SECRET HISTORY.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 7912, 31 July 1917, Page 3

SECRET HISTORY.

WHO.VOAUSED THE WAR? SENSATIONAL DISCLOSURES.

United Service.

| # LONDON, July 29. Remit ..political quarrels in Germany have brought about important disclosures w’hich enable .“The Times ’ correspondent, on uninv peachable authority, to bring to light startling facts as to how Germany plunged the world' into war. The information is based upon the published report of Herr Haase’s speech in;,the Reichstag last week, wherein he referred to the meeting of the sth of July, 1914, as one of the matters which needed to be explained before the' origin of the war could be finally understood. The correspondent says: “I have it on an authority it is impossible to doubt that a meeting was held at Potsdam at which the Kaiser, Herr von Bethmann-Hollweg, Admiral Tirpitz, General von Falkenhayn, General von Sturm, the Austrian Archduke Frederick and Count Holizendorf were present. Herr von Jagow and General Moltke were not present. “The meeting discussed and decided the principal points to be set down in the Austrian ultimatum to be despatched to Servia. “Eighteen days later it was recognised that. Russia would probably refuse to submit to such direct humiliation and war would result, and that in consequence the meeting definitely decided to accept the outcome. “The Kaiser then went to Norway with the object of throwing dust in the ‘eyes of the Franco-Russian Government.

THE FATAL FIFTH. “Three w’eeks later, when it was known that England was not remaining neutral, Hollweg wished to withdraw, but it was too late, the decisions on the sth of July being crucial and irrevocable. “It is certain that most of Herr Haase’s hearers were fully aware of the meaning of his reference to the' fatal date.

“The subject appears to have been more fully and explicitly raised at a secret meeting of the Budget Committee of the Reichstag eight weeks ago, by a Socialist member who challenged a certain Minister to deny the facts.

“The Minister declined to make any statement. “The incident has created an immense sensation. The fact that Herr Haase has now raised the matter in public appears to indicate that he and his friends consider the time has come to bring the full truth to light.” The ex-Berlin correspondent of “The Times,” commenting on this, says:—“Herr von Jagow repeatedly denied that he was aware of the contents of the Austrian ultimatum to Servia before it was published. He pledged me his word to this effect. The fact that General von Moltke, then Chief of the General Staff, was excluded from the plot, sheds a fresh light on his career. He was superseded after his first failures during the campaign in France. Before his death he stated that some day there would be disclosures about the early stages of the war.” “The Times” says it is impossible to exaggerate the gravity of the disclosures, and challenges Germany to provide a denial by publishing the diplomatic correspondence between Berlin and Vienna.