FURTHER LICHNOWSKY REVELATIONS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 30 March 1918, Page 7

FURTHER LICHNOWSKY REVELATIONS.

GERMAN POLICY DESCRIBED AS

PERFIDIOUS.

BERLIN'S CULPABILITY PROVED

(Reuter Service.) (Received March 30. 9.5 a.m.) LOMDON, March 29. Further Lichnowsky revelations have been published in The' Times.

Prince Lichnowsky (formerly German Ambassador in London) describes the decisive conversation at Potsdam on August 5 (?).. 1914, in which all present agreed that there would be no narm if war with Russia resulted. He was instructed to induce the English press to be friendly if Austria gave Serbia her death blow.

Prince Lichnowsy, in replying, warned Germany against the project, describing it as adventurous and dangerous.

Yon Jagow replied that Russia was not ready, and would draw back.

Prince Lichnowsky emphasises that if Russia and England had wanted war in order to attack Germany a hint t<% Belgrade would have been sufficient. Sir E. Grey and Prince Lichnowsky examined the Serbian reply. Sir E. Grey drawing attention to the conciliatory disposition of the Belgrade Government.

Prince Lichnowsky states that it would have been easy to find an acceptable solution in a couple of sittings, as acceptance of the British proposal would have relieved the tension and further improved Anglo-German relations thereafter.

Prince Lichnowsky urgently recommended! the' British proposal, saying that if it were not adopted a worldwar would become imminent;, in which Germany had everything to lose and nothing to gain. He adds-.. "I was then told to work for localisation of the conflict, but we pressed for war. When Germany refused the British pro. posal Sir E. Grey invited' a counterproposal, but we insisted. I could get no other answer from Berlin. The urgent appeals and definite declarations of M. Sazonoff, and later on positively humble telegrams from the Czar re•peated the proposals of Sir E Grey, and the warnings of the Italian Foreign Minister supplemented my urgent advice, but it was no use, for Berlin continued to insist that Serbia must be massacred." -

Prince Lichnowsky, on . departing from Britain, interviewed Sir E. Grey, who emphasised Britain's readiness to .mediate, saying: We do not want to crush Germany. "I," continues the Prince, "was treated like a departing monarch. Thus my London;mission ended, wrecked, not by the r>erfidy of the British, but by the perfidy of our policy." Prince Lichnowskv described Mr Asquith as a pacifist like Sir E. Grey and says that when Mr Asquith made a final effort to avoid war on August 2nd he completely broke down. Although calm, tears ran down bis face.