CAUSE OF WAR.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 September 1919, Page 3

CAUSE OF WAR.

AUSTRIAN COMPLICITY

) — 1 (By Electric Telegraph —Coivright.) (Received this day at 11.25 a.m.) VIENNA, September 22. •Austrian Red Books issued emphasise the efforts made by Sir Edward Grey to prevent war and the responsibility of Count Berchtold for tho outbreak. The Austrian Ambassador in London telegraphed to Berchtold on July 23rd, 1914, tributing Sir E. Grey’s friendliI ness, blit saying that Grey was greatly I concerned about tlie possible conse- | quences of the ultimatum to Serbia. I Berchtold replied on 23rd July that the | shortness of time granted to Serbia was due to Austria’s long experience of Serbia’s procrastination. ) The Austrian Ambassador in Berlin, in a despatch dated July 27th referring to British meditation proposals. said the German Government was emphatically opposed to the proposals, and only forwarded them at the British, request, j

Berchtold in an urgent report to the Emperor Francis Joseph on July 28th, said the Entente possibly would efcill attempt to effect a peaceable settlement of tlie conflict unless a definite situation was created by a declara tion of war. He submitted with the report a declaration of war for the Emperor’s signature, basing the request on the reports that Serbian troops liad fired on Austro-Hungarian soldiers at Temeskubin.

After the Emperor signed the declaraton Berchtold struck out , the reference therein to the Serbian attack and wrote to the Emperor saying he had taken upon himself, to eliminate the sentence, a® the reports were not confirmed. 1