Although disjointed and lengthy I submit this despatch because it is possible that the Macedonian question may come to the forefront in the not very distant future. It is only right, in these circumstances, that the views of H. M. Legation at Sofia should be known.

This despatch, it is true, is written by Mr. Dodd but I am quite sure that it represents equally the views of Mr. Sperling.

For several months past Mr. Sperling has repeatedly expressed the opinion that wе cannot expect the Bulgarian Government to suppress, or even take strong measures against the Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation, until the Yugoslav Government has (1) reformed the administration of Yugoslavia, (2) recognised the so-called Bulgarian minority in that territory and (3) granted them the rights laid down in the Yugoslav minority treaty. Indeed, until the Bulgarian Government get satisfaction on these three points Mr. Sperling considered that it is inevitable that they should lose all respect for the treaties of 1919 and should “have recourse to evasions of the military clauses of the Treaty of Neuilly against the day when they may have to defend themselves against more powerful neighbours” (see C. 7022, Flag A).

We have never agreed with this point of view. While ready to recognise that the maladministration of Southern Serbia supplies the Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation with a pretext for continuing their sinister activities we have always maintained that, however gross the maladministration in Southern Serbia may be, it cannot justify the Bulgarian Government in allowing a semi-independent organisation to establish itself in Bulgarian territory with the direct object of carrying on a campaign of murder and terrorism in Yugoslavia.

Briefly, Mr. Sperling considers that the Yugoslav Government must give satisfaction on the three points above-mentioned before the Bulgarian Government can be expected to take measures to control the Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation and for this reason he feels that we are not justified in making representations to the Bulgarian Government with regard to the Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation unless we make similar representations to the Yugoslav Government regarding the maladministration of Southern Serbia.