File No. 763.72/2188
The Minister in Roumania, Servia, and Bulgaria (Vopicka) to the Secretary of State
No. 54]
[Received October 14.]
Sir: I have the honor to report that in a conversation with the Servian Minister here he assured me that at the last meeting of the Skupština it was decided to permit the Quadruple Entente to give Bulgaria that portion of New Servia which lies south of Uskub (Skoplje) with the exception of a small strip on the Albanian frontier which leaves a connection between Servia and Greece.
I was told that the reason why Servia refused to cede this territory through the Quadruple Entente to Bulgaria before was that Bulgaria claimed it from the Quadruple Entente as the portion of Macedonia that was taken away from her and therefore rightfully belongs to her and should not be considered as a concession. Servia, on the [Page 64] other hand, states that this is not true and that the territory belongs to her. It was therefore more a matter of principle and justice than anything else that no agreement has been reached before this on this point.
I beg further to state that there are now some 150,000 Austro-Hungarian soldiers near Orsova on the Austrian border.
The Servian Government is apprehensive that, in case the Quadruple Entente should be successful at the Dardanelles, or even if it should appear likely that they might be successful within a short time, the Austro-Hungarian and German Army would endeavor to force their way through Servia in the direction of Turkey, which would undoubtedly mean very severe fighting in Servia.
I have [etc.]