19 July 1914

[Andrew Hesketh]

http://www.poetryloverspage.com/yevgeny/ak...of_july_19.html

[marina]

The translation is a bit ropey, but that is a very moving poem. Thanks, Andrew

[Annette Burgoyne]

Thanks for that Andrew.

And while I am here, by chance today I found a 7533 Pte. Evelyn, Hesketh, of the K.S.L.I. Trans to Labour Corps. any relation ?

Annette

[Ste]

19th July:

The Austro-Hungarian government finally approve the text of the ultimatum to be sent to Serbia.

The quotation below is from S.R. Williamson's article, 'The Origins of World War I', in: Journal of Interdisciplinary History, vol.XVIII no 4 (spring 1988), p809.

quote:

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Vienna used the hiatus of mid-July to mislead the other European governments about it's intentions. After 12 July Berchtold restrained press comment about Serbia, and the journals in Vienna and Budapest recounted little about the adjoining state. Conrad went hiking in the mountains; Franz Josef stayed at Bad Ischl; and the other Habsburg leaders carried out their customary duties. The Danubian monarchy appeared to have returned to normal.

Berchtold had another motive for his deception. In mid-July he discovered that on July 11 Berline had informed Hans von Flotow, its ambassador in Rome, sbout the possibility of Habsburg action against Serbia. Shortly afterwards, Flotow conveyed this message to Antonio San Giuliano, the Italian Foreign Minister; not surprisingly, San Giuliano cabled the information to Vienna. When the telegram reached Vienna, the Austrian codebreakers duly deciphered it, thereby exposing the indiscretion of both Germany and Italy. Berchtold could only assume that San Giuliano had sent the same message to St Petersburg and Belgrade. Henceforth, he gave Berlin no further details about his plans, including the text of the ultimatum, until the very last moment. Later, this secrecy would be held against Berchtold as a sign of duplicity; at the same time, it appeared to be the only way he could maintain his options.

The Common Ministerial Council met secretly in Vienna on July 19 to review the ultimatum. Although non present believed Belgrade could accept it, the ministers approved the ultimatum and concurrently affirmed their acquiesence to Tisza's demand that there would be no territorial annexations, only modifications of strategic boundaries in cas of victory. Conrad reportedly said, when leaving the meeting, "We will see; before the Balkan war the powers also talked of the status quo - after the war no one worried about it."

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Cheers,

Ste