BIDS FOR BULGARIA

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 129, 27 November 1940, Page 6

BIDS FOR BULGARIA

The Axis canvass for new members is now reported to have closed. Hungary, Rumania, land Slovakia lodged their nomination papers in time; —whether they paid their subscriptions in advance is not clear— but Bulgaria, the most canvassed among the outer ring of Hitler's possible satellites, somehow missed the bus. Whether Bulgaria's absence was deliberate and intentional, or merely due to the fact that the bus would not wait, is a matter in dispute; but it is reasonable to conclude that Hitler is too good a busman to miss a fare, unless for imperative reasons. Among the imperative reasons that may be operating is the unimpressive display against Greece of that little Hitler, Mussolini. If Mussolini were now at Salonika (as he expected to be) and could offer Bulgaria access through Greece to the Sea, in that case the Bulgarian Government, confronted with the nomination paper for Axis membership, might have signed on the dotted line. But Mussolini is not yet entering Salonika. In fact, he is going in the opposite direction. The British Government, unlike Mussolini, cannot offer Bulgaria part of the corpus of Greece, but it promises Bulgaria not to be a party to any peace treaty compromising "the integrity and independence of Bulgaria" if Bulgaria "does not attack our allies" and "does not join or assist, either actively or passively, the enemies of Britain." A negative assurance like Britain's is not as tempting to Bulgaria as a positive offer of Greek territory, such as Mussolini might make. But Mussolini's retreat has discounted his power of patronage, and territorial losses in past peace treaties may remind. Bulgaria that the British offer, if limited, is sterling value.