Republic; with M. Leygues, afterwards Minister of Marine and Prime Minister; with the philosopher, M. Boutroux; and with well-known writers like MM. Gauvain, Fournol, de Quirielle and Chéradame. I was kindly received also in the family of Mlle. Weiss (who now edits “L’Europe Nouvelle”) and in the hospitable salon of Madame de Jouvenel. Štefánik’s physician, Dr. Hartmann, brought me into touch with a select society; and, naturally, my intercourse with Professors Denis and Eisenmann was constant.
These visits and relationships were valuable both in themselves and because our opponents, the partisans of Austria-Hungary, got frightened and began to work harder. In London, as in Paris and elsewhere, there was a strong pro-Austrian and pro-Magyar tendency which we could not hope to overcome at one stroke. The decisive battle with it was still before us. The strength of the pro-Austrians in Europe and America lay in the belief of Allied politicians that Austria was the safeguard against the “Balkanization” of Europe—“Now we have to deal with one Power; it would be impossible to deal with ten!” they were wont to exclaim—and a bulwark against Germany. This, if you please, at a time when Austria was fighting alongside of Germany!
Isvolsky and the Slavs.
In Paris I often saw the Serbian Minister, Vesnitch, and exchanged news and views with him upon the whole outlook and the questions that concerned us most nearly. Some of the younger Serbs in Paris were against him-for personal reasons, I felt and were unjust to him politically. Isvolsky, the Russian Ambassador, I found interesting. When he was Russian Foreign Minister before the war, the contest with Aehrenthal had brought us together. I expected therefore that he would pay some heed to our cause. In talking of Aehrenthal he seemed reserved, perhaps because he had lost interest in him, as I had, and other and weightier matters were then uppermost. What he told me confirmed my opinion that, during their famous meeting at Buchlau at the beginning of September 1908, just before the annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina by Austria-Hungary, neither he nor Aehrenthal had agreed distinctly enough upon their respective claims. This business is not yet sufficiently cleared up nor, despite the recent statement of Professor Pokrovsky of Moscow, is it certain whether a record of it was kept. I have never heard
