The Axis in the Southern Balkans
There may be truth in the report that comes from Rome that Germany and Italy propose to call a Balkan conference in which Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Greece will be invited to take part. Hitler achieved a considerable measure of success by his manoeuvres in summoning representatives of Hungary, Rumania and Bulgaria before him, in requiring them to come to terms among themselves, and in the sequel presenting him- self as the arbiter. His ingenious handling of the situation enabled him to circumvent Russia and to depress and secure virtual control of Rumania. By similar circuitous stratagems, through which he would appear to leave decisions to other Balkan States, he may hope to dominate Yugoslavia and share the domination of Greece with Italy. His leverage will be the claim that Bulgaria has upon both Yugoslavia and Greece, the former holding provinces of Macedonia which Bulgaria has always regarded as Bulgarian, the latter the port of Dede- agatch, which Bulgaria wants as an outlet to the Aegean. But the southern Balkan States will not so easily be played off against one another as the northern Danubian States; and even Bulgaria, promised aggrandisement, has no reason for trusting Germany. Also there is Turkey to be reckoned with. She will not consent to be ignored in the re-arrangement of frontiers at the expense of Greece on her own western border. The Greek coast, moreover, can be defended by the British fleet.
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