanistan is not the Balkans.

What are you saying?

I'm saying I'm just warning you
that nobody in England

much cares about Serbia.

It would infuriate the British
people to know that even

a single mule of ours

had been sacrificed for a country

most of them cannot place on a map.

That is outrageous.

I'm not saying it's commendable,
I'm just outlining our difficulty.

Do you think this?
He agrees with me.

Ah, the other thing, my dear Count.

Please.

I would urge Russia
to steady its own horses.

I mean, Austria has put
Serbia in an impossible position,

I appreciate that.

But it will be easier
for me to play the mediator

if you are not already
locked into their quarrel.

You do understand that?

I'll get Prince Lichnowsky.

I can't stay in here
any longer. I need air.

Good idea. We can use the garden.

Actually, I'd like
to see the prince alone.

You really didn't know?

I discovered its contents at
exactly the same time as you did.

Because I thought you were
testing me at the cricket.

No-one in Germany knew what
was in the ultimatum,

but a few people did know
there'd be one.| see.

And did Germany encourage
Austria to be militant

in drawing up that ultimatum?

I can't answer that, Edward.

Because you don't know?

I can't answer that either.

Ah, what do you think the Kaiser
will think when he reads it?

He's currently on holiday, isn't he?

Yes, he is. He's definitely on
holiday. I believe he gets back...

Yeah, no matter.

But you say you were as ignorant
of the actual contents

of the ultimatum as we were?

So, tell me, man to man, now
you've seen it, what do you think?

What I think of it is
probably what you think of it.

DOOR OPENS

I think the Germans
are playing with us.

I realise that.

So why don't we send out a signal
that we are not to be played with?

I meant I realise
that's what you think.

What, I'm wrong?

There's this curious
defect somewhere, Crowe.

In me?

In the way you operate.

You're always so eager
to hold Germany

to an inappropriate
moral standard.

Perhaps it comes from
being an intellectual.

Or perhaps because I was born in
Germany? I didn't say that.

But like all abstract thinkers,
you have your idee fixe,

your obsession.
We can't afford obsessions.

We've developed a sophisticated
diplomatic machine over the years.

It's not perfect
but it keeps the peace.

Villains get caught
in its moving parts,

those who don't abide
by the rules get spat out.

Well, you know this.

At least you used to.

Since this morning,
we have but one task -

to get the interested nations
talking to each other.

Those with poisonous motives will
be exposed, the machine will be

greased - by me, by others - and
it will operate as it did before.

DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES

BELLS RING

You look well, Moltke.£20.

Carlsbad has worked its magic.

The Kaiser will be excited
about the Austrian ultimatum.

Mmm, yes, I think he will be.

Because he won't know what it means.

Well, he's finally getting
his little Balkan war.

Yes, he'll get that. He'll sit
there contemplating that harmless

little acorn of his,
but acorns have a habit of growing.

The little Balkan war will not
remain a little Balkan war forever.

The problem with our Kaiser is

that he only ever
plans one move ahead.

Well, he's absolutely certain
that the Russians will not

come to the aid of Serbia.

And he's right,
but they will mobilise their army

and that will be enough.

But why on earth would they do that?

I will leave them
with no other choice.

BICYCLE BELL RINGS

It's not like you to sulk, Crowe.

I am not sulking.

And now you're offended.

No, I'm not.

You'll feel better tomorrow

when the hysteria subsides and
the Balkans becomes boring again.

For that matter, oh, so will I.

And Germany?

Look, 20 minutes of sunshine left.

My favourite part of the day.

Good night.

Good night, Foreign Secretary.

Hm, early night for once,
unlike you, I'm afraid.

Nice to see you're fitting in.

BELL CHIMES

Lovely evening.Sir.

Your Majesty.Your Majesty.

French neutrality.

Guaranteed.

How did you manage that?

I didn't, Your Majesty.

Well, the Kaiser thinks you did.

Did my cousin just dream it?

It is likely a mistake was made
during my telephone conversation

with Prince Lichnowsky yesterday.

The German ambassador misheard you?

Possibly.

Or you misled him?

It hardly matters which,
Your Majesty.

The point the Kaiser is now holding
the wrong end of a very big stick.

One you handed to him.

Certainly, it has landed us
all in a most awkward spot.

So, you would now like me
to disabuse the Kaiser?

We can arrange
for a telegram to be sent

to your cousin
in the next 20 minutes.

Before that happens, let me
just ask the obvious question.

We haven't, by some enormous
stroke of luck, stumbled upon

a formula that would actually
keep the peace in western Europe?

Not with the French being in complete
ignorance of what is being offered.

And they..?

And they will never agree
to neutrality

while their Russian ally
is being threatened by Germany.

I see.

I will tell the Kaiser there's
been a...misunderstanding.

"Misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?!"

What does that mean?

It's such a British explanation.
You tell me what it means.

I...It's Edward Grey isn't it?
He's a deceitful cur!

I forget sometimes that the
English language doesn't distinguish

between 'duplicity' and 'diplomacy.'

"Misunderstanding?"
What, "We've changed our minds?!"

I'm not sure that...Get me Moltke!

Sir, please...Get me Moltke!

I've been made a fool of.

And I am disgusted by that.

Shake my hand.

My good hand.

The English are liars.

Now you can do as you will.

'It was as if a barrier had
silently fallen and suddenly

all Germany seemed braced for war.'

'What might stop it?'

'Well, the social democratic
party might stop It.'

The Chancellor is running
a little late this morning.

I could organise some refreshments.
No, thank you.

'They had power in the Reichstag.

'If the socialist deputies
decide to vote against

'the Imperial War Budget,

'there'll be no war because
there'll be no money to fight one.'

Why don't you just arrest
all these Socialists?

The Kaiser wouldn't mind.

The Kaiser has personally
never met a socialist,

which is a miraculous thing
in itself,

given that there are six million
of them in this country.Even so.

Even so? Remove their leaders and the
rest will do as you want them to do.

The days of running Germany

like a house of correction
are over, Moltke.

These men outside are not our slaves.

They're the cream of their class,
and, as inconceivable

as you may find it,
they will vote for your war credits

if you reason with them.

I doubt it.

They fear and detest the Tsar,
as all their kind do.

But they are not German patriots.

They will be when you tell them
about the Cossacks.

Half of them are Jewish, after all.

Tell me,
because I really don't understand.

Tell you what?

I know you don't want
a war with France.

You could use these socialists
to stop one. Why don't you?

Because the cure
would be worse than the disease.

Can you imagine what would happen
to Imperial Germany-

to me, not just you -

if word got out that
the Socialist Democratic Party

had a veto on our ability
to make war?

I hate them, every bit as much
as you hate them.

More, probably, because I know them.

They are disloyal, they are selfish,
and they are dangerous.

But a war will tame them.

Eventually, with some luck,

it will exterminate socialism
in Germany forever.

Thank you so much
for coming, gentlemen.

'Sunday. You know? The day of prayer.'

'I didn't have time to
get to church that morning,

and to be honest, I don't think anyone
else at the foreign office did either.'

Have you had breakfast, sir?

I don't think so.

Might I arrange some for you?

How long do you imagine the railway
platforms are at Duern?

An awful lot of German troop trains
appear to be leaving Cologne...

...and heading towards Duern.

It makes no sense.

Ambassador.

How many of your countrymen know
that you secretly committed them

to defending the French channel
ports from naval attack by Germany?

What you have there is, of course,

rather awkward for me
at the present moment.

Yes, it is.

But it is in no sense
a binding contract.

Just an informal arrangement
we once had.

An informal arrangement we once had?

I cannot go one inch beyond
what the Cabinet authorises.

If I do, I am gone,

and that document means nothing.

If you do not act
on our confidential agreement,

you will have the German Navy

in the English Channel
by the end of the week.

And you will have to explain
to your people

why there is no French Navy there
to oppose them.

In 20 minutes,
there is a meeting of the Cabinet.

I will endeavour to describe.

Your obligation to France.
..the French predicament.

PHONE RINGS

They've just voted.

We have a majority...

...in favour of the war credits.

Madness.

They could have saved us.

John.Winston.Lord Morley.

What bombs are you young gentlemen
going to throw at us today?

'When you think of the great Cabinet
meetings of the 20th century,

'those that have been,
those which are yet to come,

'can there ever have been one
so fraught with meaning as this one?'

'Viscount Morley
had first seen office in 1886

'under his hero William Gladstone.

'And because he opposed anything
which strengthened the state

'against the individual,
he opposed war.

'So did John Burns,
on pacifist grounds.

'Burns, hero of
the London Dock strike of '89,

'was the first working man ever to
take a seat at the Cabinet table.

'Was he conscious of the fact?'

So, I told him, "I'm not the
decorator, I am a Legislator."

'Was he conscious of anything else?

'And then there was
David Lloyd George.

'Lloyd George was the prize.'

Did you get any sense this morning
of which way David is moving?

None at all.

'A man who made his name
opposing our last war

'against the Boers in South Africa.'

We want to play this carefully.
We don't want to antagonise him.

'He was a politician who was
loved by millions of people.'

We have, as you know, because I have
never concealed this

from the Cabinet, certain
obligations towards our French ally.

Now, these obligations do not commit
us to war simply because

one of the parties to the
agreement has taken up arms.

Should France, say, find itself in
a war with Spain,

we would not be obliged to follow.

Do not treat us like fools,
Sir Edward. You can say Germany.

Yes, yes, well, in this specific
instance, of course

we're talking about Germany.

But my general point is that
Parliament need not be fettered

by a clause in a treaty
she had no hand in making.

And nor will it.
Hear, hear.

But I will tell this Cabinet now,
because now for the first time

it has become relevant, that our
1912 agreement with France...

is referring to its renewal in 1912.

It was minuted at the time
and mentioned in this room.

The 1912 renewal is a document
I drew up with Monsieur Cambon,

which allowed us to divide certain
operational responsibilities

between the French and Royal Navies.

In this agreement, the French
were assigned the Mediterranean,

and we agreed to secure the Channel.

The advantage of this agreement
is obvious, but the disadvantage,

as Monsieur Cambon is now very
anxious to point out,

is that it leaves the Atlantic
and Channel coasts of France

completely unprotected
by battleships.

Or would do so if we failed
to join in a war

that Germany was waging on France.

You mean the French are relying
on us to protect their ports?

In a sense, yes.

There's no escaping it.
It is an unfortunate situation.

Our agreement with France

has all the obligations
of a formal alliance.

No, it doesn't!
But it does, gentlemen.

Think of it
from the point of honour.

Edward Grey's honour! Not ours!

I hope they are the same.

The French agreement has all the
obligations of a formal alliance,

but none of its advantages. That
is to say it contains no deterrent

to any power thinking
of attacking France.

How could it?
The agreement was secret.

If only the Germans had known
about this promise of yours

to Ambassador Cambon!
They probably do.

It's just us poor devils that have
been kept in the dark.

Well, in fairness we've done well
out of the agreement, too.

It certainly doesn't feel that way.

Oh, it has released us from having
to patrol the Mediterranean, David.

No, the PM is right.

I could have asked for money
for more dreadnoughts to patrol

the Mediterranean ourselves...
Hear, hear.

...and not leave it to the French,
but I know what John Burns here

would have said to that.
I know your game.

You can't play it, though.

Since Sir Edward
has been Foreign Secretary

he has assured Parliament on several
occasions that this government

has incurred no firm
commitments to France.

Indeed he has been proud,
as we all have,

that Great Britain has avoided those
entanglements with foreign powers

which could lead us,
almost blind-folded, into war.

Now he appears to be telling us
that we do not possess

the full liberty of our own
decision-making after all,

and that is a very serious thing.

One could almost say
he has misled us.

You have misled yourselves.

You all knew where the Anglo-French
agreement was heading

but none of you opened a
conversation around this table.

You did not want to know because you
did not want the responsibility.

You left Sir Edward
with all of that,

which might be called good judgment,

but to bemoan it now
is a kind of cowardice.

How dare you!

Some of what Winston
says may be true.

Even a blunderbuss does
occasionally hit its target.

But that does not answer the wider
question of why we should follow

France into a war brought about
because her Russian allies

decided to mobilise its entire army
against such feeble Austrian

opposition of all things. There's
no sense of proportion there.

The boy bloody scouts could defeat
the Austrian army.

That's a ridiculous comment.

No, well, John comes from Battersea

and they have some pretty ferocious
boy scouts down there.

But Russia? Gentlemen, please, are
we to be led into a war by the Tsar?

Let us not forget we are talking
about the land of the pogrom

of the Siberian exile.
It's rhetoric.

Rhetoric! 10 days ago, over
100 working men were cut down

on the streets of St Petersburg for
the crime of joining a trade union.

Wouldn't you be better off
in Trafalgar Square

with the Labour lot, howling this
rot from an upturned soap box?

You should get back
to the Tory party.

That is quite enough!

We are here to talk about
the French predicament.

And what this government
intends to do about it.

I will say this, Prime Minister-
I will accept some of the Cabinet's

misgivings about the way the French
negotiations have been handled...

...by me. They were done
in good faith,

I assure you, but I will resign
from the Cabinet this afternoon

if it prevents me from signalling
Britain's intentions to protect

French ports in the event of a German
naval attack on the Channel.

If that happens, this government
will be at an end.

Why?

Because I, and I suspect some
others, will resign with him.

And then you'll have the Tories in.

Rubbish. They'll too busy
gunrunning to Ulster.

No, John, I assure you they will
be able to form a government

and they will have no qualms
about taking this country

into a European war.
With conscription.

Those are the stakes, gentlemen.

Please think upon them
when you answer this question.

Does Sir Edward have your
authorisation to inform

Monsieur Cambon that we will honour
our naval agreement with the French?

Those who say yes?

Those who say no?

And one abstention

Sir Edward, you may proceed.

In that case, Prime Minister,

I tender my resignation.

I implore you to reconsider, John.

I'm from the people, Edward,
and I must speak for them

because their voices are never heard
in the counsels of government.

That is why you should stay with us.

But the people don't want war.

That's why I'm having no part
in taking us into one.

But most people aren't like you.
They're more like Winston.

I don't think that's true.

But it's a pity if it is.

Well, it's held for now, Edward,

but if we push them any further
the Cabinet will divide.I know.

And if that happens
the nation will divide, too.

Is the Fatherland in danger?

It is.

Can we fight on two fronts?
Easier than on one.

Say that again.

It is easier for us to fight
on two fronts than on one.

This is what I hate in you, Moltke,
your sophistry.

Keep it simple, Moltke, hm?

If we fight on one front against
Russia, we must improvise

and that is always bad.

And all the time we will be watching
over our shoulder for France.

If we fight on two fronts,

we enact a plan we have been
working on for nine years.

The Schlieffen Plan.

Yes.

I thought the dust
had settled on that.

We just keep blowing it away.

The Schlieffen Plan is always
being updated, Your Majesty.

90% of our army will be
thrown at France,

according to a strict timetable,

while the rest hold the Russians
off, a relatively easy task

in the first six weeks of war.

Six weeks?
Yes, six weeks.

The time it will take
to knock out France.

Then everything will be turned
towards Russia.

The trains have
already been ordered.

Six weeks to defeat France?

Our scouting parties will first
see Paris 40 days into the war.

Imagine those fortunate few.

I know what you're going to say next

You're planning to go through
Belgium. Isn't that so?

A lovely idea, Your Majesty.
Lovely?

Your Majesty, the great powers
guarantee Belgium independence

not because we love each other,
but because we fear each other.

That's natural, of course.
Natural? It's also efficient.

Respecting Belgian neutrality
is what keeps us and the French

from garrotting each other.

And I am custodian of a treaty
with the King of Belgium.

Which, tragically,
you shall have to break.

Either Belgium steps aside
or she is annihilated.

Or, we keep our treaty with Belgium
and expose Germany to annihilation.

Success alone will justify
what we do.

How would we begin to explain our
violation of Belgian independence?

Something has already
been arranged on that.

Five days before, our ambassador
in Brussels had received

a mysterious package from Berlin.

"Do not open this telegram",
an accompanying note said,

"and only open it if, and when,
you receive a further instruction

"from Berlin."

Can you get me a whiskey, please?

They have all been considerably
lengthened in the last five years.

I'm sorry. Are you finishing a
conversation with someone else

or starting one with me?

Those north-western German
railway platforms

that you mentioned this morning.
I mentioned those to you?

Well, you were thinking out loud,
I was there.

So, I asked a friend at the Board
of Trade to check his files.

The station platforms at Dueren
are now half a mile long.

That's an awful lot of German
holidaymakers suddenly very keen

to see the delights of Belgium.

Well Done.

Belgium.

Prepare for the deluge.

We have guaranteed
Belgium's neutrality.

HE LAUGHS
Well done.

In perpetuity with Britain
and France.

Haven't you seen how
things are working here?

That treaty is just
a scrap of paper.

'The last ever battle in history
to be fought in Belgium

'would be Waterloo.

'That was the epic idea
contained in the treaty

'signed by the Great Powers
in 1839.'

'But, evidently, it was not an idea
that meant much to General Moltke.'

Now is the time!

Sir Edward.
I know. Ah!

Yes, the German ambassador
arrived some time ago.

And the French ambassador
is also here.

Any more? I must have
a moment with you also.

Later.

Sir Edward, forgive me
for barging in like this, but...

Yes, indeed. Unexpected.

I do apologise, Prince Lichnowsky,
but I feel I should

fulfil my appointment
with the French ambassador.

You've done the right thing.

And what of a British
expeditionary force?

Just two divisions on their way
to France would have

a tremendous moral effect
on our people.

Paul... And a deterrent effect
on Germany too.

Yeah, I know that's not
a serious suggestion.

But it is. Germany will declare war
on France in the next 24 hours.

All France knows it.

The one thing that might stop them
is you.

You credit Britain
with too much power, Paul,

and it has made you irresponsible.

It is you who can stop it.

You alone.

The power is yours.

CLOCK TICKS

Whom did I say was next?

Sir, before you see
Prince Lichnowsky,

you must see this. Please.

Are you sure?

I'm 100% sure about
the recent lengthening

of the railway platforms,
and I'm 95% sure that German troops

are heading towards
the Belgian border.

But can we be certain they intend
to cross into Belgium?

Might there not be an innocent
explanation for all this activity?

Certainly there might. I can't
think what it would be. But...

Well, why don't I just ask him?

Of course, after last night, we can't
afford a second misunderstanding.

I take full responsibility for that.

Please don't. I rather think
we egged each other on.

The damn telephone, too. The thing
was invented to make fools of us.

It's not created difficulties
for you? Hmm, none.

Yourself?
I don't know.

No, I don't think so.

May I ask you an awkward question?

If I may reserve the option
of pretending I didn't hear it.

What would you say

if I told you I have
certain reasons to believe

that someone in Germany...

...someone in a high command, is
contemplating an invasion of Belgium?

I would say that is impossible.
We have a treaty with Belgium,

as you do.But Belgium
is a back door to Paris.

Belgium is a sovereign country.

Mm-hmm. It is the back door to Paris.
It is also a back door to Berlin.

Belgium makes us all honest.

It makes the French honest,
it makes Germany honest.

To violate Belgian sovereignty
would be madness.

We have received reports
in the last 24 hours

of French troops
along the Givet-Narnur road...

...and therefore,

in the light of this
violation of your territory,

and of the 1839 treaty,
we are obliged to request

of the Belgian government
free access for our own troops

to engage the French.

You have 12 hours to respond.

This will be our "casus belli" (cause of war).
It might be.

It's an immaculate one, too.

No oil reserves, no coaling
stations, no gold fields.

Just poor little Belgium at the
mercy of the German juggernaut.

Even the radicals will be filled
with indignation.

If Germany invades.

The legal situation
is not altogether clear.

We would probably still need an
official request for assistance

from the Belgian government to avoid
breaching the same treaty.

We cannot be more Belgian
than the Belgians.

Surely they will ask for our help.
I have no idea.

It's possible the Belgian army
will simply fire a token shot

and then line the roads while
the German army passes through.

"If we are to be crushed"
said the Belgian King,

"let us be crushed gloriously."

That night his Government
had resolved

"to repel every attack on its right."

And King Albert himself composed
a personal appeal to the Kaiser,

translated by his German wife.

But there was no cry for help
directed to London.

Not yet.

And I'll be honest with you.

Not one man here wanted it to come.

What would they say
if they truly knew

what was happening to their world?

Tell me, Winston,

what does it take
to lead a democracy into war?

I do not know.
It's never been done before.

We would be the first,
in Europe at any rate.

It means seeking the approval of
those who are going to die in it,

I suppose. Our forebears
never had that problem.

And we record their names now.
Of those who fall, I mean.

It makes it so personal.

Have you told your parents?

I haven't had the time.

You ought to.

I'm their only son, Muriel.

They'd be horrified if they knew that
I was thinking of volunteering.

But they'll have to know eventually.
No, not necessarily.

It may still blow over.

It might not come to war.

So, Germany has requested
free movement of her troops

across Belgium and so far,
Belgium has refused to give it,

and has not asked for our assistance
and may never do so.

So, we are where we were.

Except one power
has signalled its intention

to break a venerable treaty.

What was that shrug for?
Do these things not matter?

Words on paper, composed long ago.

Words have to mean something.

Otherwise, all that remains
is the cannon.

And let us think of France.

I know you don't want to,
but consider her position.

Cowardice won't save her now.

She is about to be overwhelmed
by the might of the German Army,

whether she fights or not.

Words do have to mean something,
of course they do.

But let us not pretend

that our own ill-chosen words
would not have awesome consequences

for millions of our countrymen.

We can fill this room with noble
thoughts about treaties honoured

and solemn promises kept.

We can flatter ourselves that we are
the custodians of international law

and that Germany
is a nation of brigands.

But think, think, gentlemen,

think of the consequences that would
flow from such high-mindedness.

We have not fought a European war
for several generations

and, necessarily, we've forgotten
what it is like to do so,

and this makes us brave
and frivolous.

How does an army
of several million men

defeat another army
of several million men

with all the metal they have
these days at their disposal?

None of us knows, not even the
generals, although they pretend to.

If the European nations
come to blows tonight,

or in the next few days,

I foresee a calamity lasting years.

It will be a war without victors,

which is the worst war imaginable,

because the immense expense of blood
will, in the end, be for nothing.

HE SIGHS

Edward?

That's why I understand
the temptation of neutrality.

We're human beings and therefore,
the temptation's almost irresistible.

But our friend here talks as though
there will be no calamity

if we stood aside
and let Belgian pleas for help,

should they come, fall on deaf ears.

Well...

what about the political calamity?

And what about the moral calamity?
What would happen to our good name?

Who would ever trust us again?

We would have sacrificed
every friend and every interest

simply to preserve ourselves.

And what would lay before us
when that European war had ended?

A scarred continent, to be sure,

with all the human destruction
our friend has foretold -

not Englishmen, it is true,
but our neighbours.

And this too -

we would face a continent under
the dominion of a solitary power.

And that a military one,
dedicated to blood and iron.

We have an obligation to France,

unwritten perhaps,

also to Belgium - very much written.

Does that not mean something?

Let every man here search his own
heart and decide for himself

whether he feels the pull
of those obligations.

I do.

I will presently go
to the House of Commons

and make the case for supporting
our allies if it should come to war.

Then I should resign.

What can I expect if I stay on?

Everlasting quarrels
with Winston, certainly,

but also, with respect...

...I would be putting my name to a
policy that is fundamentally wrong.

It's sad, but...

...this government is folding.

Now I have four resignations.

Beauchamp and Simon joined
John Burns earlier this morning.

David Lloyd George.

What is your policy?

I would impress on Germany the
importance of Belgian neutrality.

And if Germany is not impressed?

And Belgium fails
to ask for our help,

would you commit to war
for the sake of France?

No.

You'll need half an hour
to yourself, Edward?Uh?

Before you address the House.
Ah, yes, I would appreciate that.

Sir Edward! Sir Edward!

I have just been instructed
by my government to inform you

that the German fleet will not
operate in the English Channel

if Britain remains neutral.

Isn't that encouraging?

Is there not something
there for you?

Not really.

What if Germany were to abide by
her treaty obligations to Belgium?

Would Britain then agree
to neutrality?

Max, I have no idea if you were
authorised to ask that question,

I rather suspect you were not,

but even if you were, I would
still be required to say, "No".

But that is irrational.

My dear friend,
I rather think it is you

who is no longer seeing
things clearly.

I'm offering you
a formula...to save us.

You're asking Britain
to reward Germany

with a free hand against France

merely for fulfilling its legal
and moral obligations to Belgium.

I cannot do that.

Anyway, how do I know you will abide
by your agreement?

I...No, no, no, not you -
your chiefs.

They could still march
through Belgium tomorrow

and wreck Britain's relations
with France forever

by publishing the text of some
agreement struck between you and me.

Then, for God's sake,
state the conditions

under which Britain
will remain neutral.

I will not do that either.

Please help me. There must be
something you can insist on.

That you do not go to war
with France.

Germany will declare war on France
this afternoon.

Will you go through Belgium?

I don't know.

Perhaps a corner will be clipped,
I don't know.

You'll excuse me.

I have an address to make
to the House of Commons.

'Soon after Grey's address,
Germany declared war on France.

'Some pretext was invented -

'a French aerial attack
on Nuremberg, I think.

'It wasn't true - certainly,
nobody in Nuremberg saw it.'

Sir, I've the latest despatches
from Berlin and Brussels.

Come here for a moment,
and look at this.

I've always loved this sight
on a summer's evening.

I find it inexpressibly consoling.

And I want it to last forever.

You'll be told there isn't
a better time to be young

and that you are the envy
of those too old to fight.

Perhaps that's true.

Perhaps.

You know, the lamps are going out
all over Europe.

We may not see them lit again
in our lifetime.

'By mid-morning, our 34th Brigade

'had crossed the border
into Belgium.'

HE SHOUTS

GUNFIRE

'And King Albert of Belgium
asked his parliament,

"'Are we still committed
to our independence?"

' "Yes, yes!", came the reply.'

'The King of the Belgians
then made his appeal

'to all the guarantors
of Belgian neutrality.'

These are the translations,
two copies of each, please, Muriel.

Is this it, do you think?

'We heard it at midday.'

David.

Prime Minister.

I do not think that
we are prepared for war.

The Governor of the Bank of England
assures me that we will be

very quickly bankrupt as a nation
if we take up arms against Germany.

And although he exaggerates
somewhat, he is undoubtedly correct

in saying that,
as a mercantile nation,

we shall suffer more than most

because of the agonies
to international trade.

I believe also there are
some people in this country,

possibly even around this table,

who will have been delighted
by the Kaiser's decision to violate

Belgian sovereignty this morning
for the simple reason

that it coats their own
selfish enthusiasm

for war with a moral gloss.

However...

...I differ from my now
departed colleagues.

I am genuinely frightened
by the prospect of a rampant Germany

sitting in Brussels and Paris
and on the Channel coast.

Do I care for Belgium?

I fear for her, certainly.

She is a small nation like my own -

and she has rights,
which cannot be eradicated

just because the eradicator
is strong.

Do I care for the principle

that international law
ought to mean something?

Yes, I do.

There ought to be more of it,
not less.

The German invasion of Belgium
has changed everything for me.

The only sensible thing now
is for this government

to send an ultimatum
to the aggressors in Berlin.

Is there anyone who disagrees
with that last sentence?

Well, there will be no opposition
from the Conservatives or the Irish

I very much hope there will no
opposition from our own people.

Just one thing, Prime Minister.
Yes.

Do you not think we ought to consult
the Dominion governments

before we issue an ultimatum?
The Australians and the Canadians

will have their own thoughts on this,
I'm quite certain.

There is no constitutional need.

They will see it as we see it.

'You did the right thing.'

None of us will survive this war.

Politically, I mean.

'Within the hour, the British
government had drafted its ultimatum

'to the Kaiser demanding
the complete withdrawal

'of all German troops
from Belgium by midnight.'

'That was midnight, Berlin time.

'But the mind of our government
was made up.'

What we are doing to Belgium,
we have been forced to do.

Necessity knows no law.

Good - necessity knows no law.
That is right.

If we think like magistrates,
we are dead.

The British think like magistrates.

Legalism, not justice.

They care nothing for Belgium
or the treaty.

They only care for power.

And how they hate it when we show
our appetite to be equal with theirs.

What do you say, Bethmann?

Our army must hack its way
through Belgium.

'I believe it was Rousseau who said,

"'It is a sort of folly
to remain wise

in the midst of those
who are mad." '

'And on those 37 days, Germany
was short of that kind of folly.'

Can you take it next door?

I hear you've decided to join
the Royal Field Artillery.

I have, sir.

I think I'll be losing
a lot of my young men.

Thank you.

Have you received orders
to report to your regiment yet?

Not yet, sir.

But you will.

I expect so, sir, yes.

It's not a bad life,
the soldiering life.

Yes, sir.

But I don't think you'll fall
in love with it.

I've never seen myself as a soldier,
like some boys do.

I always hoped that,
under my stewardship,

we would see Germany
turn into a state with an army,

rather than the other way around.

The Prime Minister is in there.

And Winston...Of course.

You carry this burden alone.

Yes.

You once criticised me for that.

"Too many secrets," you said.

It's how the game is played,
I understand that.

But it is too punishing for one man.

All your successes -
we know virtually nothing about,

they must remain private. Otherwise,
they are not successes at all.

But your failures...

they become common property,
they belong to the world.

There is surely no hiding place
from all the scorn

and vilification that follow.

I suppose that there comes
a time in a war diplomacy

when nothing is left standing
except principle?

CLOCK TICKS

CLOCK CHIMES

Perhaps I should have travelled more.

Officially, you mean?

Officially, personally, both.

I've never once set foot
in Germany.

I don't think that matters.

I could have taken my own measure
of the place.

That's what the Foreign Office
is for.

The world dissected by experts
in every field,

its vital organs
displayed and explained.

Now, all those organs are failing.

What will it be like, do you think?

I haven't given it much thought.

Not the military side of things.

Well, you've lacked the time.

I've lacked the experience too.

We all lack that.

Except Winston.

Did he ever told you about his charge
with the 21st Lancers

at the Battle of Orndurman?

I think he did tell me
about it once.

What?

I think perhaps this war
will be a little different.

CLOCK CHIMES THE HOUR

'Ours became the war of the spade.

'The first trenches were dug
in the Marne Valley

'at the end of August 1914.'

CLOCK KEEPS CHIMING

There was no '40-day war'.

No triumphant gallop to Paris,

just a murderous

and terrifying stalemate.

And, of course, the war spread.

It spread to the Middle East,

to Asia, to Africa - and beyond.

It became the First World War.

By 1918, four Empires were in ruins

and four royal dynasties ended.

The face of our continent
was changed by revolution.

And death, it seemed,
could never claim too many.

It was always hungry for more.

'10 million died.'

It's too many for the mind
to conceive.

Every single one of them
mourned by people who loved them

and missed them,

with grief consuming half the world.

Here's a funny thing.

Austria and Russia,

whose quarrel in the Balkans had
taken everybody else to the edge,

they were the last
to declare war on each other.

And when they did...

...nobody really noticed.

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