Britain
Sir Edward Grey
1862–1933 Foreign Secretary, 1905–1916
An aristocrat who preferred fly-fishing and birdwatching to politics, Grey was a reserved, lofty figure whose eyesight was already failing, and he became one of the longest-serving foreign secretaries in British history. He insisted that Britain was free of obligations to France and Russia while quietly allowing staff talks that made them real. In July 1914 he proposed mediation and a four-power conference, but never warned Berlin plainly that Britain would fight, because his Cabinet was divided and he could not promise what it would do. Critics say a clearer warning might have deterred Germany. His speech of 3 August carried the Commons. He left office in 1916, became Viscount Grey of Fallodon, and wrote Twenty-Five Years (1925).