army doctors, and Germans at that, had drawn attention even before the war), and that the condition of this service had been influenced by the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, who had looked upon army doctors as atheists and Jews. I added that the military administration had not kept its supply of medicines fresh or its medical appliances up to date, that there were not enough surgical instruments and no X-ray apparatus in the field. Thus I managed to tell him a good deal, including what I had seen in Holland and Germany, and to let him see that things in Austria were not perfect. Politically, I suggested that, if people in Vienna were less biased, they might even be thankful to the Czechs for not wishing Austria to come entirely under German control; and I cited several instances of the unseemly anti-Czech and anti-Slav conduct of German officers attached to the Austro-Hungarian General Staff.
The Lord-Lieutenant was obviously surprised and embarrassed. I felt that, in his heart of hearts, he agreed with me on many points. When I left he thanked me for my visit, said that he had been much interested by what I had told him, and though he did not offer me his hand, he remarked that he had not taken any special measures against me. From this I gathered that I should be able to go abroad a third time without difficulty. I asked him to do one thing—to advise the German Jews in Prague to moderate their Austrophilism, for feeling was strong against them in Prague and there had been talk of wrecking the German newspaper offices. I myself gave similar advice to the more reasonable German Jews. I feared that anti-Jewish outbreaks might make a bad impression abroad and hamper my work. Thun promised to do what he could.
A few days later I wrote to draw his attention to several other matters. This was partly a tactical move to allay suspicion. Then I went to Vienna to talk things over with a number of political men and in order to give a finishing touch to my views on Austria. Among others I saw the former Prime Minister, Dr. von Koerber, with whom I had often talked freely. This time our conversation lasted more than two hours and covered the whole situation. I enquired especially about some of the people at Court; and my chief question was, “If Austria wins, will Vienna be capable of carrying out the necessary reforms?” After much reflection and consideration of the persons involved, Koerber said decidedly: “No! Victory would strengthen the old system, and a new
