Black Hand Society, in which
high ranking army officers and other officials of Serbia were
deeply involved. Herr Wiesner, the Austro Hungarian official who
was assigned to investigate the killing reported: "there was
nothing to prove or even to cause suspicion of the Serbian
government's cognizance of the steps leading to the crime."3
Based on information that surfaced in the 1920's, Goodspeed said
that the Serbian Cabinet and agents of the Russian secret
service, and possibly the Russian Minister of War, had
foreknowledge of the plot.4Lafore concurred that the
Serbian government probably knew of it.5French historian
Tapie and British naval historian Massie maintained that the
Serbian government was not directly involved.6The Serbian
archives have never been opened, but circumstantial evidence of
high level official awareness in Serbia of the plot is strong.
The Archduke, who would have become Emperor on the death of 84
year old Franz Joseph, favored schemes which would allow Serbia
to participate in the Empire. His death served the Serbian aim
which was to create a "Yugoslav commonwealth embracing all South
Slavs."7 With Russian support, Serbia had repeatedly after
1903 used violent methods to undermine the position of Austria
In the decade preceding 1914, Serbia and Austria Hungary
were on a collision course. As the Ottoman Empire disintegrated
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, irredentist ethnic
nationalism seethed throughout the Balkans. Serbia's aggressive promotion of the cause of South Slav unification threatened the
political stability and integrity of the polyglot, multi ethnic
Hapsburg Empire. Austria Hungary's attempts to curb Serbian
agitation and subversion largely failed. Serbia circumvented
Austria Hungary's embargo of its exports in the Pig War of 1906.
The convoluted manner by which the Austrian Foreign Mini...