Page:The guilt of William Hohenzollern.djvu/101

Rh the Imperial Government but was also held by the German captains of industry specializing in armaments. The most competent among them, to adduce an example, Herr Krupp von Bohlen, assured a colleague of mine that the Russian artillery was far from being good and complete, whilst the German had never been better. 'It would be madness for Russia to declare war on Germany in these circumstances,' he added."

This communication of Beyens is confirmed by Szogyeny's report given above concerning his conversation with William on July 5th, which, in turn, is corroborated by what Tirpitz tells of July 6th in his "Reminiscences":

""According to the statements which he (Kaiser Wilhelm) made to my official representative on the morning of July 6th in the Park of the Neues Palais at Potsdam, the Kaiser considered an intervention of Russia for the protection of Serbia improbable, as the Tsar would not protect the regicides, and Russia at the time was unfit for war, both financially and in a military respect. Furthermore, the Kaiser assumed somewhat optimistically that France would put the brake on Russia, in view of the former's unfavourable financial position and lack of heavy artillery. Of England the Kaiser did not speak. Complications with that State were not thought of at all." (Page 209.)"

The same opinions are expressed by Jagow in a letter to Lichnowsky on July 18th:

"The more determined Austria shows herself, the