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
Here follow the charges with which the reader is already familiar:
That there is in Serbia a movement to separate certain territories
from the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, which, developed under the eyes
of the Government of Serbia, has found expression beyond that
kingdom in a series of acts of terrorism and assassination.
The Serbian Government has done nothing to suppress the movement,
its violent propaganda in public education and the press, or the
participation in its intrigues by public officials.
"It becomes plain from the evidence and confessions of the
criminal authors of the outrage of June 28 that the murder at
Sarajevo was conceived in Belgrade, that the murderers received
the arms and bombs with which they were equipped from Serbian
officers and officials who belonged to the Narodna Odbrana, and
that, lastly, the transportation of the criminals and their arms
to Bosnia was arranged and carried out by leading Serbian
frontier officials.
"These results impose upon the Imperial and Royal Government the
duty to terminate intrigues which constitute a permanent menace
for the peace of the monarchy.
"In order to obtain this purpose, the Imperial and Royal
Government is forced to demand official assurance from the
Serbian Government that it condemns the propaganda directed
against Austria-Hungary, i. e., the entirety of the machinations
whose aim it is to separate parts from the monarchy which belong
to it, and that Serbia binds herself to suppress with all means
this criminal and terrorizing propaganda.
"In order to give to these obligations a solemn character, the
Royal Serbian Government will publish on the first page of its
official organ of July 26, 1914, the following declaration:
"'The Royal Serbian Government condemns the propaganda directed
against Austria-Hungary, i.e., the entirety of those machinations
whose aim it is to separate from the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy
territories belonging thereto, and she regrets sincerely the
ghastly consequences of these criminal actions.
"'The Royal Serbian Government regrets that Serbian officers and
officials have participated in the propaganda, cited above, and
have thus threatened the friendly and neighborly relations which
the Royal Government was solemnly bound to cultivate by its
declaration of March 31, 1909.
"'The Royal Government, which disapproves and rejects every
thought or every attempt at influencing the destinations of the
inhabitants of any part of Austria-Hungary, considers it its duty
to call most emphatically to the attention of its officers and
officials, and of the entire population of the kingdom, that it
will henceforward proceed with the utmost severity against any
persons guilty of similar actions, to prevent and suppress which
it will make every effort.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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