Bethmann-Hollweg, << BAYT mahn-HAWL vayk, >> Theobald von (1856-1921), a German jurist and statesman, was the fifth chancellor of the German Empire from 1909 until 1917. He attracted attention early in World War I by his statement that the international treaty guaranteeing Belgian neutrality was “a scrap of paper.” He also opposed the policy of torpedoing passenger ships without warning. It was largely through his influence with Kaiser Wilhelm II that diplomatic relations between Germany and the United States were preserved until 1917. Bethmann-Hollweg testified before the German commission investigating imperial responsibility for World War I. He was born in Hohenfinow, Eberswalde, near Berlin.
