Bled,

23rd July, 1930.

Dear Sargent,

As you will see from my telegram No.32 and a despatch by this bag, I have no reason to believe that the situation as regards a Yugoslav appeal to the League of Nations in the matter of the M.R.O. is in any way modified as the result of the recent meeting of the Petite Entente representatives, except in so far as Marinkovitch persuaded his allies to concur in his proposed eventual action. As, however, I have little faith in the Bulgarian capacity to prevent incidents recurring, it is probable that sooner or later the League will be asked to deal with the matter.

Macedonia is just like Alsace: one of those parts of Europe which has no real nationality. If Bulgaria wishes to emerge from her position as a pariah, she must set her own house in order and control her own people or those who live within her frontiers. Just as the Alsatians are neither French nor German, so the Macedonians are neither Serb nor Bulgar. Either the Peace Treaties must be modified (which is unthinkable at present) or Yugoslavia must be allowed to make of the Macedonians peaceful Yugoslavs. Of course Macedonia is maladministered, more so than any other part of Yugoslavia, partly because the M.R.O. prevents the population from settling down peaceably – which 90% of them desire only to.

I endevour to be as objective as possible, but I cannot see what Bulgaria is going to gain by referring the Macedonian problem to the League. She may provoke dissensions in the League but she will gain nothing for herself except a possible pious request that Yugoslavia shall govern Macedonia more humanely. And what will that profit her? The League is not going to recommend a revision of the Peace Treaties or the admission that the Macedonians are Bulgars or the creation of a second Albania in the Balkans.

Yours ever,

(Signed) Neville Henderson