New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-12-11
RUSSIAN TREATY is
WORK OF GERMAN
MILITARY LEADERS
Count Czernin Pictures Gen.
LudendOrf as Dictator of
German Military Policy
Says Wilson UnseIfiish.

Vienna, Dec. 8 (By AssociatedS
Press )-Count Czernin, the forme /
Austro- Hungarian foreign minister
discussed today his efforts and thai
of the Austrian government to END
the war and outlined what in his es
timation were the problems to 81
settled before peace can be made se
cure. He expressed hope for ar
agreement among the nations to dis
arm.
Ludcndorff a Tyrant.
Count Czernin declared the Brest
Litovsk peace treaty was the work oA
the German military leaders and
painted Gen. Ludeadorff, the quar-
termaster general of the GermarN
army and virtual dictator of the EN-
pires military policy in the last day
of the conflict, as the man who stoodS
between the Central Empires and8
peace on numerous occasions. Eff
forts to induce the German govern
ment to make concessions of any i'm B
portant nature seemed at times to beH
near success, but Ludendorff wa
adamant.
England Prevented Peace.
the part of Austria to reach some sor
of peace before the final and abso
lutte collapse of both the Austrian and@
German empires, Count Czernin said d
The German people wanted peacd
long ago, and even Emperor Willian3
wanted to see the end of the war, buM
the attitude of England prevented
steps being taken Emperor WilIianN
said to me on one occasion:
How can we get peace with Eng
land declaring we must be destroyw
ed?'
Nothing is more dangerous ii
politics than to see things as vol
wish to see them; not as they are. W
understand that the only way to ar
range matters was to get England and
Germany to agree. 81
Austria Wanted War to End.
with the knowledge of Empero H.
Charles, I proposed to Emperor VIII
liam that Austria would give Ger
many the province of Galicia and per
nit her to have her way in RussialM
Poland, provided Alsace and LorM
raine were ceded back to France
went to Kreizenach and presents M
the plan to DR.. thmann-IolIwegM
then German imperial chancellor La
ter he informed me that he was fore M
ed to decline to enter into the schema M
[ do not know whether or not Luden M
dorff had a hand in the matter, bu 81
| was informed that it was impossible M
to give up Alsace and Lorraine be 3
cause the German people never woul 8
understand the giving up OF Ian M
which had cost SO much blood.
Military Party Was Supreme.
The situation of Germany wa 8
dangerous, but nothing could be done #
Our conversations were pleasant an @
friendly, and our sacrifices were ap kz
preciated by officials. I saw, how Hs
ever, that 1 could not arrange TIL Ma
matter because Germany was oblige W
to obey the military party L the M
tried another way. Unknown to tn @
Germans, I sent Herr Vassilko a 49,
cialist member of parliament, to Ber
lin to talk with Matthias FIrzberget S
the clerical Lender, and DR.. Albert A
w. Suedcrkum, a social member ~
the Reichstag. He was TO tell ther H
why the war must end and give tI1cr @S
both TO understand that anothe 5
peace resolution should be iltrodIlc s
ed in the Reichstag, directed agains M
both the military party and the Pan HM
Germans. @
Victories Halted Action. M
'.At this junctlwe, however, TIL
German armies began to win victoria H
once more and the Reichstag di M
nothing. Thus we were badly situa HID
ed. When our chances were bad an @
the Entente nations were elated the M
would not talk peace. When we wer
winning, Ludendorff would not conR
sent to permit peace negotiations @
always wanted to use victory as a @
opportunity to bring about peace, an W
several times had an impression tina aMS
/ might succeed. 2
'I sent Count Mensdorff to Switz z#
erland to. see Gen. J. c. SHUTS (wh I'M
was in Switzerland last March in thMS
interests of the British government M
He succeeded, but [ was unable @
tell just what terms Germany woul M&
make. l do not recall that I.Iov W