NYT 1903: The insurrection was entirely a national Macedonian movment

[Bratot]

Bulgarian Premier Petroff in 1903:



(The New York Times, August 15, 1903)


Regarding the reports that Bulgaria was responsible for the outbreak, he pointed out that the centre of the disturbed area at present was nearly two hundert miles from the Bulgarian frontier and was separated from it by country largely inhabited by Turks. Consequently, he said, it was foolish to say that the movment was aided by bands from Bulgaria, and that it was equally unreasonable to suggest that the arms of the insurgents came from Bulgaria. as a matter of fact, he said, the guns used by the insurrectionists were all of French manifacture, and that most of them had been bought from Turkish officers and men who, receiving no pay, had restored to the sale of their guns and ammunition to obtain money.
The insurrection, he said, was entirely a national Macedonian movment organized by the Macedonian Internal Committee, which in itself was proof.....



I guess this was already posted, I couldn't find it though, but it's very important to repeat the official statements of the Bulgarian government in 1903.

[Bratot]

Krste Petkov Misirkov in 1903:

Right from the very start of the revolutionary organization the Macedonians who were living in Bulgaria or who had been educated there began working under a Bulgarian mask. First, because the majority of the population was called Bulgarian and secondly because in this way they could gain the support of the Bulgarian authorities, the Bulgarian people, and the Bulgarian church.

The Macedonians did not limit this two-sided game to the various promises they held out to Bulgaria and to Europe; they shifted the center of the revolutionary organization, together with all the national and political questions it entailed, to Macedonia in order to be free from the interference of the Bulgarian administrators in all their actions.

Thus it is clear that the Bulgarians had swallowed the pill and that it was too late to rectify the mistake.


Прочитано на III-та седница на Петроградцкото Македонцко Научно-Литературно Другарство „Св. Климент“ на 19-и Октом 1903 г.

http://www.misirkov.org/nacional_separatism.htm

[Soldier of Macedon]

This is a good initiative Bratot, as there are several references where the Bulgarian authorities in the government and exarchate had spoken and worked against the Macedonian revolutionary movement.

[Bratot]

PDF:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/29051394