Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs 46. (1998)

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

Officere versus Diplomats

but achieved only the most limited success as long as Aehrenthal lived. Of the five new positions established between 1906 and 1914, only that in Madrid occurred without objections from the Ballhausplatz. The king of Spain’s wish to have a representative of the Habsburg military at his court actually led Aehrenthal himself to push for the creation of the post in Madrid. The war minister expressed scant enthusiasm for the project, which he characterized as of little military advantage,45 and no evidence suggests that Conrad took any extraordinary interest in it either. In fact, complying with the Spanish monarch’s request was an act of courtesy reminiscent of the old days of court diplomacy. And the Ballhausplatz’s reputation as an aristocratic redoubt well-practiced in such gestures ensured that the issue would be resolved with a flourish. Given its unwillingness to bear the cost of such an ornamental appointment, the war ministry agreed to accept Captain Prince Georg Schwarzenberg’s offer to serve in Madrid with no remuneration and to cover his expenses out of his regular salary and private income.46 As the son of one of Bohemia’s greatest magnates and an officer in the colorful squadron of Cavalry Life Guards (Leibgarde-Reiter- eskadron) attached to the court, Schwarzenberg possessed all of the requisite attributes for the role. By 1913, when Schwarzenberg’s term ended, General Conrad had not surprisingly been converted to the desirability of maintaining a military observer in Madrid and even tried, ultimately in vain, to insert the normal pay for such in the 1914 budget.47

Apart from Madrid, Conrad scored only two limited successes in extending his network of military attachés during the Aehrenthal years. Of these, the posting of a military attaché in 1908 in Berne hardly counted in terms of the substance of his struggle with the foreign minister.48 More significant was the delegation in May 1907 of responsibility for watching developments in Cetinje to the military attaché in Constantinople.49 As mentioned earlier, the Habsburg military had traditionally been strongly represented in Montenegro, often with an officer as head of the legation. Around the turn of the century, several years after the retirement of the last mission- chief with military status, lower-ranking officers had been assigned to Cetinje as clerical help.50 This practice proved unsuccessful from the standpoint of both the envoy, Baron Carl Macchio, and the head of the foreign minister’s secretariat (.Kabinett des Ministers) in Vienna, Cajetan von Mérey, who opposed in principle

KA, KM Präs. 1908, 47-12/3: Vortrag Schönaich to Francis Joseph, January 24, 1908. He wrote, „Ein besonderes militärisches Interesse fur die Errichtung dieses Postens liegt dermalen nicht vor.“

46 Ibidem, 47-12/1: Schönaich to MKSM (Militärkanzlei Seiner Majestät), January 7, 1908.

47 KA, KM Präs. 1913, 47-12/5: Conrad memo (Bemerkung), June 4, 1913.

48 For events leading up to the creation of the post in Berne, see the correspondence between Foreign Minister Aehrenthal and Baron Karl Heidler (envoy in Beme) in HHStA, AR, F 4, carton 24, personnel file Baron Otto Berlepsch. For the actual establishment of the post, see KA, KM Präs. 1908, 47-11/2: Vortrag Schönaich to Francis Joseph, February 8, 1908.

49 Allmayer-Beck: Die Archive der k. u. k. Militärbevollmächtigten und Militär-Adjoints, p. 3 59.

50 Ibidem.

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