19 July: The Joint Ministerial Council meet in secret to agree the final wording of the note and decide the diplomatic steps to be taken against Serbia. The note is to be presented to Serbia on the 23 July after the French leaders have left Russia. There is a forty-eight hour time limit for a response.
Tisza gets the meeting to agree that Vienna will announce in due course that Austria-Hungary does not intend to annex any Serbian territory. He hopes this will keep the Russians out of the conflict. It leaves open other possibilities for the dismemberment of Serbia. [More]