Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-01-22

d will not do, major. You know
about as much about Russian In
huence in Bulgaria as you do Of Rus
sian intrigue here. I want the whole
thing or nothing. As Mile. Valon-
Paula-doubtless has told you. neither
o nor she is in a position to hold
back a single thing"
Without further attempt to bluff It
out, he gave up what / wanted. The
gist Of it was this:
With the aid of French money. Rus
STA had united and was heavily sub
sidizing Bulgaria and Servia against
Turkey, and had intoxicated both
with wild dreams of enlarged bound
aries and empire at the expense of
the Turk, and, ultimately, with Rus
sia's backing, at the expense of Aus
tria herself. Numerous non-commis-
stoned officers were coming quietly
into Belgrade and Sofia, and were
ready to take the field with the
armies of the allies, which could count
on support from Montenegro, through
Its hereditary hatred of the Austrian,
and on Greece through Its hatred of
the Turk and desire to settle old
scores with that nation. Most of the
leading officers and men of affairs of
Servia and Bulgaria were In Russian
pay. In fact, a systematic Russianiza-
ton of Seryia and Bulgaria was In
progress. Their armies were being
equipped with a new kind of French
gun; the troops were being paid with
Russian and French gold. And they
were all ready to move forward on
word from Russia
Obviously the menace Of the car,
abetted by France, to Austro-German
interests in the Balkans was to be a
tremendous factor in the European
situation. Clearly, Russia was in SC
deep there was no pulling out.
This, of course, had been suspected
by the cabinets of Germany and Aus
tria. But how far and how thorough
the ~actuality was, l had been sent to
find out. The knowledge in my hands
showed beyond all doubt the urgent
need of Germany and Austria to start
their Vaccinations to Offset the rising
of Russian power in the Balkans, I
took the nights Orient express FOR
Berlin direct and, as soon as there,
made my report to Won Stammer, as
Wedel was still inaccessible, being
away with the kaiser.
A solid coalition of Bulgaria, Servia
and Montenegro, with a Russian domi-
nance, would have played the deuce
with the Balkan policies of GERMANY
and Austria, would have threatened
the very integrity of the Austro-Hun-
garian empire itself, through its racial
appeal to the empires southern Slavs.
From the Austro-G German point OF
view, therefore, all chance of such 9
coalition, with Russian backing, must
be shattered, and once for all.
Now, see how cleverly the diplo-
mats of the two kaisers set about
smashing the predominance of Rus
sian influence In the Balkans. Know
ing full well the national heredity,
jealousies and animosities of the Bal
kan nations, they waited until, the al
lies wal with Turkey won, there
came the question of dividing the
spoils wrested from the Turk-and
Austro-German influence, having
meanwhile insidiously worked on King
Ferdinand, set Bulgaria against
Servia. The shadow of a Balkan con-
federation, with the dreaded Russian
backing, was instantly. dispelled. Rus
STA was helpless to consummate her
dream, with the two states she had
counted on as the key of her Balkan
scheme at each others threats in a
death grapple.
= = . =
Before closing, perhaps I should add
that DR.. Armgaard Karl Graves is not
known in the Balkans, but among the
gay, e~xtravagant army officers of Bel
grade. Count Arthur zu Wernigerode"
is.