and the fact that Ford attended the Shakespeare Ball. Had
neither of these events taken place, the German flag might
now be flying over Buckingham Palace. And, then again, it
might not.

As every German knows, "The Riddle of the Sands" is a novel
written by a very clever Englishman in which is disclosed a
plan for the invasion of his country. According to this plan
an army of infantry was to be embarked in lighters, towed by
shallow-draft, sea-going tugs, and despatched simultaneously
from the seven rivers that form the Frisian Isles. From there
they were to be convoyed by battle-ships two hundred and
forty miles through the North Sea, and thrown upon the coast
of Norfolk somewhere between the Wash and Mundesley. The fact
that this coast is low-lying and bordered by sand flats which
at low water are dry, that England maintains no North Sea
squadron, and that her nearest naval base is at Chatham, seem
to point to it as the spot best adapted for such a raid.

What von Gottlieb thought was evidenced by the fact that as
soon as he read the book he mailed it to the German
Ambassador in London, and under separate cover sent him a
letter. In this he said: "I suggest your Excellency bring
this book to the notice of a certain royal personage, and of
the Strategy Board. General Bolivar said, 'When you want
arms, take them from the enemy.' Does not this also follow
when you want ideas?"

What the Strategy Board thought of the plan is a matter of
history. This was in 1910. A year later, during the