The German White Book (German: Das Deutsche Weißbuch) was a publication by the German government of 1914 documenting their claims for the causes of World War I.[1][2] The full title was "The German White Book about the outbreak of the German-Russian-French war".[a] An authorized English translation appeared in 1914.[3] The book contained extracts of diplomatic material intended to portray the war's cause to other sources.
Other combatants in the war published similar books: The Blue Book of Britain,[1] The Orange Book of Russia,[1][4] and the Yellow Book of France.[5]
The book comprised two sections:
and an Appendix with communications between Prince Lichnowsky and Sir Edward Grey.
In a report for the parliamentary investigative committee on the question of Germany's guilt in triggering World War I, Hermann Kantorowicz examined the White Book and reported that about 75 percent of the documents presented in it were falsified, with the goal of denying Germany's responsibility for the outbreak of World War I.[6]
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