HISTORICAL DATA-1914:

JANUARY   FEBRUARY:    On February 5 of this year Adolf Hitler is examined in Salzburg, Austria and found unfit for military service. In fact, it is determined that his poor health rules him out for even auxiliary duty.  It would seem that he was still suffering from some form of lung ailment.   FEBRUARY:    In Europe on February 17 of this year, in an aide-memoire, the Austrian ambassador to the Holy See in Rome sets out his government's determined response to recent developments regarding Serbia by stating the conditions under which Austria would accept a change in the understanding regarding its protectorate in the Balkans. Among the conditions that he outlines are that:  all Masses should include prayers explicitly for Emperor Franz Josef and his family; every church should have a seat of honor for the emperor; the emperor's representative must have a special place during religious processions, and that "such representatives [were] to be accorded special precedences during the ceremonial of incense, the kiss of peace, the agnus dei, reception of communion, etc.". Other conditions required were that the emperor's coat of arms must be displayed, and his birthday be celebrated.  (SOURCE:  Vatican Segreteria di Stato, Sezione per i rapporti con gli stati: Austria-Ungheria (1913-14), Fasc. 449, folios 53-54--Quoted in:  Hitler's Pope  The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell- Penguin Books edition ((paperback))-2000-pp. 52-53).    MARCH   APRIL   MAY:    On May 3 of this year, a Sunday, a meeting of the Roman Curia  is called at 10:30 A. M. amidst the growing sense of crisis over the proposed concordat with Serbia. The attendees include  Cardinals Vannutelli, De Lai, Gotti, Ferrata, Gasparri, and Merry del Val.  Reflecting his continuing curial influence, Monsignor Eugenio Pacelli of the Sacred Congregation for Extraordinary Affairs is the meeting's secretary; he records the minutes by himself, in longhand. Serbia has threatened to pull out of the negotiations if the Vatican should be felt to be conceding too many points to Austria, or to break off the talks if she perceived that there were undue delay in concluding them.     The assembled cardinals feel that they are being pushed into a corner, that events are moving too quickly. If Serbia were to drop out of the negotiations, they believe, the situation of the Catholics in that area could become even worse than it now waqs. The cardinals know that the time has come to reach a decision, but they give the impression that they are walking into the unevitable with their eyes dangerously closed.     Cardinal Vannutelli begins by urging approval of the treaty; he is convinced that it would promote the interests of the Catholic Church in the East. He claims to be aware of sensitivity within Austria, "But let's try to make them see the advantages rather than the disadvantages." He says that the Austrians could be placated by being given honorific entitlements, but cannot come up with a concrete proposal along those lines.     Other cardinals both agree with Vannutelli and offer notes of caution. The nmajority support it, including Cardinal Gasparri, Monsignor Pacelli's curial guide and mentor. Even the Cardinal Secretary of State, Merry del Val, strongly favors the treaty. He says that to turn down the pact would be to give the Slavs an excuse to hold the Catholics hostage even more than they do now. He adds that it is important to keep in mind the  fact that it was the Serbs themselves who appealed to the Vatican, and that they are interested in "regularizing" conditions. He says that such an opportunity to have a decisive voice in current events "might never come again." He makes the further point that, "If we say that we cannot trust these Serbs, all the more reason for pinning them down with a concordat."  (SOURCE:  Vatican Segreteria di Stato, Sezione per i rapporti con gli stati: Austria-Ungheria (1913-14), Serbia (Rapporti sessioni), 1914, Fasc. 1186--Quoted in:  Hitler's Pope  The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell- Penguin Books edition ((paperback))-2000-pp. 54-55).     JUNE:    On June 7 of this year in Rome a final meeting of the curial cardinals involved in negotiating or approving the proposed Concordat with Serbia  is held at the Vatican Secretariat of State offices at 10:30 this morning. The cardinals go over once again the issue of patronatus rights. These rights now constitute the "bottom line" minimum conditions that the Austrians will accept in exchange for their reluctant approval of the treaty. The cardinals, speaking individually, acknowledge that the Serbians would no doubt pull out of the talks rather than allow such a concession to appear in the treaty.     As today's meeting is near a close, Merry Cardinal del Val says, almost in despair:  "There will be grave consequences if we now break off negotiations. The Serbs will come down harshly on the Church, proclaiming that we never did want a proper legal basis for what they were offering. At the same time, if the Catholic communities are then obliged to look to the Austrians for their defense, they will be doubly despised."     Cardinal Gasparri, however, adds, in an echo of the cautious observation of Archbishop Scapinelli, the nuncio in Vienna, some eighteen months ago: "The principal reason Serbia had sought this concordat is to make overtures to those Slavic  communities who owed allegiance to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and to eliminate any obstacles that might arise from religious or cultural considerations. What they are trying to do is show that the kingdom of Serbia has cordial relationships with the Holy See and to offer Catholics guarantees of liberty and welfare."     This is the final word on the proposed treaty expressed by the curia before the document is submitted to Pope Pius X for his approval and signature. Gasparri's remarks are also the single substantial objection expressed at this meeting amidst a chorus of approval. Gasparri seems to have understood that the treaty could be a mistake and a trap for the Vatican, created by the curia's desire to exert direct rule by the pope over Catholics in the Balkans, and by the prospects of success in missions in the East. (SOURCE:  Hitler's Pope  The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell- Penguin Books edition ((paperback))-2000-pp. 55-56).    JUNE:    By about noon on June 24 of this year a treaty or Concordat is signed at the Secretariat of State's office in Vatican City between representatives of the government of Serbia and of Vatican City State. This treaty is known as the Serbian Concordat, and it was negotiated for Pope Pius X mainly by Monsignor Eugenio Pacelli, a well-thought-of and bright young Undersecretary in the Vatican's Sacred Congregation for Extraordinary Affairs.  By the terms of this treaty, Serbia allows and guarantees the right of the Holy See in Rome to impose its new Code of Cannon Law on Serbia's catholic clergy and citizens, and it gives those citizens freedom of religion, of worship, and of education within its territories. Serbia also undertakes, in the treaty, to pay a stipend to the archbishop of Belgrade, the bishop of Uskub (later called Skopje), and to the members of the clergy who serve the Catholic communities of Serbia. Article 3 of the treaty says that the arechbishop of Belgrade and the bishop of Uskub will be "directly answerable to the Holy See for its ecclesiastical affairs"; Article 4 states that "His Holiness would nominate the candidates for bishoprics", informing the Serbian government lest any nominee should be politically objectionable.      Up to this time, this right had been enjoyed by the Austrian emperor alone, uder ancient usage.     Article 20 of the Concordat says, "If any difficulties arise in the interpretation of these articles...the Holy See and the royal government will proceed, with common accord, to a solution that agrees with canon law."     The treaty makes no mention of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but it   implies that the ancient rights of the Empire to protect Catholic enclaves within Serbia are annulled.  (SOURCE:  Hitler's Pope  The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell- Penguin Books edition ((paperback))-2000-pp. 48-50 and 56-57). JUNE:    On June 25 of this year the Italian ambassador to the Austro-Hungarian Empire writes from Vienna that "The Austrian press and people consider the Serbian Concordat a major diplomatic defeat for their Government."  (SOURCE:  Quoted in The Power of Rome in the Twentieth Century by A. Rhodes London-1983, pg. 224-Requoted in  Hitler's Pope  The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell- Penguin Books edition ((paperback))-2000-pg. 50). JUNE:    On June 26 of this year the newspaper L'E'claireur de Nice of France reveals for the first time the story of Father Denis Cardon, the French country priest from Taggia in the Alpes-Maritimes, who was the original mover behind the idea of a Concordat between the Vatican and Serbia. Today the editorial writer for the paper writes, "One wonders, in fact, one demands  to know, who really was the central negotiator of this crucial event!"  (SOURCE:  Quoted in, Hitler's Pope  The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell- Penguin Books edition ((paperback))-2000-pg. 51). JUNE:    On June 28 of this year Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife are shot by a pan-Serbian agitator in Sarajevo, and the emotions stirred up by the just-signed Vatican-Serbia Concordat  add to the general upwelling of anti-Serbian anger in Austria-Hungary. However, the Concordat itself represents a contribution to the general tensions in the area which will lead Austria to overreact by delivering a humiliating ultimatum to Serbia.  (SOURCE:  Hitler's Pope  The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell- Penguin Books edition ((paperback))-2000-pg. 51).    JULY   AUGUST:    In Europe on August 3 of this year King Albert I of Belgium announces his decision to reject Germany's ultimatum, which had been issued yesterday, and which had demanded that Belgium remain neutral even as German troops occupied that country while they were headed ultimately for France.  (SOURCE:  See firstworldwar.com website here:)   AUGUST:    On August 3 of this year Adolf Hitler, who has already been rejected for military service in the Austrian Army, submits a petition to King Ludwig III of Bavaria for permission to volunteer for service in a Bavarian regiment, and  he is allowed to do so.  (SOURCE:  The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich A History of Nazi Germany by William L. Shirer Fawcett Crest  New York ((paperback))  June 1989, pg. 50). AUGUST:    In Europe on August 7 of this year the city of Liege in Belgium surrenders to forces led by German general Erich Ludendorff; however, it is only the city itself that surrenders. The troops in the ring of forts surrounding the city continue to resist capitulation.  (SOURCE:  The Arms of Krupp 1587-1968  by William Manchester  Little, Brown and Company Boston Toronto  ((hardcover)), 1968, pg. 272).    AUGUST:    On August 20 of this year Pope Pius X dies in Vatican City. Some people say that he dies of a "broken heart" because of the declaration of war in Europe.  (SOURCE:  The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich A History of Nazi Germany by William L. Shirer Fawcett Crest  New York ((paperback))  June 1989, pg. 58).   SEPTEMBER:    In Vatican City, Italy on September 3 of this year  Giacomo Cardinal della Chiesa is elected Pope to succeed the late Pope Pius X. Cardinal della Chiesa takes the name Benedict XV. He is a short man from the Genoese aristocracy; he is known as picoletto or the "tiny one" for a nickname, and he has a reputation as a saintly man, modest but shrewd and dynamic. His career in the Church has been as a protege of Cardinal Rampolla, who himself was Cardinal Secretary of State for Pope Leo XIII, and della Chiesa had a rapid rise througth the ranks of the Vatican's diplomatic service. Before becoming Pope, Cardinal della Chiesa had been undersecretary to Merry Cardinal del Val. (SOURCE:  Hitler's Pope  The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell- Penguin Books edition ((paperback))-2000, pg. 59).   SEPTEMBER:    In Vatican City immediately after being elected Pope, Benedict XV publishes a protest against the current war and its "horrible butchery".  (SOURCE:  Hitler's Pope  The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell- Penguin Books edition ((paperback))-2000, pg. 60).    SEPTEMBER:    In Vatican City shortly after being elected Pope, Benedict XV removes Merry del Val from his post as Cardinal Secretary of State. ordering that he leave immediately. The new Pope also puts an end to the network of informers and spies that has been maintained by Umberto Benigni under the name of  Sodalitium Pianum.  (SOURCE:  Hitler's Pope  The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell- Penguin Books edition ((paperback))-2000, pg. 59).      OCTOBER:    Early on the morning of October 9 of this year Adolf Hitler and his comrades of the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment march out from their barracks in Munich, Germany, bound for Camp Lechfeld which is some forty miles to the west. Carrying their packs, the men slog along for almost eleven hours, most of the time in the rain.  (SOURCE:  Adolf Hitler by John Toland ((paperback)), pg. 59).      OCTOBER:    On October 10 of this year (a Sunday) in Bavaria, Adolf Hitler and his  comrades from the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment resume their march from Munich to Camp  Lechfeld. Today they cover another appreciable distance, amrching for thirteen hours and bivouacking in the open for a cold, sleepless night.  (SOURCE:  Adolf Hitler by John Toland ((paperback)), pg. 59).      OCTOBER:    On  the night of  Wednesday, October 20 of this year, as Adolf Hitler and his comrades of the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment and the rest of the  12th Brigade are loaded into trains at Camp Lechfeld in Germany to go to "the front", they have few machine guns, only perfunctory training, no steel helmets, and they have telephones that were made by a Nuremberg firm for the British army. However, Hitler the archpatriot from Austria is at last on his way to fight for the Fatherland.  (SOURCE:  Adolf Hitler-by John Toland ((paperback)), pg. 59).    OCTOBER:    At some time near the end of this month (October, 1914), Adolf Hitler is a dispatch runner assigned to the First Company of the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment of the Imperial  German Army, as the regiment enters combat. Hitler has had just about three months of training, and the unit is soon involved in the bitter fighting at the first Battle of Ypres. In this battle, the British succeed in halting the German drive to the English Channel coast.  In four days of bitter fighting, Hitler's regiment is cut to pieces. The regiment had entered combat with 3,500 men; after four days of fierce struggle, only 600 men-including Hitler-remain as combat effectives. Only thirty officers make it through the first four days of combat, and four companies of the regiment have to be dissolved.   OCTOBER:    On October 29 of this year in Ypres, France, the German army attacks the British and Belgian lines; Adolf Hitler and his comrades take part in four attacks that are beaten back. At 1400 they attack again and finally occupy the edge of the forest and the farms. Of the party starting this action with him, only Hitler survives.  (Source:  Adolf Hitler-by John Toland ((paperback)), pg. 60).  OCTOBER:    At this time also (near the end of October, 1914) it is highly unlikely that Monsignor Eugenio Pacelli of the Vatican's Sacred Congregation for Extraordinary Affairs has ever heard of Adolf Hitler of the German Army, and it is also not too likely that Hitler knows about Pacelli.  (Source:  Garrett Dempsey's private observation; see:  Hitler's Pope  The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell- Penguin Books edition ((paperback))-2000-pp. 48-49 and  Adolf Hitler-by John Toland ((paperback)), pg. 59).   NOVEMBER   DECEMBER :   At some time during this month Adolf Hitler is awarded the Iron Cross, Second Class, for bravery in combat.                               NO SPECIFIC DATE:    By the end of this year in the United States of America the total of all funds on deposit in savings accounts with American banks stands at US$ 17.4 billion [in 1914 dollars]. (SOURCE:  THE GREAT DEPRESSION  AMERICA IN THE 1930s  by T. H. Watkins  Back Bay Books Little, Brown and Company  New York, Boston, London  ((paperback))  2009, pg. 35). [In terms of 2008 dollars, this would be over US$ 378.260 billion, according to an inflation calculator devised by   Robert C. Sahr of the Political Science Department at Oregon State University--G. Dempsey].                     BACK:  1911-1920                                                                                                    BACK:  WELCOME SCREEN