The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-10-16
BY WILHELM HoHENzoLLERN


Summer of 1914, when nobody in Ger.
many believed as yet in the Entente's
attack, war had been prepared in Rus
STA, France, Belgium and England.
included the most important proofs
of this, in so far as they are known
to me, in the Comparative Historical
Tables" compiled by me. On account
OF their great number, l shall cite only
few here. If in so doing I do not
mention all names, this is done for
reasons easily understood. Let me
remark furthermore that this whole
mass OF material became known to me
only little by little, partly during the
war, mostly after the war.
I'd AS far back as April, 1914, the
accumulation of gold reserves in the
English banks began. On the other
hand, Germany, as late as July, was
still exporting gold and grain; to be
Entente countries, among others.
CD In April, 1914, the German
Naval Attache in Toxic, Captain Won
.K1orr, reported that he was greatly
struck by the certainty with which
every one there foresaw war of the
Triple Alliance against Germany in
the near future = that there was a
something in the air as it, so to speak,
people were expressing their condol-
ences over a death sentence not yet
pronounced.
(3) At the end of March, 1914, Cen
leral Sherbatsheff, director of the St.
Petersburg War Academy, made an
address to his officers, wherin,
among other things, he said: THAT
war with the powers forming the
Triple Alliance had become unavoid-
able on account of Austrias anti
; Russian Balkan policy; that there ex-
listed the strongest sort of probability
that it would break out as early as
same Summer; that, for Russia, it was
point of honor to assume the often
sive Immediately"
(4) In the report of the Belgian Am
bassador at Berlin regarding a Japa-
nese military mission which had ar
rived from st. Petersburg in April,
! 1914, 1t was stated, among other
things: At th0regimental messes the
Japanese officers had heard quite open
talk of an imminent war against
Austria-Hungary and Germany; it was
stated, however, that the army was
ready to take the field and that the
moment was as suspicious for the
Russians as for their allies, the
French.
go According to the memoirs of the
then French Ambassador at st Peters
burg, NJ. Paleologue, published in 1921,
in the Revue des Deux Mondes, the
Grand Duchesses Anastasia and Mil
liza told him on July %, 1914, at
Tsarskoe Selo, that their father, the
King of Montenegro, had informed
them, in a cipher telegram, that 'we
shall have war before the end of the
month (that is before the 18th of Aug
ust, Russian style); nothing will
be left of Austria. You will take
back Alsace-Lorraine Our armies
will meet in Berlin. Germany
will be annihilated"
(6) The former Serbian Charge |
Affaires at Berlin, Bogitshevich, tells |
in his book, Causes of the War;, pub |
lished in 1919, of the following state |
ment which Cambon, the then French
Ambassador at Berlin, made to him |
on the 26th or 9th of July, 1914: IF
Germany wishes matters to come to a |
war, she will have England also
against her. The English fleet will |
take Hamburg. We shall thoroughly
beat the Germans" Bogitshevich
states that this talk made him sure
that the war had been decided upon
at the time of the meeting of Poin-
care with the Russian Gear at ST. |
Petersburg, if not sooner.
Russian Crown Council
Cd Another Russian of high rank, |
member of the Duma and a good |
friend of Sazonoff, told me later
about the secret Crown Council held, |
with the Gar presiding, in February, |
1914; moreover, / obtained corrobora- |
tioM from other Russian sources
mentioned in my Historical Tables"
of the following: At this Grown |
Council Sazonoff made an address
wherein he suggested to the Car to |
seize Constantinople, which, since the /
Triple Alliance would not acQuiesce in
1t, would cause war against Germany
and Austria. He added that Italy
would break away from these two, in
the natural course of events; that
France was to be trusted absolutely
and England probably.
The Gear had agreed, it was said.
and given orders to take the neces-
sary preliminary steps. The Russian
Finance Minister, Count Kokovzeff.
wrote to the Car advising against
this course was informed of this by
Count Mirbach after the peace OF
Brest-Litovsk- recommending a firm
against war, which, he said, would be
unfavorable to Russia and lead to
revolution and the fall of the dynasty.
The Car did not follow this advice
but pushed on toward war.
The same gentleman told me this.
Two days after the outbreak of war
ne had to be invited by Sazonoff to
breakfast. The latter came up to him.
beaming with joy, and, rubbing his
hands together, asked: Come now
my dear Baron, you must admit that
/ have chosen the moment for war
excellently, haven't -" When the
Baron, rather worried, asked him
what stand England would take. the
Minister smote his pocket, and. with
a sly wink, whispered: Il have some
thing in my pocket which, within the
next few weeks, will bring Joy to all
Russia and astound the entire world
| have received the English promise
that England will go with Russia
against Germany"
90 Russian prisoners belonging TO
the Siberian Corps, who Were taken
in East Prussia. said that thew had
been transported by rail in the sum
mer of 1913. to the vicinity of Mos
cow, since manoeuvres were to be held