Evening star., 1937-01-24
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.


i ties and q close collaboration
In war and peace" now is by way of
fading into thin air. The "Balkani-
Eation" of Western Europe is the
cause
Within the next few weeks the Lit
tie Entente, while continuing to exist
In name, will be replaced by self
protecting, independent organization
the Balkan Entente - comprising
Yugoslavia, Rumania, Turkey, Greece
and Bulgaria. Century-old feuds and
antagonisms have been buried. These
nations realize that their wellbeing
would be endangered and their indie
pendence threatened if they continue
to subject their own interests to the
political interests of the strife ridden
western powers. The Balkan En-
tente. representing some 100000
people, now is ready to sign its decla-
ration of independence from the west
srn world.
The pending YugoslavBulgarian
pact Of amity and aggression will
pave the way to similar agreements
between Bulgaria and Rumania, and
Bulgaria and Greece. The YugoSlav
government, at one time the bitterest
enemy of Bulgaria, is acting as dis
interested broker between these ma
tions,
Little Entente Is Years Old.
The Little Entente, which came into
being IN 1921, was composed of Czecho-
slovakia, Yugoslavia and Rumaria. At
that time there existed irreconcilable
differences between Bulgaria, Turkey
and Greece, on the one hand, and
some Of the states of the Little Entente
on the other. Italy and France care
fully encouraged these differences. At
1taly's instigation, Bulgaria even or
eanized bands of commitadjis to raid
Yugoslav territory.
Turkey and Greece we're at logger
heads over the situation in Asia
Minor. where the allies sent Greek
troops to occupy Turkish territory.
Greece and Bulgaria, at least twice
during the last IS years, have been on
the brink of war because of terri
torial disputes of no real consequence
30 either state. Finally, Yugoslavia
and Greece were hardly on. speaking
terms because of the question of
Salonica.
The quarrels of these nations were
fostered by the great powers to serve
their own political purposes. France
was delighted at the Yugoslav-1talian
hostility because it considered a war
between herself and Italy as strong
possibility. Italy was egging Bulgaria
on to remain aloof from her neighbors,
because that would mean support for
Rome in the event Of a Yugoslay-
Italian French war.
Balkans Have Changed Now.
Before 1914 these Balkan states,
much smaller in size and population,
fought wars at the bidding of the great
powers of the West. The situation has
changed today. Serbia, now Yugo-
slavia, used to have population of
4,500,000 inhabitants before the war,
and was at that time a purely agri-
cultural state Today it has raw mate
rials, an outlet to the sea. and popu-
iation of 16,500.o00 souls. Rumania,
with population of little over 7,000,-
900 in 1914, today has population of
100000. Turkey has smaller popu-
lation than in the pre-war days and
its territory has shrunk considerably.
But it no longer has minorities; there
no longer is a Christian or an Armenian
or Greek question in Turkey. The
republic is homogeneous state, well
organized and far stronger politically.
economically and militarily than the
old Ottoman Empire. Greece and
Bulgaria are equally homogeneous
states with strong governments
1t is Mussolini who, unwittingly,
implanted in the minds of the Balkan
rulers the idea that they might Just
as we'll cease being the cats paw of
the big powers, and organize them
selves into self-sustaining self-con-
tained group, free to act in accordance
with their best national interests
rather than to be in the tow of some
larger nation.
In 1888, before the Chamber of
Deputies in Rome, n Duce made one
OF his dramatic, spectacular speeches
about the historical rights of the
Italians in Asia Minor" The effect
Of that speech on Mustapha Kemal,
as the Turkish President then was
called, was instantaneous. He realized
that the Western powers were charging
too high price for brokerage serv-
l..
France, for instance, in the problem
Of defending Turkeys territorial in
teerity, France, in exchange, would
ask definite military understanding
which might involve Turkey in a war
even quicker than if left to herself.
So He Goes to Work.
So Kemal set to work through his
diplomatic representatives in Bel
grade, Sofia and Bucharest. He found
an immediate response in Yugoslavia.
King Alexander, who several years
later lost his life at Marseilles while
trying to shake off the hold of>the
Western powers, accepted with enthu-
siasm the suggestion of the Turkish
President.
He went to Euxinograd, the Summer
residence Of King Boris of Bulgaria,
thence to Istanbul At Euxinograd the
two young Balkan sovereigns had an
enlightening talk. Boris, while
recognizing the advantages which he
and his country would derive from a
Balkan bloc, pointed out that it would
be premature for Bulgaria to join any
such combination. He himself was
not yet strong enough in his own
country to force the issue with his
sometimes wild and impetuous SUBJ
jects. But, in principle, he favored
Alexander's ideas.
The conversation between the Turk
ash dictator and the Yugoslav semi
dictator was short and to the point.
BY all means they agreed, the Balkan
states must help each other and rid