Petersburg, wrote that he had been asked by Mr. Sazonof, Russian
Minister of Foreign Affairs, to meet him at the French Embassy to
discuss matters, as Austria's step clearly meant that war was imminent.
He wrote that Mr. Sazonof expressed himself as follows (British Paper
6):
He hoped that his Majesty's Government would not fail to
_proclaim their solidarity with Russia and France_. The French
Ambassador gave me to understand that France would fulfill all
the obligations entailed by her alliance with Russia, if
necessity arose, besides supporting Russia strongly in any
diplomatic negotiations.
Later, on July 29, 1914, Sir George Buchanan wrote to Sir Edward Grey
(Paper 72, English "White Book") as follows:
I made it clear to his Excellency that, _Russia being
thoroughly in earnest, a general war could not be averted_ if
Servia were attacked by Austria.
Sir George Buchanan would not have said that if he had not been
authorized to do so. He would not have said a "general war could not be
averted if Servia were attacked by Austria"; and by "general war" he
meant, and we all understand he meant, a war between England, France,
and Russia on one side and Germany and Austria on the other.
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