The Washington times., 1917-09-17
DESIRE FOR PEACE KEPT
KALSER,S MESSAGE PRIVATE

/ whole situation: an obstinate nation.
they will keep up the war. 1t cannot
end SOON"
1t was the entry Of England in the
war, in defense of the rights of small
nations, In defense of the guaranteed
/ neutrality OF Belgium. which saved
the world from the harsh dominion
of the conquest-hungry Prussians,
and. therefore, saved as well the two
Americas and their protecting doc
trine of President Monroe.
The document, which Is dated Au-
gust 10, 1914, supersedes the state
ment made by the German Chancellor
Won Bethmann-Hollweg In his speech
before the Reichstag on August 4,
1914, in which he gave the then Of
ficial account OF the entrance into
the war OF the central empires. Be-
cause the text OF Won Bethmann-Holl-
weg's speech and the imperial letter
to President Wilson will be studied
and compared by all future historians
OF the war, I give below the chief part
OF the chaneelloF's version Of the facts
that accompanied the German deelara-
ton of war. II will be noted that
Won Bethmann-Hollweg insisted that
France began the war in the sentence
reading: There were bomb-throwing
ulCT1t Cavalry p1IIOlhs lnNAulnk COD-
panies in the Reichsland (Alsace-Lor-
raine). Thereby France, although the
condition Of war had not yet been de-
elared, had attacked our territory"
But the Emperor makes no mention Of
this fact. OF supreme Importance II
true, in his writing TO President VIII
son six days later. Won Bethmann-
Hollweg's account Is as follows:
Won Bethnann-HoIIwes's suDeFseded
speech
/" Gentlemen, a series of
documents. composed in the rush of
events, is in your hands. Allow me to
place before you the facts which char
acterize our attitude.
Prom the very beginning of the
Austrian conflict we strove and
worked toward the end that this trou-
BILE remain confined to Austria-Hun-
gary and Serbia. All cabinets, es-
pecially that of England, take the
same stand; only Russia declares that
she must have q word in the decision
OF this contest. Herewith the dan
ger OF European entanglements arises.
AS soon as the first authentic reports
OF the military preparations in Rus
sia reached us we declared in a
friendly but emhpatic manner In st.
ENNCAbOdAB NhaN war lnGd1uTb1 ana
military preparations would force us
also to prepare, and that mobilization
Is closely akin to war.
Russia asserts in what Is an ap-
parently friendly manner that she Is
not mobilizing against US. In the
meantime England tries to mediate
between Vienna and st. Petersburg, in
which she is warmly supported by US.
On July % the Kaiser telegraphed the
Gar, asking him to consider that
Austria-Hungary has the right and
that 1t is her duty to defend herself
against Serbian intrigues, which
threaten to undermine her existence.
The Kaiser called the attention OF
the Gear to their common monarciiicaI
interests with regard to the Serajevo
outrage. and asked him personally to
support him in order to establish har-
mony between Vienna and st. Peters
burg.
Kaiser Assumes Mediator RsIe.
"At about the same hour in which
the telegram was sent the czar asked
the Kaiser for his support. and re-
quested him to advise Vienna to be
moderate in its demands. The Kaiser
assumed the role of mediator. Hardl;.
had he begun his activity when Rus
sia mobilized its entire fighting force
against Austria-HunEary. Austria
Hungary. however. had mobilIzed
only those army corps which we're d.
rected against Serbia; in the north
there were only two army corps, and
these far from the Russian border.
"The Kaiser Immediately called the
attention OF the CEar to the fact that
this mobilization OF his forces against
AustriaHungar made his position as
mediator difficult or absolutely i'm
possible. In spite of this we con-
tinued our mediatorial activities in
Vienna. going to the utmost limits OF
consistency with the terms Of our
federal treaty. During this time Rus
STA again spontaneously assured US
that her military preparations were
not directed against US.
THE S1st OF July arrived. In
Vienna the decision was to be mado.
In the meantime we had succeeded
with our negotiations In reaching a
point where Vienna resumed inter
course with st. Petersburg. which for
some time had been discontinued; but
before the final decision was reached
in Vienna the news arrived that Rus
sia had mobilized its entire fighting
force. which meant also against us.
THE Russian government. which
from repeated Rdmonitions knew what
mobilIEinR on our borders meant, did