The Story of the Great War, Volume 1: Introductions; Special Articles; Causes of War; Diplomatic and State Papers
History
The Story of the Great War, Volume 1: Introductions; Special Articles; Causes of War; Diplomatic and State Papers
World War, 1914-1918
On July 19, 1914, M. Pashitch telegraphed a long notice to the
foreign Serbian legations, telling of the accusation of the Austrian
press from the time of the Sarajevo outrage that the crime was the
direct result of the great Serbian idea, propagated by various
associations such as the Narodna Odbrana, which were tolerated by
the Serbian Government. The notice detailed the attitude of the
Serbian Government toward the Serbian press, presented in the
preceding correspondence. In regard to its attitude toward
Austria-Hungary it said:
"The Serbian Government at once expressed their readiness to hand
over to justice any of their subjects who might be proved to have
played a part in the Sarajevo outrage. The Serbian Government
further stated that they had prepared a more drastic law against
the misuse of explosives. The draft of a new law in that sense
had already been laid before the State Council, but could not be
submitted to the Skupshtina [Serbian Parliament], as the latter
was not sitting at the time. Finally, the Serbian Government
stated that they were ready, as heretofore, to observe all those
good neighborly obligations to which Serbia was bound by her
position as a European state.
"From the date of the perpetration of the outrage until to-day
not once did the Austro-Hungarian Government apply to the Serbian
Government for their assistance in the matter. They did not
demand that any of the accomplices should be subjected to an
inquiry, or that they should be handed over to trial. In one
instance only did the Austrian Government ask for information;
this was as to the whereabouts of certain students who had been
expelled from the Pakratz Teachers' Seminary and had crossed over
to Serbia to continue their studies. All available information on
this point was supplied."
The notice related the anti-Serbian propaganda conducted by the
Austro-Hungarian press, the interpellations in the Hungarian
Parliament, etc., and the probable intention of the Austro-Hungarian
Government to demand a categorical reply from Serbia, which, if not
satisfactory, would be followed by war.
That Austria-Hungary was picking a quarrel had been evidenced by her
use of an exploded rumor of a contemplated attack on the Austrian
Legation in Belgrade to prove how excited public opinion was in
Serbia, and to what lengths she was ready to go.
"There is reason for apprehension that some step is being
prepared against us [in the evident intention] that the inquiry
which is being made is not to be limited to the perpetrators and
their possible accomplices in the crime, but is most probably to
be extended to Serbia and the Great Serbian idea....
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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