Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-02-14
WAR NOT BROUGHT
BY ASSASSINATION
Huns Making, But Ferdi-
hands Killing Not Plotted,
Says Eng|ishman in Book.
DUPLICITY is DISCLOSED
By the Associate ted Press.

/ dCCtptSu sun tCo VI lHc VI
the momentous days just prior to the
] war, it is understood, are shattered in
/ a book based on official documents and
personal notes of diplomats and Off
Gals to be issued tomorrow.
The book characterizes as a fallacy
the belief that the assassination of
| Archduke Francis Ferdinand at Sera-
| jevo was a "stage-managed affair"
but it is asserted from knowledge
gained from official documents that if
the assassination had not occurred the
war certainly would have been start
ed very sooq.
Decide on War at Potsdam.
The famous Potsdam conference of
July ), 1914, according to the book,
was not what has been generally &C
cepted. The meeting took place, but
il was not a formal conference, as
has been declared repeatedly. 1t is as
serted that many persons who were
supposed to have been there were not
present. Emperor William and men,
bers Of the German imperial staff were
present, however, and at this confer
ence Germany definitely decided for
war.
The book was written by Prof.
Charles w. c. Oman. president of the
Royal Historical Society and a pro-
fessor of history at Oxford Univer-
sity. A. j. Balfour. the British foreign
secretary, and Earl Curzon, govern
ment leader in the house of lords, are
understood to have taken an active
interest in it's compilation,
One of the "damning revelations,
81 Prof Opna N f.allS them. is his state
ment that from a close study OF Mu-
mich newspapers he has established
that the ultimatum from the Vienna
government to the Serbian govern
ment was deliberately timed when
President Poincare and Premier Vivi-
ami of France were at sea after their
departure from Petrograd. in order to
make ii difficult for the entente to
gives what he calls a complete analy-
sis of these revelations.
Makes Public Communications.
A series of hitherto unpublished
communications between Sir Edward
Grey, British foreign secretary in
1914, and Prince Lichnowsky, German
AMBASSADOR in London at the out
break of the war, goes to prove, Prof.
office believed that Lichnowsky was
absolutely honest. The book says:
They emphasize the personal anx-
iety of Liehnowsky and show that he
was actually and literally betrayed
by his goVernment-in other words,
that he was the unwilling tool of the
kaiser"
On July 90, 1914. Prince Lichnowsky
wrote privately, as follows. to Sir Ed
ward Grey:
II begin to hope that 1t once more
has been possible owing to Anglo
German collaboration to save the
peace of Europe"
On July 80, Sir w L. Coachen,
British ambassador in Berlin, wrote
to Sir Edward Grey, saying:
The chancellor told me last night
that he was pressing the button with
a veiw to forming a moderating in
huence on Vienna"
Information contained in the book
shows that the opposite was taking
place and that Chancellor Won Beth
mann Hollweg was doing everything
possible to get the German war ma
chine going.
The book refers to a journalistic
mystery-the publication by the West
minister Gazette on August 1, 1914 of
dispatch dated in Berlin giving the
text of purported telegram ad-
dressed On July 80 by Won Bethmann
Hollweg to the German ambassador
in Vienna, saying:
we must refuse to be drawn into a
world confagration through Austria
Hungary not respecting our advice"
GERMANY Awaits Excuse