Alfred von Kiderlen-Waechter

Alfred von Kiderlen-Waechter was a German diplomat and politician who served as Secretary of State and head of the Foreign Office from June 1910 to December 1912. He is best known for his reckless role in the Agadir Crisis in 1911, when France militarily expanded its control of Morocco. He demanded compensation in an aggressive saber-rattling fashion, sent a warship to the scene and whipped up nationalist sentiment inside Germany. A compromise was reached with France, which took control of Morocco and gave Germany a slice of the French Congo. However, the British were angry at German aggressiveness and talked of war. The episode, although small itself, permanently soured prewar relations between Berlin and London.