| | Count Berchtold provided me with the following details of his |
| discussion in Ischle yesterday with His Majesty Emperor Franz Joseph: |
| |
| His Majesty the Emperor discussed the circumstances with |
| great equanimity. He first expressed his heartfelt thanks for the |
| comments made by our Majesty and the imperial government |
| Since H.M.’s pro memoria | and he said that he entirely agreed with us—a decision had to |
| is about fourteen days old, | be reached immediately in order to put an end to the |
| this has been going on | intolerable situation involving Serbia. Count Berchtold added |
| quite some time! It was only | that H.M. was fully aware of the consequences of such a |
| drawn up to illustrate the | decision. |
| reasons for the decision! | |
| | The minister then told the emperor about two possible |
| modalities concerning additional steps against Serbia. H.M. |
| believed that they could possibly be united, but all told, H.M. |
| And how! | generally believed that concrete demands had to be made of |
| Unambiguous ones too! | Serbia. The minister said he did not wish to deny the |
| | advantages of such an approach. It would eliminate the odium |
| that would otherwise fall upon the monarchy if it surprised |
| Serbia, and it would place Serbia in the position of blame. This |
| approach would also make it a lot easier for Romania and |
| They’ve certainly had enough | England to adopt a neutral stance. A main concern here |
| time for this | currently lies in formulating suitable demands against Serbia, |
| | and Count Berchtold said he was eager to know the prevailing |
| view in Berlin. He believed that one demand could be for an |
| agency of the Austro-Hungarian government to be installed in |
| Belgrade to monitor the activities of Greater Serbia from there. |
| Another possible demand could be the dissolution of societies |
| All! | and the dismissal of a few of the compromised officers. Serbia |
| | should be given a very short period to respond, probably 48 |
| Hartwig is dead! | hours. Of course, Belgrade would still have time enough to |
| Clear the sanjak! That’ll cause a | obtain instructions from Petersburg. If the Serbs accept all the |
| row! Austria must get it back | demands, that solution would be “very disagreeable” to him, |
| immediately in order to prevent | and he is considering making demands that would be entirely |
| reconciliation between Serbia | impossible for the Serbs to accept. |
| and Montenegro and to keep | |
| Serbia from reaching the sea! | Finally, the minister once again complained about the stance of |
| Count Tisza, who is making it difficult for him to deal with |
| Serbia in a resolute fashion. Count Tisza claims that one must |
| proceed in a “gentleman-like” manner, but this is hardly |
| Against murderers after all that | suitable in view of such important state interests and especially |
| has happened! Nonsense! | in the case of an opponent like Serbia. |
| | |
| | The minister would gladly follow the imperial government’s |
| suggestion that the press be used to sway public opinion in |
| England against Serbia—Count Szögyény sent a telegram |
| concerning this matter. But in his opinion this must be done |
| carefully so as not to alarm Serbia prematurely. |
| |
| The war minister will be going on holiday tomorrow, and Baron |
| Conrad von Hötzendorf will also be leaving Vienna for a time. |
| As Count Berchtold confided in me, they are doing so |
| Childish! | deliberately in order to avoid causing any alarm. |
| | |
| Similar to the Silesian wars! |
| |
| “I am against councils of war and counseling, especially since the |
| more timid party always gains the upper hand.” |
| |
Frederick the Great |
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