The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-04-27

England had no interest in Albania, and would, therefore, not go to war on the subject. In his role of honest broker he would confine his. efforts to mediation and an attempt to smooth away difficulties between the two groups. He, therefore, by no means placed himself on the side of the Entente Powers, and during the negotiations which iasteo about eight months, he lent his good will and powerful influence towards the estab- lishment of an understanding. In- stead of adopting the English view, we accepted that dictated to us by Vienna. Count Mensdorff led the Triple Alliance in London, and I was hf& second.
 My duty was to support his pro- posals. The clever and experienced Count Szogyenyi was at the helm in Berlin. His refrain was 'Casus foed- eris,' and when once I dared to doubt the justice of this phrase, I was seri- ously warned against Austrophobism Referring to my father, it was even said that I had inherited it. On every point, including Albania, the Serbian harbors, in the Adriatic, Scutari, and in the definition of the Albanian from tiers, we were on the side of Austria and Italy, whilst Sir Edward Grey hardly ever took the French or Rus sian point of view. On the contrary, | he nearly always took our part in order to give no pretext of war which was afterwards brought about | by a dead Archdudke. It was with his help that King Nicholas was in- duced to leave Scutari. Otherwise there would have been war over this matter as we should never have dar- ed to ask 'our Allies to make con- sessions.
 Sir Edward Grey conducted the nc- gotiations with care, and tact. When a question threatened to become in- volved he proposed a formula which met the case and always secured con- sent. He acquired the full confidenca
 of all the representatives"
 Austria and Russia
 | "Once again we had successfully
 withstood one of the many threats against the strength characterizing
 our policy. Russia had been oblig-
 ed to give way to us all along the
 line, as she never got an opportunity
 to advance Serbian wishes. Albania
 was set up as an Austrian vassal
 State, and Serbia was driven away
 from the sea. The Conferen was thus
 a fresh humiliation for Russia.
 l As in 1878 and 1908, we had op-
 posed the Russian program without
 German interest being brought into play. Bismarck had to minimize the 1-o #
 treaty, and his attitude in the Batten-
 berg questionable downward incline
 being taken by us in the Bosnian
 question-was followed up in London
 and was not given up, with the result that it led to the abyss.
 '%The dissatisfaction then prevalent in Russia was given vent to during the London Conference by an attack 1T
 the Russian press on my Russian col
 league and on Russian diplomacy.
 His German origin and Catholic
 faith, his reputation as a friend o1 Germany, and the accident that he
 was related both to Count Mensdorft , and to myself, were all made use o1
 by dissatisfied parties. Although no
 a particularly important personality
 Count Benckendorff possessed man!
 of the qualities of a good diplomat , tact, worldly knowledge, experience : and agreeable personality. and a na tural eye for men and things. H, } sought always to avoid provocative ) attitudes, and was supported D! : the attitude of England and France. l q once said The feeling in Rus , sia is very German He replied There are also many strong influen tial pro-German circles there. But tn l people generally are anti-Austrian.' ''It only remains to be added tha : our exaggerated Austrophilism is no 3 exactly likely to break up the Ensent } and turn Russia's attention to he = Asiatic interests ''-(By the Interna 2 national News Bureau. Incl