AN INTERVIEW WITH CZERNIN

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 155, 26 March 1919, Page 8

AN INTERVIEW WITH CZERNIN

SOME FACTS FOR EX-KAISER "WE TRIED TO GET OUT OP THE WAR" A correspondent of the Associated Press in Vienna has 'had an interview with Count Czernin, formerly Austrn-Hungar-inn Minister of Foreign Affairs, who staled Unit Austria in 1917 miiile des-pßi-ate efforts to set out uf the war. even to the extent of offering to Germany the Austro-.Uuugarian province ot Galicia, the richest coal and oil province of t'ne Empire, if Germany would agree to surrender Alsnce-Lorraine. but the offer was always rejected, General Ludendorff was even willing to ilcclnro war upon.Austria if the latter made a separate peace. >' ~,-.. "Aero was only one. group in Austria, said the Count, "that wished to fient on in the hone of winning a victorious peace, and insisted that England must be crushed. This was the military party headed by Ludendorf, who is a remarkable military man, but it was our mi* fortune that he was too strong ami oo popular with the soldiers, tho result being that the Emperor needed him and could not send ilim away. He Hud saved Germany in a hundred military situations. Also there was no man strong enough to resist him.

Facts for Wilhelm. Count Czorniii went on: "1 will now tell you tacts of diplomacy unknown i;i (.lermany and unknown here to atiyono nave the .Emperor Carl and ono or two Ministers. . "In April, 1917, I sent tho Lmperor Cart a letter, of which .[ have a copy at your disposal, sayins that the submarine warfare was certain to fail, that 'we could never win, and that we must force Germany to .peace. I told hun that revolution was coming, that tho Emperor William would.lose his throne, as ho also would himself, that every Government head must see that, we wero I he losers, that America's entrance meant our niin and that her influence woula be felt within a few months, in spite of tho belief in Germany that America would nover be able to arrive in time. "I said that, thoje was nothing moro dangerous in politics than to see things as yuu wished them rather' than as they are| that there was only ono possum way out, namely, by a peace and arranging matters between England and Germany. "So the Emperor Carl agreed, and we proposed lo the Emperor William to give Germany the whole of Austrian (Jalicin' and to let her have Russian Poland if only she would cedo Alsace-Lor-raine to France. 1 went to Kxouznach, on the French front, and put the matter before Hen- von Bethmann-Hollwcg, but he was obliged to decline. "I do not know if J.udendoriT had any hand in this, but the German? answered that it. was impossible to give up AlsaceLorraine, because the German people would never understand the giving up of land which had cost so much blood;

Secret Mission to Berlin. "When I saw we could not arrange tilings because Germany was obliged to obey tlio military party, I tried another way. I. sent to Berlin, unknown to tha Germans, the Austrian.Socialist member of Parliament. Wassilko, who had a tall: with Eralwifier (CUericul) and Sudoltiun (Socialist), and told them why the war must be brought to nn end. "Both understood and took action in the Reichstag, where they submitted peace resolutions directed against the' military nnrty. and rlso against I'an-Ger-manists. ' 'But the German victories began again, and the ileichstn? did nothing. It was always so. When our chances were very bad the Entente was elated, and' when ours were good Ludendorff refund to allnw peace. "Wo tried to get out. of the war in every way except'by vw with Germany, which would have meant, the end of our Empire. Consider how relatively weaker we were than Germany. It was impossible for me to dictate terms. If now President. Wilson, with his wcat prestige, finds it difficult to impress all his. ideas on the Entente, how was it possible for a man like myself to do so with Germany? "However. I hope that disarmament will come, but President Wilson is ths only man ajue to do it. T trust to him. A. year a?o I showed in a public address that, an International arbitration court with power to. punish any nation resorting to arms by the other linliims uniting against it was the only way." Retarding Die Brest-Li tovuk Treaty, Count Czernin said: "T signed it. but we took nothing from it—i fact which n worthy of mention. . IT was Ludendorff who forced Kuhlmann to that peace, always Ludendorff.'