The Guardian. FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 1941 BULGARIA

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LXII, Issue 18, 7 March 1941, Page 3

The Guardian.

FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 1941 BULGARIA

X Printed at Leeston, Canterbury, New Zealand, on Tuesday and Friday afternoons.

Despite all the brave words of its leaders to the contrary, Bulgaria has been allowed by its government to fall completely under the sway of Nazi Germany, so much so that German troops are in full charge of the country and are being massed in large numbers on the Greek frontier in readiness for a continuation of the war of nerves, threats, cajoleries or promises which the German leaders have no intention of keeping. The fate which has befallen Rumania and Bulgaria is only another example of the danger which threatens any small state which attempts, single-handed, to preserve its neutrality against German aggressiveness. Had all the Balkan states united and formed a defensive bloc, the German invader could have been kept within his own frontiers. Racial jealousies, hatreds and suspicions have kept the Balkans apart and now two of them have fallen before the invader and have become numbered among his slave states. The Bulgarians heard the first crack of the slave whip when the order went forth mobilising the men and women of the country for national service, which, of course, means service for their new masters. Great Britain has now broken off relations with Bulgaria and has warned its rulers of the possibility that their action in accepting German dominance to avoid war, may lead to Bulgaria becoming the battlefield of the Balkans. Hitler and his associates are doing their best to win the Turks from their loyalty to Great Britain and Greece, but those astute people have good grounds for their knowledge as to the final outcome of the war and do not put any trust in Hitler. Not only have they confidence in I the ultimate victory of the AP> lies, but they are determined to honourably stand by their un-

dertakings with Great Britain. It is, most satisfactory to know that there is complete understanding between Great Britain, Turkey and Greece as to what they should do to counter Hitler's aggression.

x/ While the Nazis have been forced to come to the assistance of their ally, Italy, irrespective of the fact that Germany has no quarrel with Greece and is still maintaining diplomatic relations with the state, and while another declared objective of their Balkan raid is to gain control of the Dardanelles and the Greek port of Salonika in an attempt to wrest the mastery of the Eastern Mediterranean from the British by means of massproduced submarines, there is still another reason why Bulgaria has been overrun, and possibly this is the main driving force behind the move. The Nazis have robbed the rest of occupied Europe of its food resources and the need for more supplies is daily becoming more urgent. Bulgaria possesses much good land and a good climate. While cultivation is backward, large crops of wheat, maize, barley, oats and rye nevertheless are grown. With the European spring at hand, the Germans, with their usual thoroughness, could exploit their new source of labour and the rich soil of their new vassal state under modern methods would grow large quantities of grain of all kinds as well as other agricultural products to meet the evergrowing demands not only for more food, but also equally important, for manufacture into munitions of war.

Prior to 1878, Bulgaria was part of the Turkish Empire, but the Treaty of Berlin raised its status to a principality under Turkish suzerainty. A few years later Eastern Rumelia joined Bulgaria. The latter became independent of Turkey in 1908 and Prince Ferdinand became king. He abdicated in 1918 and his son Boris, the present ruler, became king. Since its independence Bulgaria has been unhappy in its wars. In the first Balkan War of 1912, it was allied with Greece, Serbia and Montenegro against Turkey, but these allies disagreed over sharing the fruits of victory and 1913 saw Serbia and Greece at war with Bulgaria. Rumania intervened and secured Dobrudja from Bulgaria. In the 1914-18 war Bulgaria joined with Germany with the result that it had to concede territory to Serbia and Greece. It would now appear that this unfortunate state is yet to suffer another painful period in its short but disastrous history.