Czechs. Finally we secured permission to carry on recruiting propaganda.
43
After being transported from Asinara, our prisoners had been distributed over various camps throughout France, and we got into touch with them through the assistance of the French authorities. As early as spring 1916 the censorship of the prisoners of war and the military authorities had begun to apply to us, through Professor Eisenmann, for help in interpreting the prisoners’ correspondence, in which they had found items of great value for estimating the moral, social, political, and military situation in Austria-Hungary. In this way we began to ascertain the places in which our people were located, as well as their number, the feeling amongst them, their sorrows, complaints, and wishes.
Having thus discovered where all our people were, we began to send them small sums of money, as well as newspapers, books, paper, linen, etc. Then, when the public work of the National Council, our propaganda, our relations with ministries, and finally the agreement connected with Štefánik’s mission had strengthened our position, and we were enjoying sufficient confidence as a responsible political body, I gradually began on behalf of the National Council to undertake a definite political intervention in matters relating to the prisoners of war.
As we had few prisoners in France we had to proceed cautiously. The subordinate official bodies, being unacquainted with our aims or the foundations of our movement, and being unable at the outset to estimate the scope of the whole matter, might easily, for reasons connected with administration and organization, or owing to the personal interests of various local notables, have frustrated the whole movement, even though the central authorities were well disposed towards it. That was a frequent experience of ours, and that was why we had to proceed slowly. But at all costs we had to achieve success, as lack of success in France would have been a severe blow to the possibility of similar action in Italy.
Accordingly, on September 19, 1916, as our prisoners in France were under the jurisdiction of Serbia, I first applied to M. Vesnić, the Serbian Minister, asking him if he would induce the Serbian Government to let the National Council acquire authority over them. I also asked him to use his influence with
