New-York tribune., 1918-02-13
German Diplomat Also
Chides Own Nation for
Bosporus Issue
Raps Count Berchtold
Prince Asserts jealousy Of
Russia Was Excited by
Teuton Scheme

new version of the origin OF The
world war, ascribing responsibility for
the outbreak of the conflict not to the
assassination of the Austrian heir an-
parent and his consort, but to an at
tempt by Count Bcrchtold to force a re-
vision in Austro- Hungarian interest cf
the Balkan settlement embodied in tho
treaty of Bucharest, is given by Prince
Llchnowsky, German Ambassador TO
London at the outbreak of the war.
The German diplomat, in this CON
tribution to the diplomatic history of
the war, which appears as a three
column article in recent issue of the
Berlin "Tageblatt" received here, docs
not free his own government from re-
sponsibility, maintaining that Ger
many's attempt to establish herself as
utory cause to the war.
Lichnowsky criticiscs the prc-war
lines of the Eastern policy Of Germany,
which after Bismarck and, as the for
mcr ambassador contends, against the
intentions of the German empire
builder, abandoned its earlier close re-
lations with Russia and broadened the
Austro German alliance to give Aus
tria-Hungary blank credit for support
IN promoting its interests in the Ball
kanS.
Germany's attitude in the Bosnian
crisis of 1908 led to further aliena-
ton of the traditional friendship with
Russia, whose neutrality had made pos
slble the PruSsian successes in 1866
and 1870.
Russian jealousy Excited
while sweeping Interpretation of
the alliance" Lichnowsky continues.
"permltted our Austro-M Magyar friends
to combat with our help the Serbian cf-
forts toward uniication. the position
OF dominance on the Bosporus for
which Germany was striving excited
the jealousy of Russia. Germany next
helped Austria Hungary to force
through at the London conference Of
ambassadors the establishment of the
Kingdom OF Albania, with the intent Of
shutting Serbia off from the Adriatic
Sea-"
Serbia saw herself forced through
this to turn southwark in an endeavo or
to reach the sea at Salonica through
accord with friendly Greece. "And
when finally" writes Lichnowsky, in
the significant sentence of the article,
Count Bcrchtold, who had never real
ly recognized the Bucharest treaty, de-
sired to take up q revision of this
treaty, supported by the alliance, there
developed through the resistance of
nrlI y, io,
fronts US with the task Of finding new
and, it is hoped. lasting bases for our
future relations with Russia"
Contempt for Bolsheviki
Lichnowsky, the born aristocrat, has
only words of contempt for the pres
ent regime in Russia, which he terms
ochlocracy, or the rule Of the mob, and
says will reduce Russia to the status
OF primitive nature state, without any
but the most rudimentary trade, in
dustry or foreign commerce.
Should it continue, Russia will cease
to exist as a world power with whose
policy Germany will have cause to
worry; but in the event Of Russia TAX
ing the form of federated democratic
republic, on American lines, which he
considers the most probable outcome,
Llchnowsky declares that the question
of the new basis for Germany's rcla-
tlons to Russia becomes one of the
most pressing problems of Germany's
future.
He considers the restoration of the
monarchy in Russia improbable. He
declares, however, that under either
a monarchy or a democratic republic
Russia is scarcely likely to accept the
passing of Poland under German domi-
nation, and he sees in the present Ger
man plans for Poland a source of en-
barrassment and danger for Germany.