ssary to relieve the land army by recklessly bringing the navy
into the line of action. If these fears are justified, then most
certainly should all other considerations be put on one side and
the risk ensuing from the ruthless employment of the U-boats be
accepted. Both Count Czernin and Count Tisza expressed their
grave doubts in this connection.

To meet the case, the Hungarian Prime Minister pointed out the
necessity of immediately starting propagandist activities in the
neutral countries and particularly in America, by which the
Central Powers' political methods and aims would be presented to
them in a proper light; and then later, after introducing
unrestricted U-boat warfare, it would be seen that no other choice
was left to the peaceful tendencies of the Quadruple Alliance as
the means for a speedy ending of the struggle between the nations.

The leaders of the foreign policy agreed to take the necessary
steps in that direction, and remarked that certain arrangements
had already been made.

Admiral Haus agreed _unreservedly_ with the arguments of the
German Navy, as he declared that _no great anxiety need be felt_
as to the likelihood of America's joining in with military force,
and finally pointed out that, on the part of the Entente, a
ruthless torpedoing of hospital and transport ships had been
practised for some time past in the Adriatic. The Admiral urged
that this fact be properly recognised and dealt with, to which the
Foreign Affairs leaders on both sides gave their consent.

The Austrian Minister for Foreign Affairs, in conclusion, said
that the definite decision to be taken must be left to the
conclusions arrived at by both sovereigns, whereupon the 26th
inst. was fixed for a meeting to be held for that purpose.

After the general discussion, I had a private talk with the Emperor,
and found that he still had the same aversion to that means of warfare
and the same fears as to the result. We knew, however, that Germany
had definitely made up her mind to start the campaign in any case, and
that all our arguments would be of no practical value. It remained to
be decided whether we should join them or not. Owing to the small
number of our U-boats, our holding aside would not have had any great
effect on the final issue of the experiment, and for a moment I
entertained the idea of proposing to the Emperor that we should
separate from Germany on th