Bismarck, no fool, scribbled a comment in the margin beside this passage: "Swindle." Beside a passage about a confederation of free states, he put "Fantasies." When Leopold wrote that the precise frontiers of the new state or states would be defined later, Bismarck said to an aide: "His Majesty displays the pretentions and naïve selfishness of an Italian who considers his charm and good looks will enable him to get away with anything."
A. Hochschild, King Leopold's Ghost (1998, 2006 edition), 83
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