Austria accepts the Servian note, or will be
willing to converse with the Powers with regard to it?"

The Ambassador appeared to be taken aback, and made a
vigorous denial. It was therefore pointed out to him that if
nothing had changed in the negative attitude of Germany, the
terms of the suggested "note to the Press" were excessive,
and likely to give French opinion a false feeling of
security by creating illusions as to the actual situation,
the dangers of which were but too evident.[56]

[Footnote 56: French _Yellow Book_, No. 57.]

It is not surprising that the French Foreign Office looked askance at
these German suggestions of "pacific solidarity" with France, which
contrasted so strangely with Germany's refusal to work for peace and
its sinister menaces to other countries. France's suspicion that Baron
von Schoen was thus attempting to compromise its loyalty in the eyes
of Russia cannot be said to be without some foundation, although
it is as reasonable to assume that these professions of the German
Ambassador were only an incident to the general plan of lulling France
and its allies into a false sense of security. Here again the full
truth can only be ascertained when Germany is willing to submit to the
scrutiny of the world the records of its Foreign Office.

On July 26th, M. Jules Cambon had an interview with the German
Secretary of State and earnestly supported Sir Edward Grey's
suggestion that a conference be called in which England, France,
Germany, and Italy should participate for the preservation of peace.
This interview is at once so dramatic, and almost prophetic, that it
justifies quotation _in extenso_:

To Cambon's proposition, von Jagow replied, as he did to the
British Ambassador, that he could not accept a proposal to
charge the Italian, French, and German Ambassadors with the
task of seeking, with Sir Edward Grey, a means of solving
the present difficulties, for that would be to establish a
regular conference to deal with the affairs of Austria and
Russia. I replied to Herr von Jagow that I regretted his
response, but that the great object, which Sir Edward Grey
had in view, _was above a question of form_, and what was
important was the association of England and France with
Germany and Italy in laboring for peace; that this
association could show itself in common action in St.
Petersbu