Count Hertling, the German Chancellor, in a statement regarding the new
understanding between the two empires, said that the agreement had not
been signed, but the basic ideas had been agreed upon. He added:
The deepening and further development of the work created by the
great statesman Bismarck and by Count Andrassy will assuredly
have beneficial consequences for Germany and Hungary. I need
not specially emphasize the fact that all efforts aiming at the
improvement of German and Hungarian relations and at bringing the
peoples closer together have my warmest sympathy. M Clemenceau,
who indulged in the illusion that he would be able to sever our
firm alliance, will now be able to see from the results of the
negotiations the fruits of his intrigues. The new Dual Alliance
will, in particular, comprise two important sections, namely, the
economic and military agreements.
The economic union of Germany and Austria-Hungary is not aimed at
any State whatever. I am quite prepared for aggressive intentions
and tendencies to be ascribed to us by our opponents, and the
watchword given out by the Entente of an economic war after the
war against the Central Powers can now go ahead. This assertion,
however, is entirely false. We want nothing but our place in the
sun. We are quite entitled to harmonize our common interests and
to act together. As regards the military side of the discussions,
I must emphasize the fact that our agreements for the future have
no aggressive character. We only desire the consolidation of our
present relations. We also desire to remain just as closely bound
together after the war as during the war, which has drawn us
together.
If the world should one day unite in an International Peace League
Germany would unhesitatingly and joyfully join in. Unfortunately
the present conditions give very little hope of that. Our desire
is to win and to preserve peace. Our policy has ever been a policy
of peace, just as our alliance with the monarchy is a peace
alliance; that is, an alliance for the preservation of peace. We
are now fighting for our existence and for peace, which we also
long for.
I am still optimistic enough to believe that we shall have peace
this year. I say "optimistic," as the speeches which we hear from
Entente statesmen still talk of crushing the Central Powers. It
might have been thought that the attacks on Mr. Lloyd George,
which, after all, indicate a strengthening of the peace idea,
would have created a better basis for possibilities of peace.
That, however, has not been the case. At the moment I cannot say
more than that I cherish firm confidence that further events in
the west will bring us nearer to a speedy end of the war, and that
the alliance of Germany and Austria-Hungary, which has been tested
and extended during the war, will then bring renewed prosperity
and rich blessings.