ultimatum to Russia on July 31, had roughly interrupted negotiations
promising success then going on between Vienna and Petersburg. In this
report it is stated:

(Retranslated.) M. Schebeko [the Russian Ambassador at Vienna] on
July 28th attempted to induce the Austrian Government to authorize
Count Scapary to continue negotiations which he had been carrying
on with M. Sazonof and which appeared very promising. Count
Berchtold on this day declined, but two days later, July 30th,
although Russia then had already started partial mobilization
against Austria, he received M. Schebeko again in the most
courteous manner and gave his consent to continuation of the pour
parleurs.... On Aug. 1st M. Schebeko informed me that Austria was
ready to submit to mediation those parts of its note to Servia
which appeared to be irreconcilable to the independence of
Servia.... Unfortunately these pour parleurs in St. Petersburg and
Vienna were suddenly broken off by the quarrel being removed to the
more dangerous territory of a direct conflict between Germany and
Russia. Germany on July 31 stepped between the two with its double
ultimatum addressed to St. Petersburg and Paris.... A delay of a
few days in all probability would have spared Europe one of the
greatest wars in history.

On the other hand, be it remembered that the fact that any negotiations
between Austria and Russia were carried on up to the last hour was
solely the result of the uninterrupted German efforts to maintain
peace, which fact Sir Maurice de Bunsen very wisely buries in silence.
These negotiations, by the way, hardly were as promising of success as
is made to appear. The Austrian version of it is found in the Vienna
Fremdenblatt of Sept. 25, 1914. There the most important spots of