The sun., 1917-08-06
GERMAN RULER
HAD D14HOURSTO
AVERT THE WAR
Official Denial That Berlin
Helped Frame Ultima
tum Is Refuted.
2 HISTORIC INTERVIEWS
Newspaper Correspondent Re-
calls Words of Count Tisza
and Herr Won Jagow.
2 HISTORIC INTERVIEWS
by WILLIAM G. BULLITT.

, rHono Ledger correspondent Berlin 1916
NVHH"Hf SlI, bH Fu0Hc Ledger company.
WASHINGTON, Aug. Sin spite of ali
Official German denlals that Germany
mad a hand in the preparation Of Aus
tria-Hungary's ultlmatum TO Serbia.
which preclpitated the world war, there
IS IN my possession absolute proof that
Germany knew exactly what Austria
hungary was about to do.
This proof came to me from the lips
OF Count Tisza. who was at the time
Minister President OF Hungary and the
dictator of the policies OF the dual
monarchy, and from the lips of Excel
lenz Won Jagow. who was until last
November Germany's Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs
In September, 1916, when I had these
conversations. 1t appeared possible that
the United States might be able to
mediate between the warning nations.
My primary purpose In seeking these
conversations was to ascertain exactly
what peace terms the statesmen of Ger
many and Austria Hungary would offer,
30 that on reaching Washington in Oo-
tober l might inform the Department OF
state In regard to the exact attitude of
the Governments Of the Central Powers.
Talks Were ConndentIaI.
] made records OF the conversations
Immediately. / did not attempt to carry
the records with me, but at once sent
them out Of the confines Of the Central
Powers by route which was not under
the eyes Of censors and military au-
thorities.
As the statements contained In these
records were made to me in the course
OF conversations OF this nature I re-
garded them as confidential. and merely
communicated them.
Now. however. the German Govern
ment has again attempted to evade all
responsibility for setting the world afire
by Issuing the official mlstatement:
Moreover. we again declare that the
German Government abstatned from
any Intervention in drafting the Aus
trian ultimatum to Serbia, and that
the German Government was COM
pletely ignorant Of the contents OF the
ultimatum before its dispatch.
And the State Department, OF it's own
initiative. has employed some OF the in
formation communicated by me as a
basis for the statement Issued through
various Washington correspondents, to
the effect that Germany had Austria
Hungarys note to Serbia fourteen hours
in advance OF its presentation In Bel
grade.
Count TisEa Deeply Depressed.
My conversaton with Count TisZa
took place on September 3 in the Palace
of the Hungarian Minister President. He
was deeply depressed by Rumanias
declaration of war.
Iquestioned him at length in regard 10
the terms upon which Austria Hungary
would make peace, in regard TO the pros
poets of Mittel Europa, In regard to his
willingness to have President Wilson
act as mediator. and many other vital
matters.
when you wrote the note to Serbia
you expected to have war with Serbia,
didn't your / asked. "You knew Serbia
would not accept your demands?"
'I knew Serbia would have to accept
them unless Russia supported her."
Count Tisza replied Every friend OF
the monarchy in the world agreed that
our treatment OF Serbia was more than
patient. We endured injuries from her
for years. We had to put an end to
them"
Germany Knew All About 1t.
"Of course, It goes without saying
that you had talked over your note to
Serbia with the German Foreign Office
and that they knew the contents before
It was sent?' l then asked.
IT do not care to answer that Ques-
ton directly" said Count TisEa, But
you can draw your own conclusion. II
a person has a very close and strong
friend, and IL he is about to take a step
OF the most terrible gravity. does he not
discuss the whole matter with his friend
and finally tell him what he has decided
10 dor
Somewhat less than three weeks later
I entered the German Foreign Office. on
the Wilhelmstrasse, for a final conversa-
tion with Won Jagow, the Secretary Of
State for Foreign Affairs.
When the course OF our talk ran to-
ward annexations in Serbia l inter-
tected:
"But when Count Tisza wrote the
uItimatum 10 Serbia what he wanted
was not Land hut control"
"Too Late" said Won JaEow.
"I did not have a hand in preparing
the note" Won Jagow replied. Down
in Budapest they keep spreading the
story tnat we pTephTcu lnS nolo hl buCn
a rate that denials are hopeless, I saw
the note for the first time at o'clock
the night before II was presented in
belgrade. where II was presented at 10
! o'clock the next morning That was too
late to do anything about It,"
But you must have discussed its con-
| tents before?' interrupted.
"All we had done was to assure AuS-
| tria that we would back her up in an
attempt to punish Serbia. She was per-
fectiy right in going in to punish Serbia
That was Inevitable" replied Won Jagow
| By the words OF Won Jagow and Tisza
themselves, therefore, this much is estab-
| lished: The representatives OF the Haps-
burgs and the representatives of the
| Hohenzollerns Jointly discussed and de
| clded upon their general policy in regard
tc Serbia.
The phraslng Of the ultimatum WAS
| left TO Count Tisza. But the ultimatum
IN it's final form was handed to the
| German Foreign Ofiice fourteen hours
before It was handed to Serbia. During
those fourteen hours word from, the
Kaiser would have saved the world
from the blood, starvation. tears and
teath 1t has suffered for the past thrae
years.
Only fourteen hours "roo little time. -
= Vet there are many telegraph wires he.