Evening star., 1925-08-13
Another View of the
Macedonian Evictions
To the Editor Of The star:

In his letter published in The Sun
day Star of August 8 Mr.. Soterios
Nicholson, who signs himself National
Comma nder of American Veterans of
Hellenic Descent, expresses his regret
at you having published in The Star
of August 4 correspondence from Bull
garia, in which your correspondent
told of the wanton murder of a little
Bulgarian girl by a Greek. Mr.. Mich
olson is of opinion that reports of
Greek misdeeds should not appear in
the American press, for, as he says,
they "engender the American public
opinion with national strifes." What
ever this may mean, / am sure your
readers are not so simple minded as
to attach much importance to II.
The statements of your correspond
ent about the treatment of Bulgarian
minorities in Greece were based not
upon hearsay but upon a recently pub
lished report of Corfe and Rooyer. the
two members of the Mixed Commits
sion appointed by the League of Ma
tions to deal with the exchange of
populations between Greece and Bull
garia. In view of the repeated accu-
sations on the part of the Greek press
that the Greek minorities in Bulgaria
were prosecuted and maltreated, the
Bulgarian government asked these
gentlemen TO undertake a thorough
investigation of these accusations as
well as of the treatment meted out
to the Bulgarian minorities in Greece.
Notwithstanding the refusal of the
Greek government, for reasons easily
guessed, to agree to such an investi-
cation, Corfe and Roover were able.
with the help Of the five subcommis
sions stationed at various localities,
to gather the data upon which their
report is based
According TO this report, there were
very few demands in 1921 and 1922 bv
Greeks or Bulgarians for emigration.
The Greek disaster in Asia Minor in
1872 forced large number of Greeks
to seek refuge in Greece. Instead of
distributing evenly and fairly these
newcomers among its subjects in
Western Thrace and Macedonia, the
Greek government settled them dense
ly in Bulgarian villages and houses.
Aided and abetted by the local au-
thorities the refugees acted as il they
were the masters and laid hands upon
the property of the Bulgarians. This
gave rise TO constant friction and
quarrels. The complaints of the Bull
garians were met with the reply that
II they did not like it they should
leave the country. Thousands of them
left for Bulgaria, having been prac-
tcally evicted out of their homes and
not allowed TO dispose of their prop
erty or even take away their house
hold belongings.
On the plea of military exigencies
in February and March of 1928. after
the GrecoTurkish War had been fin
ished, about 1000 Bulgarian families
were deported from Thrace TO the
islands and Thessaly, leaving every
thing they possessed behind them
Several hundreds of them died of
ma nutrition, maltreatment and dis
ease. The harsh and cruel treatment
of their co-nationals in Greece pro-
duced great irritation in Bulgaria. and
1t was then only that i'll feeling against
the Greeks in Bulgaria ma anifested it
self, especially among the refugees.
who had suffered at the hands of the
Greeks and had emigrated with only
the clothes they had on.
Mr. Nicholson cites half a dozen
cases of murders of Greeks in Bull
garia, and though he SAYS that he alb
,stains from mentioning further atroc-
tiles l doubt if he can add much to
their number. These murders bear
no political or national character but
are the work of private vengeance of
refugees, who in their desperation
have wished to avenge wrongs infiict.
ed upon them or theirs in Greece.
The Bulgarian authorities, as the re
port of Corfe and Roover testifies,
have never acted toward the Greeks
out Of prejudice to their nationality.
In Greece outrages upon Bulgarbans
have been committed in connivance
with or at the instigation of the au-
thorities. Nineteen Bulgarians of the
village of Tarlis, falsely accused of
being rebels, were butchered py the
Greek soldiers under the command of
an officer, who were eScorting them
to another village. The presumed au-
thor of the murder of the four Greeks
mentioned by Mr.. Nicholson, was
certain Athanasoff. a refugee from
Thrace. The Bulgarian authorities
spared no effort in trying to catch him
and his band. Owing 10 the noun
famous nature of the country il took
them a long time in surrounding the
band and wiping it out. On the other
hand, outrages and murders commit
ted upon BClgarians in Greece are
seldom If ever punished. because. in
the words of Corfe and Roover. the
Greek authorities attribute a priori TO
Bulgarian Conitadjis every illegal act
the author of which is unknown and
see in every Bulgarian peasant an ac-
complice of the comitadjis." Hence
they are ready TO believe any accu-
sation against Bulgarian and to act
Immediately with severity toward
him. This summary procedure of the
authorities, of which there are nu-
merous examples, makes the life of
Bulgarian minorities in Greece uncer-
tain and unbearable and has forced
them to emigrate. The truth of the
matter is that in the territory as
signed by the peace treaties to Greece
in Macedonia and Western Thrace
the large majority of the Christian
population is Bulgarian, and the
Greeks are determined by fair means
or foul TO drive it out and replace it
by Greeks from Asia Minor.
S. PANARETOFF.