Evening: Berchtold wires Austria-Hungary’s formal response to Bethmann’s urgent messages of the 29/30th July to Szögyény in Berlin.
It says “… we are … prepared to examine more closely Sir E. Grey’s proposal … The premises of our acceptance, however, are of course that our military action against the Kingdom shall in the meantime take its course and that the English Cabinet shall prevail upon the Russian Government to arrest the mobilisation of its troops directed against us”.
This does not get to there until 3.45 A.M., nearly two days after Bethmann’s communication. There is no meaningful change in Austria-Hungary’s position and in any case the reply has been overtaken by events.