If the spirit of the Alliance--and in this I know Your Excellency agrees--remains on the same high level as heretofore, even our enemies would see that it was impossible for one of the Allies to agree to any separate negotiations offered to him, unless he states beforehand that the discussion would only be entered into if the object were a general peace.

If this were clearly laid down there could be no reason why one of the Allies should not listen to such proposal from the enemy and with him discuss preparations for peace.
At present no decided line of action can be specified for such a proceeding.

Your Excellency was good enough to ask me whether the reinstatement of the _status quo_ would be a suitable basis on which to start negotiations.

My standpoint in this matter is as follows: I have already stated in the Reichstag that Germany is not striving for any great changes in power after the war, and is ready to negotiate provided the enemy does not demand the cession of any German territory; with such a conception of the term "reinstatement of the _status quo_," that form would be a very suitable basis for negotiations.

This would not exclude the desired possibility of retaining the present frontiers, and by negotiating bring former enemy economic territory into close economic and military conjunction with Germany--this would refer to Courland, Lithuania and Poland--and thus secure Germany's frontiers and give a guarantee for her vital needs on the continent and overseas.
Germany is ready to evacuate the occupied French territory, but must reserve to herself the right, _by means of the peace negotiations, to the economic exploitation of the territory of Longwy and Briey_, if not through direct incorporation, by a legal grant to exploit.