Page "Philip, Prince of Eulenburg" Paragraph 23

After World War I, Eulenburg changed his mind about the war, and now claimed in his letters that, had he remained Ambassador to Austria during the July Crisis, he would have prevented the First World War In a letter, Eulenburg wrote that should one " lay the blame on the Austrian Government alone because the followed the incitements of their stronger and therefore in military matters absolutely dominant ally?

" Eulenburg argued that :" Germany is the stronger of the Allies.

Without her consent, Austria cannot go to war with Russia-Serbia.

The stronger partner is in a position to propose a conference and the weaker is compelled to accept ".

Eulenburg went on to write :" Serbia is Russia.

If Austria marches against Serbia and if Berlin does not prevent Austria's belligerent action, than the great breaking wave of World War rolls irresistibly towards us.

I repeat: Berlin must know that, otherwise idiots live in the Wilhelmstrasse.

Kaiser Wilhelm must know that. If Austria takes the step upon which she has decided at the Cabinet meeting of July 7th and if Kaiser Wilhelm assures Austria of his loyalty to the Alliance under any circumstances, then he also shares Count Berchtold's policy with regard to war with Russia-and Russia is the ally of France. The situation which I have briefly described here is an established fact that cannot be masked " In a letter to his friend Wolfgang Putlitz, Eulenburg stated that his views about the truth of 1914 were " dangerous ", and asked that " this letter must be destroyed for the sake of the Fatherland ".

In 1932, Eulenburg's friend, Professor Kurt Breysig, with whom Eulenburg shared many secrets published a book " The German Spirit and its Essence ", which stated that Germany could have avoided World War I by taking up the " excellent " British offer of an international conference.

When the book was republished later in 1932 by the German Book Society, the passages critical of German actions in the July Crisis were removed without Breysig's knowledge or permission