2018/8b.plaintext

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