confirming its policy towards us, recognizing the National Council and our army, and stating that in this respect it would adopt the same measures as the other Allied countries. The British War Office also complied with all my requests. It appointed a special military mission to be assigned to our army, at the head of which was General Spears.
The Foreign Office communication is as follows:
June 3, 1918.
Sir,
In reply to the memoranda with which you were so good as to furnish me on the roth and 11th instant, I have the honour to assure you that His Majesty’s Government, who have every possible sympathy with the Czechoslovak movement, will be glad to give the same recognition to this movement as has been granted by the Governments of France and Italy.
His Majesty’s Government will thus be prepared to recognize the Czechoslovak National Council as the supreme organ of the Czechoslovak movement in Allied countries, and they will also be prepared to recognize the Czechoslovak Army as an organized unit operating in the Allied cause, and to attach thereto a British liaison officer so soon as the need for this may arise.
His Majesty’s Government will at the same time be prepared to accord to the National Council political rights concerning the civil affairs of Czechoslovaks similar to those already accorded to the Polish National Committee.
I have to add that the above decisions have been communicated to the Allied Governments concerned.
I am, sir,
Your obedient servant,
Arthur James Balfour.
Dr. Beneš,
Thanet House,
231, Strand, London.
120
I returned to Paris on May 20th. One of my fellow-travellers on this occasion was the English general, Delmé-Radcliffe, who was conveying to the French Government the reports from Lord Robert Cecil on the results of my negotiations in London. As far as I could judge from my conversation with General
