Added to which we have further proof in a despatch from the British Ambassador at Rome, dated July 23, 1914:—
"Secretary-General, whom I saw this morning at the Italian Foreign Office, took the view that the gravity of the situation lay in the conviction of the Austro-Hungarian Government that it was absolutely necessary for their prestige, after the many disillusions which the turn of events in the Balkans has occasioned, to score a definite success."[108]
FOOTNOTES:
[104] Great Britain and the European Crisis, No. 32.
[105] Great Britain and the European Crisis, No. 33.
[106] Great Britain and the European Crisis, No. 71.
[107] Great Britain and the European Crisis, No. 41.
[108] Great Britain and the European Crisis, No. 38.