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1916] STURMER SUCCEEDS SAZONOFF 435
the right man in the right place, and one could not
interfere with him without endangering the result of the
terrible conflict in which the world was plunged.
Hence Sazonoff’s retirement was in any case a sharp
blow struck at those who were fighting with us; but
to replace him by a personage as suspicious and of
such a bad reputation as Sturmer might seem to be a
blow struck at the alliance itself. This is how it was
viewed in Paris, London and Rome. If Sazonoff had
been replaced by anotheri diplomat,1 M. de Giers, for
instance, or even M. Schebeko (of which there had been
a question at one time), our allies would certainly have
greatly regretted his departure, but they would not
have considered that the cause of the alliance itself
was in peril. But as it was, Sturmer’s appointment
endorsed the legend which was promptly circulated
(perhaps by German agents themselves) and spread
abroad in Russia and in Europe. The legend ran that
the Empress Alexandra, who was daily taking a more
active part in the affairs of the State, actuated by her
Germanic sentiments, wished to save her former country
at all costs by bringing about a separate peace between
the latter and Russia; that M. Sturmer—of German
origin—was her agent and her accomplice, whilst
Rasputin was in receipt of Boche money to keep up the
Empress’s pacifist sentiments. This legend was untrue.
The Empress had never been an agent of the Berlin
Court; on the contrary at one moment her sympathies
had been frankly English. Rasputin—whose mentality
was not far removed from that of the Cossack who, on
being asked by a friend what he would do if he became
Tsar, replied: " I should promptly steal a hundred
roubles and bolt!"—Rasputin accepted a hundred
roubles here and five hundred there from the numerous
people who solicited his protection ; he did not hide
himself from them in any way and was perfectly
satisfied, loaded as he was with presents and supported,
as well as his family, at the expense of the Court.
Sturmer was not more "German" by origin than many
2 f
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