File No. 763.72119/1985
The British Embassy to the Department of State
copy of telegram from mr. balfour to his majesty’s ambassador at paris, dated september 27
Please communicate immediately the following message from the Prime Minister and the War Cabinet to Monsieur Clemenceau:
We have received the following message, which has no doubt reached you:
I received the following message to-day by parlementaire, who was passed through my lines about midday. I have forwarded the officer, a Bulgarian, and the message on to the commander-in-chief of the Allied armies. Translation begins:
To His Excellency General Milne, commander-in-chief of the British Forces, Army of the Orient. I have the honour to inform Your Excellency that the Royal Bulgarian Government has authorized me, with the consent of His Majesty the Czar of Bulgaria, to have recourse to your kind mediation and beg that you would have conveyed to His Excellency the commander-in-chief of the Army of the Orient my request for 48 hours’ cessation of hostilities during which time delegates authorized by the Bulgarian Government, Their Excellencies A. Liapcheff, Minister of Finance, and the commander of the Second Army, General J. Lukoff, will present themselves to General Headquarters of the Army of the Orient in order to arrange conditions of the armistice and eventually of peace. Trusting to Your Excellency’s friendly kindness, I beg you to accept assurance of my high consideration. G. O. C. in Chief of Bulgarian Army (signed) Doroff, dated September 25, 1918.
I think that the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Army should be told that it is impossible to agree to an armistice till we know that the enemy are prepared to accept terms which would form a basis of peace, but that every facility should be given to the Bulgarian delegates to cross the lines and discuss terms, including necessary military guarantees, as a preliminary to a possible armistice.
In the meantime the Allied offensive should be pressed with all possible vigour.
I am sending a copy of this message to Milne, from whom the message was received.