Mr. Storer to Mr. Flay.
Vienna , February 12, 1904
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your telegraphic instruction.
At the earliest possible moment I have had an interview with Count Goluchowski, handing him a memorandum of the substance of your instruction.
[Page 43]While in general terms saying that Austria-Hungary would take the same view and attitude as the other neutral powers in the direction pointed out by your instruction, he repeated what he had said on a previous occasion, already reported by me, that the interests of Austria-Hungary were so slight and remote in all the extreme Eastern questions that there should be no expectation from any quarter that his Government would take any initiative or active part nor do more than follow what might be agreed upon by such other neutral powers as had real and weighty interests at stake. He preferred to have some enlightenment as to what was meant by the “neutrality of China “from a territorial point of view, as to whether that was intended to include Manchuria or no, before giving any instructions to the Austro-Hungarian representatives at St. Petersburg, Tokyo, and Peking.
His views are that the military operations having necessarily to be conducted on land in Manchuria, recognized as part of China, or in Korea, two neutral countries, gave rise to an abnormal condition of affairs which made it difficult to be precise in terms, and also necessary to have a clear notion of the territorial extent of the neutrality which it is hoped will be respected by the belligerents.
I may acid that these peculiar circumstances and the dangers of hitherto unsettled questions in international and belligerent law coming suddenly forward for consideration are looked on with great apprehension among official and diplomatic circles in Vienna.
As to that part of your instruction which asked the opinion of the Austro-Hungarian Government of the desirability of the neutral powers using concurrent good offices to induce the respect of Chinese neutrality, Count Goluchowski was quite cool and rather pessimistic so far as any great effect could be anticipated. In his opinion the proclamation of neutrality by all the powers, and the strict carrying out of the duties of neutrals, would probably do all that any concurrent effort to mediate further could be expected to accomplish.
However, as I have said above, Austria-Hungary feels disposed to follow the lead of powers having greater interests at stake, provided these powers can come to a definite agreement as to methods and aims.
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I have, etc.,