“In the case of our remaining neutral, Germany will fight France single handed. The armies of Germany and the fleets of Germany are much stronger than those of France, and the results of such a war can scarcely be doubted… In a single handed war France in all probability will be defeated…

The speedy dispatch of a force consisting of the entire regular army six divisions and one of cavalry could turn the tables… The actual disparity in numbers becomes less… and the numbers of the opposing forces at the decisive point would be so nearly equal during the opening and early actions of the war that it is possible for the allies to win some initial successes which might prove invaluable