100 Years ago.... July 10, 1914 Russian Ambassador Nicholas Genrikhovich Hartwig was in constant conversations with Regent Alexander to guide Serbia through this crisis, but died of a heart attack on on this day during a visit to Baron von Gieslingen, the Austrian Ambassador in the Austrian legation in Belgrade. The Serbian press immediately publishes several inflammatory articles accusing the Austrians of poisoning Hartwig while he was a guest at their legation. Count Berchtold told German Ambassador Tschirschky he would present Serbia with an ultimatum containing “unacceptable demands” as the best way of causing war, but “chief care” would be taken about how to present these “unacceptable demands”. In response, German Emperor Wilhelm II wrote angrily on the margins of German Ambassador Tschirschky’s dispatch “They had time enough for that!” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Imperial and Royal chief of the General Staff to Count Berchtold. 10 July 1914. Your Excellency, In addition to what I said in the conference which recently took place under the presidency of your Excellency, I should like to send you the following in writing: In my position as chief of the General Staff it is of utmost importance that the formula be clearly defined, whether we are to exert ourselves to bring about a war with Servia or whether we are merely to take into account the possibility of a war. In what way either of these possibilities is to be treated diplomatically is outside my sphere of activity, but I must repeat, as I have fully agreed with you, that our diplomatic steps must avoid everything that would delay action by protracted negotiations, so that our antagonists would gain time for military preparations, which would put us at a military disadvantage, always injurious, but very much so, in the case of Servia and Montenegro. For the same reason everything should be avoided, that might alarm our antagonists and cause them to take countermeasures; on the contrary, peaceful intentions should be feigned. On the other hand our mind is made up for war, our military interests demand that a single step should be taken, with a short term for the ultimatum, which, if it be answered in the negative, must immediately be followed by the order for mobilisation. I beg your Excellency to accept the expression of my highest esteem. Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf The Austro-Hungarian Chief of the General Staff -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------- Tambaroora, New South Wales, a telephone is installed at the post office and public telephone facilities become available for the first time The West Australian, July 10, 1914 trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/2795104?zoomLevel=1 The Daily News, July 10, 1914 trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/7804758?zoomLevel=1
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 13:55:28 +0000
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