Lafayette Writes About His Impression of the On-Going European War

August 1, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Lafayette.

I am the Frenchman who was a lover of liberty and a soldier of both your country and mine, and who was an aide to your great general and father of his country - I mean Washington. I came because I want to tell you that in the great war that is now going on I am interested and want to express my opinion as to its causes and its ending.

France was not desirous of this war and had made no preparations to struggle against the Germans and had no idea that the Germans would so soon seek to overrun her territory; as Germany professed the greatest friendship for her; but as you know, the German Emperor, without warning and without excuse hurled his legions into poor Belgium in his endeavor to reach the French capital and possess it before the French nation could make any effective resistance. The Kaiser was anxious to acquire more territory belonging to France for purposes of colonization and thought that the task would be an easy one.

He had no conception that he would have any difficulty in passing through Belgium, neither did he contemplate that England and Russia would join with France in opposing his onslaught. In fact, he thought that he would so quickly succeed in capturing Paris and obtaining what he desired that these other nations would not have time to take any part in the conflict.

But as you know, little Belgium checked his advance and held him at bay until England was enabled to take such action as embarrassed him to such an extent that he has never yet succeeded in gaining the object of his desires, and let me say, he never will. I will not further review this phase of the matter. In the end Germany will be defeated and her Kaiser will be killed and his family disappear from the face of the earth as a ruling family. Germany will become in a few years after the war a republic, but its territory will be much reduced.

Before the war ends, the allies will invade Germany, and Berlin will become invested by them and they will dictate their own terms of capitalism, and these terms will be such that Germany as a great nation will cease to exist and will take her place among the republics of the earth as a secondary state and devote herself to the industries which her natural resources and the capacity of her people will entitle her to. She will never become a great maritime nation but will be content to exist as a manufacturing and agricultural country. Her people will migrate in large numbers and become swallowed up in the other nations of the world, especially in the South American countries. France will again thrive and so will her allies, and little Belgium will be taken care of and become an important manufacturing country with a people much improved in their intellectual acquirements.

I say all this, not because I am a Frenchman, but because I can see that these results must flow from causes, which now exist and which will continue to exist until the results that I speak of come about. But the sad thing is that before these results come many a human will become a spirit and many a happy family will be broken up and poverty and distress cause much suffering. But such is war and such a war never was.

So my friend, I thought that I would write to you tonight and express my views. I will not take up more of your time. I live in the Sixth Sphere and have a home of much beauty and many friends in whom I find much happiness and entertainment.

I sometime see him (Washington) but not so often as formerly. He is living in a sphere higher than where I live and I don't often see him. Our attractions have not continued as you might suppose, and where this attraction does not exist, spirits do not often come in contact with one another.

I never thought of that view of the matter, and the next time I meet him I will make the inquiry. I know that he is a more beautiful spirit than I am and more beautiful than when he lived close to me in a lower sphere. I have never thought to ask the reason for his improvement but will do so as you suggest.

I sometimes see Napoleon and talk with him and more often since this war began. He is interested as I am but he does not seem to think that it will last very long, as he sees a reason why the allies will soon overrun the German empire and bring the war to a close.

I cannot write more.

Your friend,
Lafayette