were agreed, though Denis differed from me on the very important question of Constantinople.
In Paris, too, I met the Southern Slavs. Among them the most important was M. Vesnitch, the Serbian Minister, whom I had known as a student. He was our true and helpful ally throughout the war. We discussed of course the concessions in Dalmatia which the Allies, including Russia, had made to the Italians; for, even in Paris, Slav interests were long driven into the background by the desire to win over Italy. On this account I did not approach the French Foreign Minister, M. Delcassé, as I thought he might not like it; besides, I knew that he would not last long. He resigned, indeed, on October 18, 1915.
Italian Action.
Yet I was delighted when Italy cut loose from the Triple Alliance on May 4, 1915, and declared war against Austria on May 28. The moral, political and military significance of her action was all the greater because the Allied position in the field was then unfavourable. True—and this was characteristic of the Italian political standpoint—Italy did not declare war against Germany until August 28, 1916; and the Austro-Hungarian Croats and Slovenes were sorely disquieted by the terms of the Treaty of London which brought Italy into the war.
Prince Bülow, as I have said, had tried to hold Italy back; and, under German pressure, Austria-Hungary had suggested terms for the maintenance of Italian neutrality. On March 27, 1915, the Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister, Count Burián, had offered Italy the Italian-speaking part of Tyrol, but on April 9 the Italian Foreign Minister, Baron Sonnino, demanded much more and especially territory inhabited by Austrian Germans and Slavs. Before the Austro-Hungarian counter-proposals were made, on May 10, the Treaty of London had been signed on April 26. It promised, among other concessions, about half of Dalmatia to Italy. In quarters that were quite well informed it was said at the time that the German Emperor had compromised the position of Germany and Austria-Hungary by his unbridled personal criticism of the King of Italy; and I learned afterwards that he had in fact insulted the King by a curt peremptory telegram calling upon him to fulfil his obligations as an Ally.
In following the course of the war from Switzerland, the articles contributed to the “Journal de Genève” by the famous
