Further elaboration of Count Czernin's version of the case was proffered
on April 8 in a second official statement issued at Vienna by the
Austro-Hungarian Foreign Office, as follows:
In contrast to the first brief declaration of Premier
Clemenceau, in which he gave the lie to Foreign Minister
Czernin, it is observed with satisfaction that M. Clemenceau's
statement of April 6 admits that discussions in regard to the
question of peace took place between two confidential agents of
Austria-Hungary and France. The account given by M. Clemenceau
of the initiation and course of these negotiations, and likewise
the statement by M. Painlevé on the same subject, however,
deviate in many important particulars and to such a degree from
the facts that a detailed correction of the French communication
appears to be necessary.
In July, 1917, Count Revertata was requested by an intermediary
in the name of the French Government to state whether he was in
a position to receive a communication from that Government to
the Government of Austria-Hungary. When Count Revertata, after
having obtained the sanction of the Austro-Hungarian Government,
replied in the affirmative to this inquiry, in the same
month--July, 1917--Major Armand was charged with such
communication by the then French Premier, Ribot. He arrived on
Aug. 7, 1917, at Count Revertata's private residence in
Freiburg, the Count being distantly related to him.
Major Armand then addressed to Count Revertata a question as to
whether discussions between France and Austria-Hungary were
possible. Thus the initiative for these discussions was taken
from the French side.
Count Revertata reported to the Austro-Hungarian Foreign
Minister that this question had been put on instructions of the
French Government, and the Minister thereupon requested Count
Revertata to enter into discussions with the French confidential
agent, and in the course of these discussions to establish
whether by this means a basis for bringing about a general peace
could be secured.
On Aug. 22 and 23 Count Revertata entered into discussions with
Major Armand, which, however, as Premier Clemenceau quite
correctly declares, yielded no result. The negotiations
thereupon were broken off.