Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - V. Serbo-Bulgarian relations
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
1913] CONVERSATION WITH SAZONOFF 45
play a brief politico-comic part, to her own disadvantage
and to her shame.
At Davos I had the pleasure of finding M. Sazonoff
really on the road to recovery, and the next day I was
able to relate and discuss with him the overtures recently
made to me by M. Todorov. M. Sazonoff listened most
attentively. "Well," said he, when I had finished, "but
this is perfect! If only it could come off! Bulgaria
closely allied to Serbia in the political and economic
sphere; five hundred thousand bayonets to guard the
Balkans—but this would bar the road for ever to German
penetration, Austrian invasion! " " Quite so," I replied ;
"but there is also another side to the question which I
venture to raise. In the first place, I personally do not greatly
dread an Austrian military invasion; I firmly believe
that Austria does not nurse such dangerous schemes.
Penetration by intrigues, economic stratagems and other
means—that I believe in ; and also that such penetration
would be effectually checked by a sincere and lasting
Serbo-Bulgarian reconciliation ; but in a direct attack
with armed forces, no ! I shall never believe in it, except
in a completely new situation and under quite exceptional
circumstances!1 But on the other hand, I cannot help
wondering whether Bulgaria and Serbia, having united
their forces (representing more than half a million
soldiers—and admirable soldiers, I assure you), are not
thinking much less of guarding against Austrian
aggression than of attacking Turkey and of settling the
Macedonian question by the sword? The Italo-Turkish
war may well encourage them in this idea. That is
what I fear. The most serious events might well occur
at a time when Russia is not ready and she might have
to submit to many disagreeable things if she does not
wish to be drawn into the fray . . ."
1 I was wrong as it turns out. But one must allow that the general
political situation at the moment when I talked to Sazonoff at Davos was
quite different from what it was after the two Balkan wars, and more
especially after the Treaty of Bukharest.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
