The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-12-30
The Mistakes of the Kai
BY RENE VIVIANI
Premier of France When the War Broke Out
Copyright 1921 by The Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate

the, drama. We shall set forth its plot
and after it will be easy TO untangle
its threads.
On July %, 1914, we left the Rus
sian shore and started for Sweden,
as had been officially and publicly de-
cided upon long time before. | wish
it clearly understood that the smallest
details of the trip, even the dinners,
and. above all, the date of departure,
were known to all the European chan
celleries. The press in every country
was full of the matter. We left at
about 10 o'clock in the evening.
In the meantime, the murderers of
right. who had kept silent until that
moment, were stealing upon their first
victim: the ultinatum to Serbia was
handed to the Serbian government on
July %, the very day of eur departure,
by the Austrian minister at Belgrade,
the worst agent-provocateur whom
government bent on provocative
measures ever had stationed in for
eign country under the lying disguise
of an official costume.
Allowing for the necessary lapse of
time, we calculated that the ultimatum.
having been delivered at Belgrade at
5 in the afternoon, had not become
known in st. Petersburg until after our
departure.
Won Jagow's Secret Spying
Our journey had been spied upon by
Won Jagow. Let readers form their
own opinion as to the extent of this
! spyingi This minister of foreign af-
fairs who las will be shown in the
course of later chapters) had denied
all knowledge of the ultimatum at the
end of July, having learned that we, on
| July %, were delaying our departure
! by two hours, telegraphed to Vienna
to the German ambassador for the pur-
pose of acquainting him with this, and
with the request that he cause the ulti-
matum to be delivered two hours later.
This shows how everything had been
prearranged in such day that the
blow should not fall until after we had
departed. 1t shows how an attempt
was made to discomfort the entente in
the face of the cleverly united combi-
nation of the central powers.
Anxiety Increases
Nevertheless, the attitude of the
Austrian ambassador to the court OF
Russia, which. though certainly polite
was more than reserved, combined
with warning forebodings, led me, al
about / o'clock in the morning of the
night between the 23d and oath, tC
telegraph to Paris, in accordance with
an agreement which had made to thai
effect with NJ. SaZonoff To obviate
all danger, even remote, l informed the
government of the French republic a.
Paris that if Austria should make {
demand upon Serbia, NJ. Dumaine was
to be requested in advance to endeavol
to have it couched in a more accept
able form. On the next day, July "a
while we were steaming toward
Sweden, amid heavy weather and upoI
a rough sea, some shreds of messages
badly joined together, were brough
to US by the invisible aerial waves
From that moment the shrill sound o
the wireless, piercing the harmony o
our solitude, made known to us, bi
: by bit, in separate fragments, the ulti
| matum to Serbia, the terms in whicl
: it was couched, its threats, the undo
/ served accusations which Austria, bias
] ing herself upon the official report o
one of her agents, had brought agains
Serbia.
l made an effort to reassume m
2 official duties and. from far out o.
:, the sea, in the solitude of my cabir
4 l telegraphed to London (Yellow Boo
: No. 22), for the purpose Of requestin
!. that joint action be taken for tn
/ purpose of frightening the altogethe
too short time allowance granted [
y Serbia, councelling Serbia to show tn
Y greatest prudence. and seeking to il
d stitute an international investigation
S On July 25, at 5 o'clock in the morn
: ing. we arrived at Stockholm, wher
Y NJ Thiebault, our minister there, q
last handed us the exact text of tn
:, ultimatum. And thus we received col
Y firmation of the severity of it's cond
r tions, more insolent than all the res
G constituting a veritable declaration {
J war in themselves, giving Serbia onl
l. forty-eight hours in which to reply, r
l. fusing her even the right to discus
II her decision, and robbing Europe
L. the chance to give helpful advice.
d Everything looked dark. Yet y
is were compelled throughout the day
If reciprocate the exquisite politeness
the king of Sweden, to look on at e
10 ternals, without succeeding in freeir