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Nevertheless, Sir Edward Grey made yet another effort for peace. He telegraphed to Germany saying that as Germany was not opposed to a modified form of mediation, he proposed that Germany should now suggest lines on which such a conference might be held.
On the same day the Austrian Government declined the suggestion of Russia that the two countries should discuss terms.
July 29th, Wednesday. The British Ambassador to Austria wired that nothing could now stop the war by Austria upon Serbia. The British Ambassador to Italy, which was in the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria, telegraphed saying that the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs urged a meeting of Ambassadors in London. Sir Edward Grey replied that Austria now declined any discussion, and urged that the Italian Minister should use his influence with Germany and Austria for such a Conference, assured of British support,
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Sir Edward Grey also wired to Berlin urging "that the German Government should "suggest any method by which the influence of the four Powers could be used together to prevent war between Austria and Russia. France agreed. Italy agreed. The whole idea "of mediation, or mediating influence, was ready to be put into operation by any method "that Germany could suggest, if mine were not acceptable. In fact, mediation was ready to come into operation by any method that Germany thought possible if only Germany "would press the button in the interests of peace."
On this date also, the German Chancellor showed Germany's intentions more clearly by making proposals to the British Ambassador, which the British Prime Minister rightly called infamous proposals." The German Chancellor endeavoured to bid for British neutrality by proposing to the British Ambassador that assurances should be given by Germany that, in case Germany proved victorious over France, Germany would aim at no territorial acquisition. The Ambassador asked if that assurance would also apply to the French Colonies, but the Chancellor declined to promise that. In regard to Holland he In regard to said that Germany would respect its neutrality if other nations did so. Belgium, he said it depended upon the action of France what operations Germany might be forced to enter upon, but when the war was over, Belgian integrity would be respected if she had not sided against Germany.
Needless to say, Great Britain could listen to no such infamous proposal. It meant that England was to sit still and see France broken by Germany, see the French colonies torn away, France burdened with a huge indemnity, and Belgium, which Britain had contracted to protect, ruined by becoming the battle-ground of Germany and France. Verily an infamous proposal, revealing the brutality of German designs. On this day Russia, in reply to Austrian mobilisation, ordered partial mobilisation on the South against Austria, but not on the West against Germany. At the same time the Russian Ambassador explained to Austria that the aim of this mobilisation was to intimate that Russia must be consulted regarding the fate of Serbia.
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July 30th, Thursday. On this date the British Ambassador in Austria wrote to Sir Edward Grey, and amongst other things deplored that the German Ambassador there " is himself so identified with the extreme anti-Russian and anti-Serbian feeling prevalent "in Vienna that he is unlikely to plead the cause of peace with entire sincerity." He went on to say that he had "private information that the German Ambassador knew the "text of the Austrian ultimatum to Serbia before it was despatched, and telegraphed it to "the German Emperor," And he added: "I know that the German Ambassador himself "endorses every line of it."
The British Ambassador in Russia wrote that the Prime Minister of Russia said he had absolute proof that Germany was making military and naval preparations against Russia. Also that the German Ambassador to Russia had an interview with the Minister for Foreign Affairs after midnight at 2 a.m. He asked for some suggestion that might lead to peace, and the Minister wrote out the following:-"If Austria, recognising that her "conflict with Serbia has assumed character of question of European interest, declares herself "ready to eliminate from her ultimatum points which violate principle of sovereignty of "Serbia, Russia engages to stop all military preparations." Could anything be fairer merely to ask that Austria would promise not to destroy Serbia's independence?
On this date Sir Edward Grey gave a dignified reply to the German Chancellor's infamous proposal. He said: "His Majesty's Government cannot for a moment entertain "the Chancellor's proposal that they should bind themselves to neutrality on such terms.
"What be asks us, in effect, is to stand by while French colonies are taken and France is beaten, so long as Germany does not take French territory as distinct from "the colonies.
From the material point of view such a proposal is unacceptable, for France, "without further territory in Europe being taken from her, could be so crushed as to lose "ber position as a Great Power, and become subordinate to German policy.
"Altogether apart from that, it would be a disgrace for us to make this bargain with Germany at the expense of France, a disgrace from which the good name of this country "would never recover.
"The Chancellor also, in effect, asks us to bargain away whatever obligation or interest "we bave as regards the neutrality of Belgium. We could not entertain that
bargain either."
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Sir Edward Grey goes on to instruct the British Ambassador to say that he must urge most earnestly that the one way of maintaining the good relations between England and "Germany is that they should continue to work together to preserve the peace of Europe."
On the same day the French Ambassador to England interviewed Sir Edward Grey, and informed him that the German Army already had its advance-posts on the French frontiers, and that on the previous day German patrols twice entered French territory. In order to avoid any possible collision, the French frontier patrols had been withdrawn to a distance of to kilometres within the French frontier. The local French population bitterly protested
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