LATEST SENSATION FROM GERMANY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3150, 31 July 1917, Page 5

LATEST SENSATION FROM GERMANY

HOW THE JUNKERS ENGINEERED THE WAR GRAVE DISCLOSURES London, July 29. The recent political quarrels in Germany have brought out an important disclosure, enabling an unimpeachable Times" correspondent to bring to light startling facts as to how Germany plunged the world into war. The information is based on a public report of a speech inado by Horr Hugo Haaso in the Reichstag Inst week, in which he referred to a meotin? held on July 5, 1914, as one of the matters which needed to bo explained before the origin of the war is finally understood. The correspondent says: "I have it, on authority which it is "almost impossible to doubt, that a meeting was held at Potsdam at which the Kaiser, Herr Bothmnnn-Hollweg, Admiral von Tirpitz, General von Fnlkenhayn, Genexal Wilhelm von Stumin, the Archduke Frederick and Field-Marshal Konrad von Hootzendorff (Chief of the Austrian General Staff) were present. Dr. von Jngow (Minister of Foreign Affaire in 1014) and Field-Marshal von Moltko (Chief of General Staff in 1914) were not present. The meeting discussed and decided the principal points of tho Austrian ultimatum to bo dispatched to Serbia eighteen days later. It also recognised that Russia would probably refuse to submit to such direct humiliation, and that war would result. That consequenco the meeting definitely decided to accept. Tho Kaiser then went to Norwav, with tho object of throwing dust in the eyes of tho French and Russian Governments. Three weeks later, when it became known, that England was not remaining neutral, Herr Bethmann-Hollwog wished to withdraw, but it was too late, tho decision of July 5 being crucial and irrevocable. It is certain that most of Herr Hanse'a hearers were fully aware of the meaning oi' his reference to the fatal date. Tho subject appears to have boon nioro fully iiml explicitly raised at a secret meeting of tho Budget Committee of the Reichbtag eight weeks ago by a Socialist, who challenged a certain Minister to deny the facts. Tho Minister declined to make any statement, and tho incident caused an iinmonso sonsation. Tho fact that Horr Haaso has now raised the matter in public appears to indicato that ho and his friends consider tho time has come to bring the full truth to light." A former Berlin correspondent of "The Tinii's." coniiiiKiiling on the disclosure, says: "Vun .lagmv repeatedly denied that ho was aware of the contents of tho Austrian ultiimiUtm before it was published. Ho pledged mo his word to this effect. Tho fact that von Moltko, then Chief of the General Staff, was exoluded from the plot sheds fresh light on his career. He was suspended after his, first failures in tho campaign in France. Before bin death he said that ronio day thore would be disclosures about the early stages of the war."

"The Times'" says it is impossible to exaggerate tho gravity of the disclosures, aud challenges Germany to provide a denial by publishing the (diplomatic- correspondence betweon Borlin and Vienna. —"The Times."-