Paris Peace Conf. 184.018/3
Mr. A. J. Balfour to Colonel E. M. House
[Received April 26.]
Dear Colonel House: I wish to approach you in regard to the present situation in Montenegro.
You will remember that so soon as it became evident that a state of civil war had broken out in Montenegro an endeavour was made by the French and British Governments to induce the United States Government to send American forces to occupy the country. The United States Government were, however, unwilling to do so and suggested that the best course to pursue would be merely to insist on the withdrawal of the Serbian forces operating in Montenegro.
The British and French Governments, however, were of the opinion that this would merely lead to renewed disorders and civil war, and they were prepared in principle to consider a joint Franco-British occupation. On examining the question however the British Military authorities decided it would be impossible for them to send British troops to Montenegro and further representations were therefore made to the United States Government, in the hope that they would reconsider their decision.
The United States Government replied on March 2nd that they were quite unable to modify their refusal to send American troops to Montenegro, and General Franchet d’Esperey has therefore given instructions that all Allied troops should be withdrawn from the country. These instructions apply not only to the French, British and American detachments but also to the Serbian and Italian detachments, and the result will be that the Montenegrins will be left to fight out their disputes alone.
So far as can be ascertained the majority of the Montenegrin people really desire to enter the Jugo-Slav State and the conflict which has arisen centres rather on the question as to whether this union should or should not be in the nature of complete fusion or whether, alternatively, some federal arrangement should be agreed on such as would reserve to Montenegro its autonomous rights. So far as our information goes we have no ground for supposing that there is any [Page 737] important movement in Montenegro either for complete independence or for the return of the Petrovich dynasty and we are ourselves inclined to feel that any statements which represent such a movement as being in existence emanate from Italian or other anti-Serbian sources.
It is fair to add that M. Radovich, the leader of the party of complete fusion, who has just arrived in Paris, has assured us in a most categorical manner that all reports which have reached us as to internal dissension in Montenegro have been wilfully exaggerated for the purposes of Italian propaganda.
The main conclusion which may be drawn from the above is that we do not actually know the real wishes of the Montenegrin people. In order that these wishes should be ascertained I would suggest that an Anglo-American Commission should proceed to the spot and I should be glad to learn whether the American Government will agree to this proposal and will nominate a representative accordingly. It is suggested that our own representative should be Count Salis, formerly His Majesty’s Minister at Cettinje.