My War Memories, 1914-1918
when I received a letter from Chancellor von Bethmann, to the effect that offence had been caused in Vienna by my reference to the campaign of 1866. He begged me to prevent it being reported, but that was already impossible. I was as much surprised by the attitude of the Vienna Court as by the letter from Berlin. The 1866 campaign, it appears, had loft a deep and permanent impression on the Emperor Francis Joseph. In that campaign he had lost his confidence in his Army, and he never fully regained it, although he worked hard for it, and held high the old traditions of his Imperial Army, His death was an irreparable loss to us.
The murdered heir, the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, was not the man of action he was commonly held to bo. Indeed, he was naturally vacillating and irresolute, and by no means friendly to Germany. Our Emperor made great efforts to turn the Archduke and his wife to a friendly attitude to us. His death was a tragedy and its results have been disastrous. They have brought on Austria, after four years of war, the fate that Russia, the real author of the tragedy, intended. True, Russia has ruined herself in the process, The murdered heir would not have been the man to have taken over the guidance of the Dual Monarchy after the death of the aged Emperor; the separatist tendencies had grown too strong during the war, Mismanagement had increased- In many quarters there was bad feeling both in the Army and at home. War weariness was growing, and the longing for peace was greater every day. It would have required no ordinary man to restore the fighting spirit of the Dual Monarchy and bring new life into the Austro-Hungarian Army.
I first saw the Emperor Charles, when he was still only Archduke, in December, 1914. He gave an impression of extreme youthfulness. At the beginning of November, 1916, I saw him again. He had developed and become more manly. He spoke well on military subjects. The burden of his new and high position was, however, to become too heavy for him* Troubles began to crowd in on him. He attempted much, and at the same time gave way to many men and in many matters. He wa3
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