The consequences of WWI sharpened the old Balkan national conflicts over territory. During the Paris Peace Conference, the United Kingdom gradually gave ground to its smaller allies’ requests and thus predefined its role in the future – to maintain the imposed peace. The failure of the initial British intentions for finding a solution to the Macedonian Question through autonomy or plebiscite only postponed its decision in time.

The British policy followed the principle of intervention only when necessary. All British diplomats worked for the protection of peace and the status quo incorporated by the Paris Peace Conference. The British diplomacy was dependent on the United Kingdom’s desire to sustain the peace, as the unsolved problems in Southeastern Europe were supposed to fade with time through economic and administrative improvements and reforms. 

What the British Foreign Office set out to achieve concerning the Macedonian Question, it did successfully. However, the achieved results were explicitly minimized by the fact that neutrality in Southeastern Europe could not be sustained and Bulgaria stood on the opponent's side. 

This book of documents aims to analyze the British Foreign Office’s policy regarding the Macedonian Question in the interwar period and its reflection on the diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Bulgaria, as well as with the other Balkan countries involved. The selected documents review the policy of the British Foreign Office towards the Macedonian Question. The British Foreign Office’s policy, formulated at the Paris Peace Conference, had always been aiming at weakening the issue. Gradually, the British diplomatic efforts focused on prohibiting the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) and on its complete disbanding. The end of IMRO in 1934, however, did not bring the desired end to the Macedonian Question. WWII revived the unresolved national questions once again. 

The selected documents have not been published yet and are of great use and interest for many scholars and students. The presented documents are not only part of the diplomatic correspondence between Sofia and London but also part of the correspondence between the British Foreign Office and its representatives, mainly Athens and Belgrade.

Ilko Drenkov has a PhD in history and his work focuses on the Macedonian Question, providing a professional and unbiased review on the matter.

Anthem Studies in British History

Preface; 1. TNA FO 608/44, pp. 264-266: Harry Lamb to Lord Curzon. Sofia, April 7, 1919; 2. TNA FO 608/44, pp. 369-370: Letter from General Baird to Military Intelligence, War office, London. September 2, 1919; 3. TNA FO 371/6197, pp. 105-106: Peel to Curzon. Sofia, February 10, 1921; 4. TNA FO 371/5811, pp. 96-114: Peel to Curzon. Sofia, June 21 1921; 5. TNA FO 371/5811, pp. 133-139: Peel to Curzon. Sofia, June 29, 1921; 6. TNA FO 371/7377, pp. 179-180: Lindley to Curzon. Athens, March 25, 1922. Enclosure, Colonel Corfe; 7. TNA FO 371/7377, p. 191: Curzon to Lord Hardinge. Foreign Office, April 12, 1922; 8. TNA FO 371/7375, pp. 45-47: Graham to Curzon. Rome, May 10, 1922. Enclosure, Major Duncan; 9. TNA FO 371/8562, pp. 237-238: Erskine to Curzon. Sofia, June 6, 1923; 10. TNA FO 371/8566, pp. 44-50: Notes on a tour made by the mixed commission on Greco-Bulgarian emigration in Western and Central Macedonia. Colonel A. C. Corfe, August 20, 1923; 11. TNA FO 371/8563, p. 157: Erskine to Curzon, Sofia, November 28, 1923; 12. TNA FO 371/10667, p. 200: Erskine to Chamberlain, Sofia, March 11, 1925; 13. TNA FO 371/10668, pp. 96-99: Foreign Office Memorandum, Situation in Bulgaria. April 9, 1925; 14. TNA FO 371/10793, pp. 100-104: Footman to Kennard, June 30, 1925; 15. TNA FO 371/10673, p. 5 (1-6): Stevenson to Chamberlain. Sofia, October 26, 1925; 16. TNA FO 371/10667, pp. 205-208: Kennard to Lampson, October 30, 1925; 17. TNA FO 371/10667, pp. 210-214: Bateman to Kennard, November 7, 1925; 18. TNA FO 371/10667, pp. 216-219: The Macedonian Question and Komitaji Activity, memorandum by the Central Department of Foreign Office, November 26, 1925; 19.TNA FO 371/11337, pp. 24-25: Memorandum on Serbian “Minorities” in Greek Macedonia. C. H. Bateman. Foreign Office, March 3, 1926; 20. TNA FO 371/11405, pp. 91-95: Kennard to Chamberlain. Belgrade, April 21, 1926. Situation in Serbian Macedonia. Enclosure by R.A. Gallop, April 19; 21. TNA FO 371/11337, pp. 31-34: Kennard to Howard Smith. Belgrade, April 28, 1926. Enclosure, R.A. Gallop, April 23; 22. TNA FO 371/11405, pp. 129-130: Kennard to Chamberlain. Belgrade, May 26, 1926; 23. TNA FO 371/11217, p. 143: Erskine to Chamberlain. July 1, 1926; 24. TNA FO 371/12086, pp. 180-181: Erskine to Chamberlain. Sofia, November 25, 1927; 25. TNA FO 371/12090, p. 161: Chamberlain to the Marques of Crewe (Paris). October 11, 1927; 26. TNA FO 371/12092, pp. 195-201: Memorandum by Bateman. November 28, 1927; 27. TNA FO 371/12855, p. 175: Chamberlain to Dodd. January 16, 1928; 28. TNA FO 371/12855, pp. 241-248: Kennard to Chamberlain. Belgrade, January 31, 1928; 29. TNA FO 371/12856, pp. 63-64: Kennard to Chamberlain. Belgrade, March 6, 1928: Memorandum respecting suggestions for the removal of discontent among the peasant population of Southern Serbia. D. J. Footman. Skopje, March 5, 1928; 30. TNA FO 371/12856, p. 110: Sperling to Chamberlain. Sofia, July 12, 1928; 31.TNA FO 371/12856, pp. 228-230: Memorandum by Bateman. Foreign Office, October 18, 1928; 32. TNA FO 371/12856, pp. 244-248: Sargent to Sperling. Foreign Office, October 22, 1928; 33. TNA FO 371/12857, pp. 36-49: Dodd to Chamberlain. Sofia, December 5, 1928; 34. TNA FO 371/12857, pp. 28-29: Memo by Sargent. Foreign Office, December 18, 1928; 35. TNA FO 371/13571, pp. 219-221: Notes on the present situation between Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. C. H. Bateman. Foreign Office, July 26, 1929; 36. TNA FO 371/13573, pp. 84-94: Foreign Office, Macedonian Question. December 6, 1929; 37. TNA FO 371/14315, pp. 94-97: J. Balfour. Foreign Office, March 13, 1930; 38. TNA FO 371/14315, pp. 83-85: Memorandum for the Secretary of State. John Balfour. March 24, 1930; 39. TNA FO 371/14316, pp. 152-160: Waterlow to Vansittart. Sofia, May 21, 1930; 40. TNA FO 371/14316, pp. 150-151. Minutes by John Balfour on Waterlow letter from May 26, 1930. Foreign Office, June 2, 1930; 41. TNA FO 371/14324 p. 131. Memorandum by Orme Sargent; 42. TNA FO 371/14316, p. 214: Conclusions of the Memorandum on Macedonian Question. Central Department of Foreign Office. July 1, 1930; 43. TNA FO 371/14317, p. 204: N. Henderson to Sargent. Bled, July 23, 1930; 44. TNA FO 371/ 15172, pp. 86-87. Waterlow to Sargent. Sofia, December 31, 1930; 45.TNA FO 371/16683, pp. 29-32: Foreign Office Memorandum on Balkans and Turkey, 1932-1933, January 1, 1934; 46. TNA FO 371/19486, pp. 193-195: Bentinck to Samuel Hoare, Sofia, September 26, 1935; 47. TNA FO 434/3, pp. 417-419: R. Campbell to Eden. Belgrade, May 25, 1936; 48.TNA FO 371/22329, pp. 2-4: Edward Coote to Halifax. Sofia, September 23, 1938; 49. TNA FO 371/23718, pp. 279-287: Memorandum on Bulgaria by Orme Sargent. FO, April 15, 1939; 50.TNA FO 371/24880, pp. 110-114. Rendel to Halifax. Sofia, January 5, 1940; 51.TNA FO 371/24880, p. 183: cypher telegram from Rendel (Sofia). August 15, 1940; 52. TNA FO 371/24880, pp. 184-186: Rendel to Nichols, Sofia, August 25, 1940; 53. TNA FO 371/24880, p. 219: cypher telegram from Campbell (Belgrade). September 3, 1940; 54. TNA FO 371/24880, pp. 241-242. Commander Errington to Dixon. 7th September, 1940; 55. TNA FO 371/29785, pp. 1-8: R. Cambell to Halifax. Belgrade, November 6, 1940. Enclosure Report on the General Situation in Southern Serbia by Mr. Thomas, British Vice-Consul at Skopje; Bibliography; Index.