Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs 46. (1998)

GODSEY, William D. Jr.: Officers vs. Diplomats: Bureaucracy and Foreign Policy in Austria-Hungary 1906–1914

William D. Godsey

naval attachés in 1906 followed developments in London and Tokyo, although the duties of the latter were merged into those of the military attaché the following year.23 The rise in the number of military attachés represented Conrad’s greatest success, however meager its ultimate significance proved to be, in his drive to amplify his intelligence resources.

In theory, the military attachés were chosen by and subordinate to the minister of war.24 In fact, however, the Chief of the General Staff made the selections and then secured the preliminary consent of the emperor.25 Only then did the war minister submit a formal petition to the monarch nominating the desired candidate. In March 1907, for instance, Conrad asked the war minister to dispose of the formalities associated with his proposal to replace Prince Gottfried Hohenlohe-Schillingsfurst with Count Lelio Spannocchi in St. Petersburg, Francis Joseph having already given the necessary permission.26 Such a formulation appears repeatedly in the files.27 Rarely did the emperor object to one of Conrad’s recommendations, as in 1913 when he vetoed the choice of Baron Manfred Pawel-Rammingen for Madrid.28 In 1910 Conrad easily effected the appointment of his favorite aide-de-camp, the capable Franz Putz, as military attaché in Tokyo.29 In addition to owing their appointments to the Chief of the General Staff, the officers who served abroad also directed their reports to him via his intelligence bureau.30

Chosen by the head of the General Staff, usually on the recommendation of his intelligence bureau, and paid their salaries by the war ministry, the attachés served abroad as agents of the Habsburg armed forces. However, the foreign office by no means remained voiceless in the process of selecting and even of recalling the nominees. In fact, the Ballhausplatz enjoyed an effective, if rarely exercised, veto power. Before getting the final approval for an appointment from the emperor, the agreement of the government of the country in which the attaché would be stationed generally had to be obtained.31 The war ministry thus required the mediation of the

23 Allmayer-Beck: Die Archive der k. u. k. Militärbevollmächtigten und Militär-Adjoints, p. 370.

24 Ibidem, p. 354.

25 Conrad did not serve the entire period from 1906 to 1914 as Chief of Staff. His conflict with Foreign Minister Aehrenthal led to his dismissal in late 1911 and his replacement by General Blasius Schemua. Conrad assumed his former post again only in December 1912, several months after Aehrenthal’s death.

26 KA, Kriegsministerium [KM] Präs. 1907, 47/20-2/2: Conrad to the war ministry, March 15, 1907.

27 KA, KM Präs. 1907, 47-39/6: Vortrag War Minister Franz Schönaich to Francis Joseph, October 13, 1907; KA, KM Präs. 1910, 47-10/12: Conrad to the war ministry, April 23, 1910; KA, KM Präs. 1912, 47-29/4: Vortrag War Minister Moritz von Auffenberg to Francis Joseph, June 29, 1912; ibidem, 47/5- 29/2: Vortrag Auffenberg to Francis Joseph, October 27, 1912. The formulation in Auffenberg’s petition of October 27, 1912 is standard and reads: „Der Chef des Generalstabes hat die Durchführung des von Euer Majestät bereits allergnädigst genehmigten Wechsels auf dem Posten des Militárattachés bei der k. u. k. Botschaft in Paris ... beantragt.“

28 BfA, KM Präs. 1913, 47-12/7: Einsichstakt des k. u. k. Chefs des Generalstabes, November 12, 1913.

29 Conrad: Aus meiner Dienstzeit. Vol. 2, p. 51.

30 Ibidem, vol. 1, p. 450.

31 The Chinese government did not observe the usage of obtaining previous agreement for its diplomatic personnel. The Ballhausplatz reciprocated in this practice and therefore did not ask the Chinese government in 1906 whether Adalbert von Dáni would be acceptable as military attaché. It merely notified Pe48