2018/5b.plaintext

   1 the april uprising in bulgaria and its brutal suppression by the turks has caused outrage in the
   2 chancelleries of europe there is a risk that russia will take this as the excuse it seeks to engage
   3 the ottomans and if they act and take constantinople then our trading routes to india will be under
   4 threatat home gladstones pamphlet bulgarian horrors and the question of the east has stirred a
   5 public appetite for action which could lead to support for intervention and make things difficult
   6 for the prime minister he is faced with mortons fork if he supports action then it will be difficult
   7 to condemn russian interference if he counsels inaction then he risk appearing weak and callous at
   8 home and abroad it may appear unfortunate that our political leaders are unable to agree on policy
   9 strategy or tactics and it is true that this could lead to confusion about our aims but on
  10 reflection i think that the public disagreement between gladstone and disraeli presents an
  11 opportunity their dispute conducted in parliament and the press demonstrates to the world the two
  12 faces of the empire at the same time morally engaged and yet prudent this may allow us to proceed
  13 with discretion to try to influence the actors and to direct the play away from the glare of the
  14 footlights it may be possible to engage the league of the three emperors to our causebismarck is
  15 particularly keen to maintain a balance of power in the region and to avoid further war and he will
  16 not need to be convinced that an unbridled russia is not to his advantage so i think we can rely on
  17 him to rein in russias expansionary visionon the other hand the league itself may present a longer
  18 term threat to the empire given the breadth of its influence in northern europe and we must tread
  19 carefullythe emperors envoys will be meeting in reichstadt soon to determine the response to the
  20 crisis and i need a plan to influence the outcome as always our strategy must be to sow confusion
  21 and on this i plan to ask for advice from baron playfair he has recently concluded his commission of
  22 enquiry into the civil service and if anyone knows how to control an agenda it must be our own civil
  23 servants