The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-02-14
LAYS BARE THE
DETERMINATIONS
Of GERMANY To. !.
START THE. WAR
FATEFUL DECISION .
AT POTSDAM, JULY S
Prof. Oman's Book Makes
Revelations That Are
Astounding. s.5

LONDON, Feb 13.--Some Of the ac-E
ceptcd stories OF the happenings OF the
n1omentous days just prior to the war;
il Is understood. are shattered In: q
book based on official documents and
personal notes of diplomats and 'rot-
ficials 10 be issued tomorrow.
The book characterizes as fallacy:.
tho belief that the assassination OF
Archduke Ferdinand at Sara5evo was
| "stagc managed AFFAIR" but IT. Is as
serted from knowledge gained from Of
! fetal documents that if the assaSsinaT
ton had not occurred the war cartaln-t
| iy would have been started very soon.%
The famous Potsdam conference or
July s., 1914. according to the oooE's
was not what has been generally ac-E
ccptcd The meeting took place.; but ,ftg
was not a formal conference, az has
been declared repeatedly. 1t Is assert
cd that many persons who were sup
posed to have been there were not
present. Emperor William and members 2
of the German imperial staff were pres
cnt. however. and at this conference
Germany definitely decided for war. =
Damning Aevslstton- a,z
The book was written by PROFESSOR
Charles W. c. Oman. president Of the
| RovoI Historical society and pro-.
fcssor of history at oxford university;
I, Balfour. the British foreign Sec
rctary and Earl Curzon. government!
leader in the house Of lords. arc under-.
stood TO have taken an active interestl
| in it's compilation.
| One of the "damning revelations, as
Professor Oman calls them, Is ms
statement that from close STUDY o.
Munich newspapers he has estaoiisneo5
that the ultimatum from the FienHa
! government to the Serbian government:
was' deliberately timed when President
Poincaire and Premier Viviani OF
| France were at sea after their depar-:
! turc from Petrograd. in order to make
tit difficult for the entente 10 reach ar
understanding. Professor Oman gives
what he calls a complete analysis or
/ these revelations.
14ehnowxty Hcnsst.
! A series Of hitherto unpuoilsneo
communications between Sir Eo"atu,
Gray, British foreign secle'1rS IN!
| 1911 and Prince Lichnowsky. Germ4n
iamhassador in London at the outbreak;
~ the war, goes TO provcn ProfcsaeE;
or.,r says. that the British foreign DIS
NO believed that Lichnowsky was 2o-.
so,rtely. honest. The book says:
"Tbey emphasize the personal an1ietE
~ Iichnowsky and show that he ~as
ectuaIly and literally betrayed by ms
roycrnment-in other words, that "s
| waS the unwilling tool VI t'iS N.A'-.,..
On July ., 1914, Prince LichnoWshS
wrote privately as follows to Sir Ed
ward Grey: ,,o-xa
II begin to hope that 1t once more
h.e bccn possible owing to -Angio-Ger.
man collaboration to have the peace o.
Europe" .o. p,,1. Z
| ish amba ssador in Berlin. wrote TO sh
Edward Grey. saying: ,,,nN.
"The chancellor told me last nlsnh
thar he was pressing the button win
| q view TO forming a modcratinS inilu.;
Information contained in the book
showed that the opposite was taxing
Mace and that Chancellor Won Betn-
1nonn-Hollweg was doing everything
Dossible to get the German war MAY
chine going. -
journalistic NyEtery. -
The book refers to a journalistic mys-
,cry-thc publication by the Westmin-i
ster Gazette on August l. 1871, or ~
dispatch,. dated in Berlin. giving the:
text of a purportcd telegram addressed
on July 30 by Won Bethmann-H Holl%cs
TO the German ambassador in vienna
";vc must refuse to be drawn into
(continned on Page ninso