Germany, Monday, 29th June
29 June The Kaiser had been preparing to sail his yacht, the Meteor, at the Kiel regatta when he was given the news of the assassination. He decided to return immediately to Berlin.
29 June and immediately after The top civilian and military leaders are absent from Berlin. Zimmermann suggests to foreign diplomats the assassinations are linked to Serb agitation but not to the Serbian government who he expects to condemn the murders and help in their investigation.
He tells Szögyény he thinks the whole world will sympathise with Austria-Hungary and energetic steps are understandable but caution is needed in addressing demands to Serbia.
3 July, Potsdam The Kaiser makes his views known. On reading Tschirschky's first report that he has advised the leaders in Vienna "against too hasty steps" the Kaiser makes the irate marginal note:
"Who authorised him to do so? That is utterly stupid! It is not his business, since it is entirely Austria’s affair, what she intends to do. Later on, if things went wrong, it would be said Germany was not willing! Will Tschirschky have the goodness to drop this nonsense! The Serbs need to be sorted out, and soon".
The Kaiser dismisses Tschirschky's suggestion Vienna ought to consider the wider European situation as "commonplace sentiments".
3 July Waldersee, deputy to the German Chief of the General Staff, expresses his views to a military colleague that Germany could become "involved in a war from one day to another".
The German military think the situation is very serious. He thinks everything will depend on the attitude of Russia to the Austro-Serbian business.
He gives his colleague the impression that the military favour a war if it were to come about now. Conditions and prospects would never become better for Germany.