Liddell Hart - Reading Notes

[penguy83]

I'm in the process of reading A History of the World War: 1914-1918 written by Liddell Hart. I've come across something that I'm not 100% sure that I understand correctly. Maybe you fine folks can help me out.

The following quote was copied from the book:

" The handful of youthful conspirators sought and received help from the Serbian secret society known as the Black Hand. This was largely composed of army officers, who formed a group hostile to the existing civil government in Serbia. Rumours of the seem to have reached the ears of ministers, and orders were sent to the frontier to intercept the conspirators, but as the frontier guards were members of the Black Hand the precautions naturally failed. It seems also, but is not certain, that a vaugue warning was sent to Vienna. What is certain is the amazing carelessness of the Austrian authorities in guarding the Archduke, and their cynical indiffrence to the fate that befell this highly unpopular heir to the throne. Potiorek, the military govoner of Bosnia and future commander of the offensive against Serbia, could not have done more to facilitate the task of the assassins if he had connived at it. Hence there must always be a suspicion that he did."

To me, this says that Potiorek might've been a part of the Black Hand, and that he led the car intetionally the wrong direction to give Princip the shot. Has anyone else heard or proved/disproved this theory?

[truthergw]

Ah! A real mess that one. This is off the top of my head but I will dig out some stuff over the next couple of days and let you have a more reasoned opinion later. There was an almost complete lack of security for the visit of the Archduke and his wife. Someone had already thrown a bomb at him that day, but missed. With the benefit of hindsight I think it is fair to say that the authorities were very slipshod. However, that bomb actually provides the strongest evidence that it was pure mischance that Princip found himself face to face with his victims. One of the Archduke's entourage was hurt in the blast. The Duke broke with the itinerary to visit him in hospital. Noblesse oblige after all. On emerging from the visit, the chauffeur took a wrong turn and the car came almost to a halt exactly where Princip was standing. There was no way to forecast that the car and its Imperial cargo would be there at all, never mind at that time. So the assassin could not have been waiting for his prey. The politics of the pre-war Austro-Hungarian Empire were not for the weak of stomach and there were very few tears shed for the heir to the Imperial throne but unless I saw new evidence, I'd have to say,the assassination was pure luck combined with a very inept performance by the man who ought to have been seeing to the royal couple's well being.

[penguy83]

The politics of the pre-war Austro-Hungarian Empire were not for the weak of stomach and there were very few tears shed for the heir to the Imperial throne

You bring up something interesting that I read a few paragraphs later from the quoted text. Of course I'm paraphrasing, but the book stated something along the lines of the Austrian government preformed a laxed investigation and that really they didn't want to go through with it at all. Was this because they knew the plans of which Ferdinand had for Austria-Hungary in the form of creating a federation to include Bosnian states?