My duty was to support his proposals. The clever and experienced Count
Szogyenyi was at the helm in Berlin. His refrain was "casus foederis,"
and when once I dared to doubt the justice of this phrase I was
seriously warned against Austrophobism. Referring to my father, it was
even said that I had inherited it. On every point, including Albania,
the Serbian harbors in the Adriatic, Scutari, and in the definition of
the Albanian frontiers, we were on the side of Austria and Italy, while
Sir Edward Grey hardly ever took the French or Russian point of view. On
the contrary, he nearly always took our part in order to give no pretext
for war--which was afterward brought about by a dead Archduke. It was
with his help that King Nicholas was induced to leave Scutari. Otherwise
there would have been war over this matter, as we should never have
dared to ask "our allies" to make concessions.
Sir Edward Grey conducted the negotiations with care, calm, and tact.
When a question threatened to become involved he proposed a formula
which met the case and always secured consent. He acquired the full
confidence of all the representatives.