he next few weeks. My informant writes: "Only
small quantities are now being received from Hungary, from
Roumania only 10,000 wagons of maize; this gives then a decrease
of at least 30,000 wagons of grain, without which we must
infallibly perish. On learning the state of affairs, I went to the
Prime Minister to speak with him about it. I told him, as is the
case, that in a few weeks our war industries, our railway traffic,
would be at a standstill, the provisioning of the army would be
impossible, it must break down, and that would mean the collapse
of Austria and therewith also of Hungary. To each of these points
he answered yes, that is so, and added that all was being done to
alter the state of affairs, especially as regards the Hungarian
deliveries. But no one, not even His Majesty, has been able to get
anything done. We can only hope that some _deus ex machina_ may
intervene to save us from the worst.'"

"To this I added:

"'I can find no words to describe properly the apathetic attitude
of Seidler. How often and how earnestly have I not implored Your
Majesty to intervene forcibly for once and _compel_ Seidler, on
the one hand, and Hadik, on the other, to set these things in
order. Even from here I have written entreating Your Majesty to
act while there was yet time. But all in vain.'

"I then pointed out that the only way of meeting the situation would
be to secure temporary assistance from Germany, and then to
requisition by force the stocks that were doubtless still available in
Hungary; finally, I begged the Emperor to inform the Austrian Prime
Minister of my telegram.

"_January 16, 1918._--Despairing appeals from Vienna for food
supplies. Would I apply at once to Berlin for aid, otherwise disaster
imminent. I replied to General Landwehr as follows:

"'Dr. Kuehlmann is telegraphing to Berlin, but has little hope of
success. The only hope now is for His Majesty to do as I have
advised, and send an urgent wire at once to Kaiser Wilhelm. On my
return I propose to put before His Majesty my point of view, that
it is impossible to carry on the foreign policy if the food
question at home is allowed to come to such a state as now.

"'Only a few weeks back your Excellency declared most positively
that we could hold out till the new harvest.'

"At the same time I wired the Emperor:

"'Telegrams arriving show the situation becoming critical for us.
Re