As it appears from all official publications without the facts
being controverted by our own White Book, which, owing to its
poverty and gaps, constitutes a grave self-accusation:
1. We encouraged Count Berchtold to attack Serbia, although no
German interest was involved and the danger of a world war must
have been known to us; whether we knew the text of the ultimatum
is a question of complete indifference.
2. In the days between July 23 and 30, 1914, when Sazonoff
emphatically declared that Russia could not tolerate an attack
on Serbia, we rejected the British proposals of mediation,
although Serbia, under Russian and British pressure, had
accepted almost the whole ultimatum, and although an agreement
about the two points in question could easily have been reached
and Berchtold was even ready to satisfy himself with the Serbian
reply.
3. On July 30, when Berchtold wanted to give way, we, without
Austria having been attacked, replied to Russia's mere
mobilization by sending an ultimatum to St. Petersburg, and on
July 31 we declared war on the Russians, although the Czar had
pledged his word that as long as negotiations continued not a
man should march--so that we deliberately destroyed the
possibility of a peaceful settlement.
[Illustration: PRINCE LICHNOWSKY]
In view of these indisputable facts, it is not surprising that
the whole world outside of Germany attributes to us sole guilt
for the world war.