EXCUSES OF COUNT CZERNIN.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 February 1919, Page 5

EXCUSES OF COUNT CZERNIN.

WHITEWASHING THE KAISER. A correspondent of the American Associated Press in Vienna a fow weeks ago had a#i interview with Count Ozernin, formerly Anstro-Uungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs, who stated that Austria in 1017 made desperate efforts to get out of the war, even to the extent of offering to Germany the Au»tro-Hua-giirian province of Galicia, the richest coal and oil province of the Empire, if Germany would agree to surrender Al-sace-Lorraine. The offer was alwaya rejected. General Ludendorff was even willing to declare war upon Austria if the latter made a separate peace. In discussing the position in general, Count Czernin said: — "I never thought it possible to beat the Entente, particularly after America entered the war. There were, it was said, two ways to arrange peace; one, by 0 separate peace with the Entente; the second, by a general peace together with Germany. A separate peace would have meant war with Germany, since, owing to our geographical position, Germany would have been cut off from her Turkish and Bulgarian Allies. THE KAISER'S ALLEGATION. "As to the second possibility of making peace in accord with Germany, it is true that the German people wanted peace long ago. Even the German Emperor wanted peace, but as he once said to me, 'How can it be done with England declaring that we must be destroyed?' "The Foreign Office, too, wanted peace. There was only one group for a victorious peace, who insisted that England must be crushed. This was the military party headed by Ludendorff', who is a remarkable military mar., but it was our misfortune that he was too strong and too popular with the soldiers, the result being that the Emperor needed him, and could not send him away. He had saved Germany in a hundred military situations. Also there was 110 man strong enough to resist him, like liismarck when the latter called 'Halt!' to Moltke. A 1017 PROPHECY. "I will now tell you facta of diplomacy ur,known in Germany to anyone save the Emperor Charles and one or two Ministers. In April, 1917, I sent the limperor Charles a letter, of which I have a copy at your disposal, saying that the submarine warfare was certain to fail, that we could never win, and that we must force Germany to peace. told him that revolution was coming, that the Emperor William would lo&e his throne as lie would himself, that every Government head must see that we were the losers, that we must try to enrure, b? f ore we weFe crushed, that Germany's situation should bo the same as nors, that only military men belieted it posKibio t.i win the war, that America's m."art our ruin, and that her influence would be felt within a few months in spit l : cl' tin; i.elief m G--,.Tinny that A-neriett vfv.li! never be ilbl* to arrive in lime "Tin. Emperor Charles agreed, and we proj/ostd to tiif. Emperor William to givo Gi'inuiiiV the whole of Austrian Galicia, and to let her have Russian Poland, if only she would cede AlsaceLorraine to France. I went to Kreizenach on the French front, and put the matter before Herr von Bethmann-Holl-weg, but he was obliged to decline. THE ERZBERGER INTRIGUE. "When I saw we could not arrange things because Germany was obliged to obey the military party, I tried another way. I sent to Berlin, unknown to the Germans, the Austrian Socialist member of Parliament,. Wassilko, who had a talk With Erzberger (Clerical), and Sudekum (Socialist), at which he told them why the war must be brought to an end. Both understood, and took action in the Reichstag, where they submitted peace resolutions directed against the military party and also against: Pan-Germanists. But the German victories began again, and the Reichstag did nothing. It was always so. "Once I sent Count Mensdorff to Switzerland; but never was it precisely said on what conditions Germany might be willing to make peace, nor do I recall that Mr. Lloyd George last February named any conditions. Germany always assured us that she had never received any definite offers, and 1 believe this is true. England appeared to have the intention of crushing Germany, with Lloyd George, Cleinenceau, and Ludendorff' always maintaining the same attitude, and Wilson only differing from the rest, while the Emperor William could not bring himself to give up Alsace-Lorraine. DESPAIR OF THE KAISER. "Regarding the latter, I feel that he did not want war, but he did not know how to get out of it, and in this respect 1 believe the heads of the Entente are wrong, though they probably really believe that he caused the war. "My impression is that neither the Emneror Joseph, Count Berehtold, nor the German Emperor wanted it. The explanation of how the war started may be found in the fact that in the beginning there was toe much diplomatic bluffing, with everyone looking for the other fellow to recede from his position." ALWAYS LUDENDORFF. Regarding the Brest Litovsk Treaty Count Czernin said: —"I signed-it, but we took nothing from it, a fact which is worthy of mention. It was Ludendorff who forced Kuhlmami to that pwee, ai- , ways Ludeadorff."