Macedonian problem.

Suggests that if League of Nations should ever have to intervene between Yugoslavia and Bulgaria His Majesty's government should work for retrocession of districts of the three northern districts of Tsaribod, Tran and Bosilegrad to Bulgaria as a means of attaining a real solution. Transmits note on these districts. Comments on possibility of solving problem by creating an autonomous united Macedonia.

(Minutes)

I am afraid that Mr. Waterlow is only too justified in describing the Macedonian problem as one which gives rise to Alps upon Alps of hopelessness. The remedies suggested in theory, but when it comes down to practice I do not see that we can do anything to work for the retrocession to Bulgaria of the three northern districts or for an autonomous Macedonia. The first of these remedies would immediately give rise to dozens of similar demands on the part of all the countries which have a territorial grievance under the peace treaties. To mention only one of these grievances, which at once occurs to me, if Yugoslavia hands back these districts to Bulgaria, there is no earthly reason why she should refuse to meet the ardent wish of the Hungarians for the retrocession of the Prekomurie, a purely Magyar district which the Hungarian-Yugoslav boundary Commission vainly sought to persuade the Yugoslavs to swap for a district in Hungary predominantly inhabited by Yugoslavs. The Yugoslavs, rightly from their point of view, saw that this proposal was the thin end of the wedge and turned it down. Obviously nothing short of another European war will persuade them to disgorge the northern districts, or a fortiori to agree to the formation of an autonomous Macedonia. The latter remedy would obviously also enfuriate the Greeks, and before it could be carried out we should have the Albanians putting in a claim for the return to them of outlying districts in Yugoslavia whose inhabitants are predominantly Albanian.

I fear that I do not agree with Mr. Waterlow in thinking that an autonomous united Macedonia is a logical idea. I defy anyone to define exactly what is a Macedonian. As a witty French diplomat summed up the situation; “Ce n’est pas une question de Macedoine mais une Macedoine de questions.”