"
The King adds a hope that the Kaiser
"will use his great influence to induce Austria to accept
this proposal, thus proving that Germany and England are
working together to prevent what would be an international
catastrophe."
[Second German "White Paper."]
This last proposition, however, was never accepted or declined, for the
impetuous Kaiser gave his twelve-hour ultimatum to Russia to demobilize,
and this was an arrogant demand which no self-respecting power, much
less so great a one as Russia, could possibly accept.
While this demand was in progress Sir Edward Grey was making his last
attempt to preserve peace by asking Germany to sound Vienna, as he would
sound St. Petersburg, whether it would be possible for the four
disinterested powers to offer to Austria that they would
"undertake to see that she obtained full satisfaction of her
demands on Servia, provided they did not embarrass Servian
sovereignty and the integrity of Servian territory."
Sir Edward Grey went so far as to tell the German Ambassador that if
this was not satisfactory, and if Germany would make any reasonable
proposals to preserve peace and Russia and France rejected it, that
"his Majesty's Government would have nothing to do with the
consequences,"
which obviously meant either neutrality or actual intervention in behalf
of Germany and Austria.
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