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+elliot has done himself no favours in arguing the pragmatic line at the constantinople conference
+disraeli caught the mood with his pamphlet and the people do not seem to agree that bulgarian lives
+count for less in the calculus of international affairs i think salisbury plans to move him on
+perhaps back to vienna he was successful there it is most unusual to have annoyed both salisbury and
+gladstone but i have some sympathy with his views the terrible events that have precipitated this
+crisis can not be undone and there are other considerations russian aggression must still be impeded
+if we are to retain our influence in the region my agents tell me that the russian emperor met with
+the austrians at budapest at the start of the year to discuss their intentions in the event of war
+and it is rumoured that they plan to restructure the balkans in an effort to control the slavic
+moves for a unified state it is my own view that the slavs maybe a most useful ally in blocking the
+expansionist movement in russia and i have advised the government to invite the austrians to join us
+in march to see if we can effect a diplomatic solution to untangle this gordian knot perhaps we can
+find something more attractive for them that will weaken their dependence on tsar alexander ii if we
+fail then i fear that more direct action may need to be taken i have in my possession copies of
+certain letters that have been circulating in franz josef s court that i think might be sufficiently
+embarrassing to concentrate minds on the advantages of working with us instability in the region is
+certainly something to be feared but perhaps we can convince the austrians that stability would be
+worse if it is secured by the russians if we can not turn austria to our cause it might be necessary
+to undertake a campaign to stir up the local populations perhaps russia would think twice before
+getting involved if they were notable to secure as table settlement by force of arms alone the
+lessons of the crime a have not been forgotten by any of its combatants modern warfare is growing
+industrial in its scale and the costs of conflict are prohibitive i am certain that the stories told
+by nightingale of the horrific wounds suffered there have softened the appetite of some for open
+conflict and perhaps that is responsible for her majestys support of the shadow archive and all its
+works i must not let her down nor the empire
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projects / cipher-tools.git / blobdiff