According to that, the Germans are said to have taken the first steps, and the English were not disinclined to listen, but heard nothing further.

It was stated in _Vorwaerts_ that the suggestion was made at the instigation of the Cabinet Council, but that subsequently military influence gained the upper hand.

The episode did not tend to improve the frame of mind of the leading men in England.
In the early summer of 1917 conditions seemed favourable for peace and the hope of arriving at an understanding, though still far distant, was not exactly a Utopian dream.

How far the hope of splitting our group and the failure of the U-boat warfare may have contributed to stiffen the desire for war in the Entente countries cannot definitely be stated.

Both factors had a share in it.