After our refusal Sir Edward asked us to come forward with a proposal of
our own. We insisted upon war. I could get no other answer [from Berlin]
than that it was an enormous "concession" on the part of Austria to
contemplate no annexation of territory.
Thereupon Sir Edward justly pointed out that even without annexations of
territory a country can be humiliated and subjected, and that Russia
would regard this as a humiliation which she would not stand.
The impression became ever stronger that we desired war in all
circumstances. Otherwise our attitude in a question which, after all,
did not directly concern us was unintelligible. The urgent appeals and
definite declarations of M. Sazonoff, [Russian Foreign Minister,] later
on the positively humble telegrams of the Czar, the repeated proposals
of Sir Edward, the warnings of San Giuliano [Italian Foreign Minister]
and of Bollati, [Italian Ambassador in Berlin,] my urgent advice--it was
all of no use, for Berlin went on insisting that Serbia must be
massacred.
The more I pressed, the less willing they were to alter their course, if
only because I was not to have the success of saving peace in the
company of Sir Edward Grey.
So Grey on July 29 resolved upon his well-known warning. I replied that
I had always reported that we should have to reckon upon English
hostility if it came to war with France. The Minister said to me
repeatedly: "If war breaks out it will be the greatest catastrophe the
world has ever seen."