Day 11 1914
Count Tisza makes a grave statement in Hungarian Chamber concerning the murder of the Archduke.
On 8 July, Count Benckendorff, the Russian ambassador in London, remarked to Edward Grey that he ‘did not see on what a démarche against Serbia could be founded’.
The foreign secretary’s reply was characteristically tentative: "I said that I did not know what was contemplated. I could only suppose that some discovery made during the trial of those implicated in the murder of the Archduke – for instance, that the bombs had been obtained in Belgrade – might, in the eyes of the Austrian Government, be foundation for a charge of negligence against the Serbian Government. But this was only imagination and guess on my part. Count Benckendorff said that he hoped that Germany would restrain Austria. He could not think that Germany would wish a quarrel to be precipitated.
Szogyeny, still in Berlin, sends a wire prepared by Hoyos to Tisza and Berchtold. The wire intimates that "The Kaiser would deplore our not taking advantage of the present moment which is favorable to us." Hoyos had fabricated this statement, and by doing so, brought the shadow of the Kaiser to Conrad's cause.
Berchtold, detecting a change in the political wind also comes around to Conrad's side. Serbia must be invaded. Hungarian Prime Minister Tisza must be converted to the war camp.
Berchtold recommends that Conrad and Minister of War, Baron Alexander von Krobatin, proceed with their vacation plans lest something be suspected."It would be a good thing if you and the War Minister would go on leave for awhile so as to keep up an appearance that nothing is going on."" Austrian Foreign Minister Count Leopold von Berchtold to Austrian army Chief of Staff General Conrad von Hotzendorff
Count Leopold von Berchtold
King George V and Queen Mary are in Scotland, and like the Queen a century later, are at the shipyards. They moor beside HMS Benbow, a 'super-Dreadnought'; commissioned in October 1914, she would go on to lead a squadron of the Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in 1916
Information resourced from the following websites
http://www.firstworldwar.com/onthisday/july.htm
http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/firstworldwar/index-1914.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Conrad_von_H%C3%B6tzendorf
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Field_marshal_Conrad_von_H%C3%B6tzendorf.JPG
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