FROM SKOPJE to GENEVA Dimitar Shalev Defender of Minorities in the League of Nations
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FROM SKOPJE TO GENEVA Dimitar Shalev Defender of Minorities in the League of Nations • Logis • Sofia 2013 1 Contents Preface, Dimitar Mitev 5 Introduction, Dimitar Mitev 8 Dimitar Shalev: Memories of the Trial in Skopie in 1927 52 In memoriam Dimitar Shalev by his son, Ivan Shalev 75 © Dimitar Mitev, compiler, introduction © Ivan Shalev, biographical essay © Zheko Alexiev artist of the cover © Mariela Boycheva, translation 2 3 Preface Dimitar Shalev was an outstanding champion of the civil rights of Bulgarians in Macedonia in a tragic period: Serbian domination of Vardar Macedonia in the 1920s and 1930s. Like the lives of most of his associates, who took part in the Bulgarian national liberation movement after World War I, Shalev’s journey through life was marked by the dramatic and tragic events typical of the time. His name, like the names of thousands of others, has sunk in oblivi- ousness. The collecting and publishing of the documentary herit- age of Dimitar Shalev is a step towards the vindication of his per- sonality and the rescuing of his name from undeserved oblivion. The book you are holding in your hands came to light thanks to the exceptional merit of his grandson, who bears the same name: Dimitar Shalev. He provided the family archive and financed the issuing of the present Collection. This act was followed by an- other decision, duty-bound to the family and national memory: the documentary heritage of Dimitar Shalev shall be delivered for storage and reference by the Central State Archive of the Republic of Bulgaria in Sofia. It is the documents from his private archive that formed the basis of this Collection. The documentary part of the publication is enriched with other, no less valuable testi- monies held in the Central State Archive in Sofia; the Archive of Yugoslavia in Belgrade; the Archives of the British Foreign Office in London; the Archives of the League of Nations in Geneva. We owe a great thank you to all the above mentioned institutions. The documents in English were translated by me and those in French – by Dr. Tzvetana Micheva of the Institute of Historical Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Science. The biographical essay on Dimitar Shalev was written by his son, Ivan Shalev. Dimitar Shalev wrote mostly in Bulgarian, but there are historical 4 5 documents in French, as well. Those written in Bulgarian impress ther estrangement or tragic life. Dimitar Shalev chose the latter. with the literary language knowledge of the author – flawless and His life was endless persecution. He was born and grew up in expressive. In most cases, the same refers to texts written by Sha- Macedonia under Turkish rule. Later he was persecuted by the lev’s associates, the activists of the Internal Macedonian Revolu- Serbian authorities, including the time when he was in Geneva tionary Organization (IMRO) and various immigrant organiza- (1930-1934). He was looked upon with suspicion by his own kind, tions, Bulgarian politicians and diplomats of the time. as well. IMRO leaders and Ivan Mihaylov personally can hardly The text of the published documents is authentic with rare excep- be called his well-wishers. After the coup of 19 May 1934 he came tions where the spelling is updated. For the sake of convenience home to Bulgaria, but here he fell under the blows of power, as each document is accompanied by a brief summary written by the IMRO and Macedonian immigrants were already on the list of the complier, indicating what the text is about, where it is stored and ‘unwelcome’. The last years of his life were the most tragic. The what the language of the original is. persecutions that he had been through during the Communist Dimitar Shalev is not only a prominent member of the Bulgar- regime were so severe that they eventually caused his untimely ian national liberation movement after World War I, but also one death. of the most worthy petitioners of Macedonia under Serbian rule. The attitude of the Bulgarian state towards Dimitar Shalev makes He could easily be perceived as typical and at the same time out- me write these lines with great sorrow and pain, firstly as a Bul- standing representative of the Bulgarian elite of Vardar Macedo- garian and secondly as a historian. Nevertheless, I still cherish nia in the years between the two world wars. A well-educated and the hope that we, Bulgarians, will manage to overcome our pas- highly skilled lawyer, wealthy and of high social status, Dimitar sions and emotions and like the civilized people we are, will hum- Shalev reached the post of Vice-Mayor of Skopje. bly learn the lessons of our own history as a commitment to our He represented that segment of the Bulgarian intellectual elite shared national tragedy, not as an inexhaustible source of feuds. I who chose not to immigrate to Bulgaria but to remain in their sincerely believe that the publishing of the present Collection will native land. These were people who had no alternative but to help at least partially to rescue Dimitar Shalev from the oblivion accept the harsh reality of Serbian power in Vardar Macedonia. in which he was buried after his death. Any contact the reader Their immediate aspirations were mostly related to the recogni- makes with a document written by Shalev or related to his strug- tion and security of the Bulgarians remaining within the Serbo- gle for the freedom of his country, Macedonia, means touching the Croatian-Slovene Kingdom – provision of decent life, achievement memory of and opening a ‘new page of life’ for this praiseworthy of national, civil and political rights, improvement of economic Bulgarian enlightener. and social position. In their value system legitimate acts outweigh revolutionary actions. Dimitar Mitev Dimitar Shalev’s fate and the collapse of his legitimate struggle for the rights of the Bulgarian minority within the boundaries of royal Yugoslavia is clear evidence of the hopeless situation these people found themselves in. Such hopelessness predetermines ei- 6 7 force remained Britain. Moreover, it was forced to fight desperately Shalev – Introduction from its island, for no other reason but for its own survival. Among the ugliest creatures conceived by ‘the Paris peacemak- Well-known are the prophetic words that Marshal Ferdinand ers’ in 1919 was the state of Yugoslavia, which until 1929 had the Foch said about the peace treaties, which in 1919 put an end to strange name Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Due to ad hoc World War I: “This is not peace. It is an armistice for twenty years.” coincidental circumstances the Balkan Kingdom of Serbia was turned Marshal Foch was one of the legendary generals during the war, into a leading regional military and political factor, in a kind of tiny commanding the united forces of the Entente on the Western Front, Balkan empire. Croats, Slovenes, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Germans, who found himself in the role of ‘the prophet of evil’. Twenty years Albanians, Muslims and many other nations fell under the power of later, on the 1 September 1939 World War II began. Belgrade. Dictatorship was to be the main political model of govern- The thesis that the seeds of World War II were rooted in the ance in this country over the next 70 years. Whenever possible, it was terms of the peace treaties of 1919 is widely known and extremely to break into its constituent parts: once – temporarily – during World resistant. The majority of researchers accept it unreservedly. All War II and again – finally – after the Cold War. this serves to suggest that it is correct. It is within the boundaries of this country that Dimitar Sha- World War I radically altered the political map of Europe and lev’s native land fell. Vardar Macedonia was annexed to Serbia after the Middle East. Three great empires were destroyed: the Russian, the defeat of Bulgaria in the Second Balkan War in 1913, and this the Austro-Hungarian and the Ottoman. Although it ultimately sur- position was strengthened by the Neuilly Peace Treaty of 1919. For vived, Germany also suffered very serious blows. Borders in Cen- the Bulgarian population in Vardar Macedonia the Exarchate times tral, Eastern and Southeastern Europe were radically reshaped. New until 1913 began to look like ‘a bright dream’. The new Serbian countries emerged: Poland, Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia. Oth- government prohibited and destroyed Bulgarian schools, Bulgarian ers, such as Romania and Serbia (turned into the Kingdom of Serbs, churches, Bulgarian literature and culture. Belgrade started a proc- Croats and Slovenians) were altered and enlarged beyond recog- ess of ruthless denationalization and conversion of the Bulgarians nition. After the war, the European continent, especially its central in Vardar Macedonia. The area was called ‘Southern Serbia’; the and eastern parts remained fragmented, bankrupt and doomed to population was declared ‘Southern Serbs’, with surnames ending political, economic and social upheavals. The numerous borders and in ‘-ich’; an unscrupulous dictatorship was established. The entire customs barriers hampered the economic recovery and subsequent arsenal of familiar practices of denationalization and assimilation development of the region. The reparation payments worsened the was used starting with the settlement of representatives of the dom- already unfavourable economic conditions and further decapitalized inant nationality, the so called ‘Serbian colonists’. The local intellec- the economies of the defeated countries. Eventually, all that could tual, religious and economic elite were driven into exile. People were lead Europe to nothing else but endless political crises and social up- forced to change their names, the use of Bulgarian language was heavals. And that was just what European nations witnessed over the forbidden, Bulgarian books were destroyed.