New-York tribune., 1918-04-09
n8;cial Austrian Statement
Declares Clemenceau
Took Initiative
Facts Distorted
By French, 1t Says
Rig Question Asserted To
Be: Who Caused Nego-
tiations to Fail?

AMSTERDAM. April s.-The state
msnts of the French government and
s,.Premier Painleve that it was Aus
,ria. not France, which took the initia
tive resulting N the conversations in
switzerland concerning the possibility
of opening peace negotiations are dc
MED By the Austrian government, which
insists that France took the first step.
An official statement issued in
Vienna says the accounts given by
Premier Clemenceau and NJ. Painleve
Of the meetings in Sw:z rland between
Count Revertata, the Austrian repro
sentative. and Major Armand, repre-
sentine France, deviate from the facts
in many important particulars. 1t as
serts the initiative was taken by .he
intermediary acting in the name of the
French government
Correction Is Necessary
The official Austrian statement says:
an contrast with the first brief dec
laration OF Premier Clemenceau, in
which he gave the lie to Foreign Min
jster Czernin, it s observed with salts
faction that NJ Clemenceau's statement
of April admits that discussions in
regard to the question of peace took
place between two confidential agents
of Austria Hungary and France. The
account given by VI. Clemenceau OF the
initiation and course OF these negot u
tons, and likewise the statement of NJ.
painleve or the same subject, however,
deviate in many important particulars
and to such degree from the facts
sha. detailed correction of the
French communication appears to be
necessary.
"ln July, 1917, Count Revertata was
requested by an intermediary in the
name of the French government to
state whether he was in a position to
receive a communication from that
government 20 the government Of Aus
.ria- Hungary.
France Took Initiative"
when Count Revertata, after having
obtained the sanction OF the Austro
Hungarian government, replied in the
affirmative TO this inquiry, in the same
month-July. 1917-Major Armand was
charged with such communication by
the then French Premier, Ribot. Major
Armand arrived on August 7, 1917, at
Count Revertata's private residence in
Freiburg, the count being distantly re-
lated to him.
Major Armand then addressed to
Count Revertata question as to
whether discussions between Frarce
and Austria-Hungary were possible.
Thus the initiative for these discus
sions was taken from the French side.
Count Ravertata reported to the
Austro- Hungarian Foreign Minister
that this question had been put on in
structions OF the French government.
and the minister thereupon requested
Count Revertata to enter into discus
sions with the French confidential
agent and in the course of these dis
cussions to establish whether by this
means basis for bringing about gen.
erar peace could be secured.
"On August 1928 Count Revertata
entered into discussions with Ma or
Armand. which, however, as Premier
Clemenceau quite correctly declares,
yieldeo no result. The negotiations
thereupon were broken off.
Question Clemenceau Version
The Clemenceau version, that the
discussions between Revertata and Ar
mand were proceeding on his entry into
1918, did Armand, this time on instruc-
tons from Clemenceau, again get into
touch with Revertata The thread had
heen broken in August, 1917, and was,
therefore, again taken up by Clemen-
ceau himself in January, 1918
Prom this fresh contact there re-
s1ted the discussions referred to in
the official communique Of April d.,
!sls. II is, however, correct that Count
Revertata handed 10 Major Armand on
February %. 1918. the memorandum
regarding which Premier Clemenceau
cisea only the first sentence, and which
confirms that in the discussions with
Armand, which had taken place in Au-