THE ENEMY OF PEACE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17274, 25 September 1919, Page 7

THE ENEMY OF PEACE.

BERCHTOLD UNMASKED. MAN WHO FORCED THE WAR. Renter. VIENNA. Sept. 22. Austrian Red Books issued to-day emphasise the efforts made by Viscount (then Sir Edward) Grey to prevent the war and the responsibility of Count Berchtold, then Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister, for the outbreak. The Austrian Ambassador in London telegraphed to Count Berchtold on July 23, 1914, paying a tribute to Sir Edward Grey's friendliness, but saying that the British Foreign Minister was greatly concerned about the possible consequences of the ultimatum to Servia.

Count Berchtold replied the same day that the shortness of time granted to Servia was due to Austria's long experience of Servia's procrastination.

The Austro-Hungarian Ambassador in Berlin, in a despatch dated July 27, referring to the British mediation proposals, said the German Government emphatically opposed the proposals, and only forwarded them at the request of Britain. Count Berchtold, in an urgent report to the Emperor Francis Joseph on July 28, said the Entente would possibly still attempt to effect a peaceable settlement of the conflict unless a definite situation were created by a declaration of war.

He submitted with the report a declaration of war for the Emperor's signature, basing the request on reports that Servian troops had fired on Austro - Hungarian soldiers at Temeskubin. After the Emperor signed the declaration Count Berchtold struck out the reference in it to the Servian attack, and wrote to the Emperor saying he had taken upon himself to eliminate the sentence, as reports were not confirmed.