THE CZECHOSLOVAK PROBLEM
ideas of future permanent peace. Also, that such a restriction is hardly consistent with the spirit of real liberalism and democracy needs hardly to be pointed out.
“What does your opposition to forcible annexation of territory mean? It certainly is not a disputed question that the purely Italian provinces of Austria should be joined to Italy, that there should be a united Jugoslavia and that the Roumanians should be freed from Magyar oppression. Pro-Austrians might call this forcible annexation, yet as a matter of fact it would be merely a simple measure of justice, just as the creation of a Bohemian-Slovak state is a necessity if justice is to be done to the Bohemians and Slovaks. This, of course, postulates the dissolution of Austria-Hungary.
“I doubt very much that you can find in this country a thoughtful Bohemian or Slovak who can and will sign your tentative program without reservations. This very likely means that the Austrian problem will not be discussed at your conference. At least, not from the Bohemian and Slovak point of view. But, without a thorough going discussion of the Austrian problem, which just now is beginning to attract more attention
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