Mr. Kennard to Mr. Austen Chamberlain. – (Received July 13.)

(No. 238)

Sir, Belgrade, July 6, 1925.

AS I am new to this country I have requested His Majesty's consular officers in Jugoslavia to furnish me with reports on the situation in their districts, and I have the honour to transmit copy of the first of these reports which I have received from His Majesty's vice-consul at Skopje. Mr. Fottman's despatch would appear, as I can judge, to furnish an interesting and accurate description of conditions now obtaining in Serbian Macedonia.

I have already mentioned in former despatches the difficulties which the S.H.S. Government are encountering in providing an efficient civil administration in outlying districts owing to the depletion of the civil service during the war, and to the increased demands thereon owing to the expansion of the present Jugoslavia. Mr. Footman does not draw attention to the question of agrarian reform which is, I understand, a real grievance, especially among the Albanian peasantry. The arming of the Kacaks with Italian rifles, which is mentioned in section 3 of the report, is said to have been largely due to the efforts of the Fan Noli regime in Albania to organise bands against Serbian Administration.

In connection with Mr. Footman's account of the Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation, it should be remembered that the campaign of mutual extermination, which has been carried on between the Federalists and the Autonomists has been to a great extent due to a split which occurred last year in the organisation on the question of seeking Bolshevik assistance. Their respective attitude as to the final status of Macedonia only developed, I believe, after this split, and were not the cause of it. The Minister for Foreign Affairs in a recent conversation stated that he had received confirmation from secret sources of the connection with Moscow of the Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation. He did not know how far the Bulgarian Government may be cognisant of this connection, but felt that it was essential that the most stringent measures should be taken on both sides of the frontier to control the movements of these agitators.

I have. &c.

H. W. KENNARD.