Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-11
.GzERN|N SAW us.
in WARM RMEANTRU|N
Warned Emperor Charles
That He and Kaiser Would
Lose Thrones.
HOPES ALL WILL DIsARM

VIENNA, Monday, December 9
(by the Associated Press.)-Count
Czernin, the former Austro-Hun-
garian foreign minister, discussed
today his efforts and those Of the Aus
trian government to end the war and
outlined what in his estimation were
the problems to be settled before peace
can be made secure. He expressed
hope for an agreement among the ma
tions to disarm.
Count Czernin declared the Brest-
Litovsk peace treaty was the work OF
the German military leaders, and
painted Gen. Ludendorff. the quarter
master general Of the German army
and virtual dictator Of the empires
military policy in the last days Of the
conflict, as the man who stood be-
tween the central empires and peace
on numerous occasions. Efforts to in
duce the German government to make
Of an important nature
seemed at times to be near success,
but Ludendorn was adamant.
Recounting the desperate efforts on
the part Of Austria to reach>some sort
OF peace before the final and absolute
collapse Of both the Austrian and
German empires, Count Czernin said:
England's Attitude Blamed.
THE German people wanted peace
wanted to see the end of the war, but
the attitude of England prevented
steps being taken. Emperor William
said to me on one occasion: How can
we get peace with England declaring
that we must be Destroyer
Nothing is more dangerous in poll
tics than to see things as you wish
to see them; not as they are. We un-
derstood that the only way to arrange
matters was to get England and Ger
many to agree.
with the knowledge of Emperor
Charles, I proposed to Emperor Will
liam that Austria would give Germany
the province of Galicia and permit her
to have her way in Russian Poland,
provided Alsace and Lorraine were
ceded back to France. 1 went to
Kreizenach and presented the plan to
DR.. Bethmann Hollweg. then German
imperial chancellor. Later he in
formed me that he was forced to- de-
cline to enter into the scheme. do
not know whether or not Ludendorff
had a. hand in the, matter. but 1 was
fnfdf4nSd that IT was Impossible to
give up Alsace and Lorraine, because
the German people never would un-
.derstand the giving up of land which
had cost SO much blood.
Military Caste Controlled.
1.-THE situation of Germany was dan
gerous, but nothing could he done.
Our conversations were pleasant and
friendly and our sacrifices were ap-
preciated by officials. saw. how
ever, that I could not arrange the
matter, because Germany was obliged
to obey the military party.
II then tried another way. I'm
known to the Germans. I sent Herr
Vassilko, a socialist member of par
Erzberger, the clerical leader, and DR..
Albert o. w. Suederkum, a socialist
member of the reichstag. He was
to tell them why the war must end
and give them to understand that an
other peace resolution should be in
troduced in the reichstag, directed
against both the military party and
the pan-Germans.
"At this jlncture, however, the Ger
man armies began to win victories
once more and the reichstag did moth
ing. Thus we were badly situated.
When our chances were bad and the
entente nations were elated they
would not talk peace. When we were
winning Ludendorff would not con-
sent to permit peace negotiations. i
always wanted to use victory as an
opportunity to bring about peace, and
several. Hines had an impression that
I might succeed.
Conference With Smuts.
ct sent Count Mensdorff to Switzer-
land to see Gen. ]. C. SHUTS, who was
in Switzerland last March in the in
terests of the British government. He
succeeded, but I was unable to tell