s making no military preparations
against us.

"In the meantime, Great Britain, warmly supported by us, tried to
mediate between Vienna and St. Petersburg."

4. Kaiser William II telegraphed to Nicholas II asking for the
Czar's assistance in smoothing over difficulties between Russia and
Austria-Hungary. Before receipt of this telegram the Czar asked the
Kaiser to induce Austria-Hungary to aid him in inducing Vienna to
moderate her demands on Serbia. The Kaiser accepted the role of
mediator.

5. Germany influenced Austria-Hungary to resume the broken
conversations with Russia.

"But before the final decision was taken at Vienna, the news
arrived that Russia had mobilized her entire forces and that her
mobilization was therefore directed against us also. The Russian
Government, who knew from our repeated statements what
mobilization on our frontiers meant, did not notify us of this
mobilization, nor did they even offer any explanation. It was not
until the afternoon of July 31 that the emperor received a
telegram from the czar in which he guaranteed that his army would
not assume a provocative attitude toward us. But mobilization on
our frontiers had been in full swing since the night of July
30-31, and France, though indeed not actually mobilizing, was
admittedly making military preparations.

"What was our position? For the sake of the peace of Europe we
had, up till then, deliberately refrained from calling up a
single reservist. Were we now to wait further in patience until
the nations on either side of us chose the moment for their
attack? It would have been a crime to expose Germany to such
peril. Therefore, on July 31, we called upon Russia to demobilize
as the only measure which could still preserve the peace of
Europe, and informed her that in case our demand met with a
refusal, we should have to consider that a state of war existed.

"No answer was given, and we mobilized our forces on August 1, at
5 p. m."

6. France evaded our direct question as to whether she would remain
neutral in a Russo-German war.

"In spite of this, the kaiser ordered that the French frontier
was to be unconditionally respected. This order, with one single
exception[2], was strictly obeyed. France, who mobilized at the
same time as we did, assured us that she would respect a zo