German Vice Chancellor Matthias Erzberger speaks in the Reichstag, accusing German militarists and right-wing politicians of bringing defeat and harsh peace terms upon Germany by refusing to negotiate in good faith in 1917 after the Pope’s peace initiative - July 25, 1919
Source: Timeline
July 25, 1919 German Vice Chancellor Matthias Erzberger speaks in the Reichstag, accusing German militarists and right-wing politicians of bringing defeat and harsh peace terms upon Germany by refusing to negotiate in good faith in 1917 after the Pope’s peace initiative. Source: Epstein (1959), pp. 328-331.
Erzberger’s speech discloses, without Nuncio Pacelli’s permission, certain aspects of Pacelli’s role in the Papal peace initiative of 1917.
Pacelli had sent Erzberger’s request for permission to Gasparri by telegraph on July 23, but he used Vatican envoy Luigi Maglione’s telegraph facilities in Bern, 200km from Rorschach, and the resulting delays prevented his timely receipt of Rome’s response.
Maglione sent Pacelli’s July 23 request to Rome by telegraph on July 24 and reported that fact to Pacelli.
Also on July 25th, from Rorschach, Switzerland, Pacelli sends Baron Theodor von Cramer-Klett’s best wishes by telegram to Pope Benedict XV on the Pope's name-saint feastday. Italian original at www.Pacelli-Edition.de
Cramer-Klett’s relationship with Pacelli, Gasparri, Pope Benedict and Faulhaber becomes increasingly evident in the Munich Nunciature documents of the early 1920s, as seen in the Timeline entries of July 25, 1919, Aug. 18, 1919, Sept. 15, 1919, Feb. 14, 1920, Oct. 23, 1920, Nov. 21, 1920, Nov. 13, 1921, Dec. 21, 1921 and Apr. 26, 1923.
July 23, 1919 Pacelli to Maglione in Bern for Gasparri in Rome:
Most Excellent and Reverend Signore,
Allow me to ask you to please do me the favor of telegraphing in code from me to my Most Eminent Superior as follows:
Minister Erzberger asks urgently whether there would be any difficulty as to publishing the telegram of the British Government to the English Minister (in Rome) in response to the Papal Peace Note and my letter of August 30, 1917, by which I communicated to the Chancellor a request for a statement about Belgium, as instructed by Your Eminence. A copy of that letter was transmitted by me to the Holy See in September of that year.
Source: Pacelli-Edition.de, Dokt 17977
July 24, 1919 Maglione to Pacelli:
Most Reverend Excellency,
In response to Your Most Reverend Excellency’s esteemed letter of yesterday, I have the honor to assure You that I have already sent in code to your Most Eminent Superior the telegram therein contained, concerning the request directed to Him by Minister Erzberger. Kissing, then, reverently, the sacred ring, I have the pleasure of confirming my sentiments of profound veneration …
Fr. Luigi Maglione
Source: Pacelli-Edition.de, Dokt 17729