1914 July 9

[BottsGreys]

"Sir Edward Grey to Sir H. Rumbold (Berlin)

Secret

Foreign Office, July 9, 1914

Sir,

I had a further talk with the German Ambassador to-day on the subject of his conversation with me last Monday (6th instant)....Prince Lichnowsky repeated what he had said about the apprehension in Germany of an Anglo-Russian Naval Convention directed against Germany....I said, with reference to what he had said to me the other day, that I must not be taken as meaning that no conversations had taken place between the Military and Naval Authorities of France and Russia and ourselves. There had been some conversations from time to time: they began in 1906. But everything had been on the footing that the hands of the Governments were quite free....Prince Lichnowsky expressed himself as hopeful, though he had no information, that the German Government might have succeeded in smoothing the Austrian intentions with regard to Servia. He hoped that, under any circumstances, if England and Germany kept in touch, we might be able to keep things right.

I said that, if Austrian action with regard to Servia kept within certain bounds, it would of course be comparatively easy to encourage patience in St. Petersburg; but there were some things that Austria might do that would make the Russian Government say that the Slav feeling in Russia was so strong that they must send an ultimatum or something of that sort....

I am, &c.

E.Grey"

Chris