When Diplomacy Fails presents the July Crisis Anniversary Project, a day-by-day account of the events that occurred 100 years ago. Hoyos Mission

Today is the 5th of July 2014, and around this time 100 years ago occurred the following events.

Count Alexander Hoyos was Chief of Staff for the Foreign Ministry.

He answered directly to Leopold, Austria's Foreign Minister, and he had the advantage of

being able to speak off the record if needs be.

Thus, when on Wednesday the 1st of July, a German journalist named Victor Nauman turned

up at the Baalplatz, Austria's governmental offices, and asked to speak with Hoyos,

it made a bit of sense.

By speaking with Hoyos, Nauman could perhaps gather what Austria really thought about the

whole assassination business, and whether they planned on attacking Serbia in retaliation or

not.

Under the cloak of public diplomacy, it was hard for Germany to tell exactly how far

Austria was willing to go. We saw last time that a diplomatic chain linking back to Berlin

and containing Emperor Franz Josef's pleas to the German ambassador to understand Austria's position

were in place, but the slowing of the investigation and the lack of speed involved in the Austrian response

did a lot to dampen German confidence in their ally. So an indirect line was needed, hence Nguyen's visit.

As far as Austria-Hungary was concerned, Germany was just as uncertain an issue.

The key factor of acquiring German support for any action they did take

seemed to be a cause for great concern in Vienna,

and the post-Sarevo talks had not provided Austria with a clear guarantee that they wanted.

When Hoyos and Nauman started talking then, it did not take long for both to realize that they shared common ground.

Nauman was well liked and connected in Berlin.

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