reason was that they were anxious to settle beforehand a number of important matters, notably the details of how the work of the Conference was to be arranged.
At that period my co-operation with Prague was of a very gratifying character. As a result of the enthusiasm after the change of regime, and the unsparing recognition of what had been achieved by our movement abroad, our authority at home was practically unlimited. Prague accordingly complied promptly and readily with our wishes and suggestions. In his letter of November 15th Dr. Kramář paid a tribute to all the work which I had accomplished at Paris since my return from Geneva, and he announced that Prague gladly accepted my proposal concerning the French Military Mission. While agreeing with the course of action proposed towards the Germans in our country, he complained of a number of matters at home which needed adjustment. In particular, he said that there was a constant danger of Bolshevism also in the ranks of the Socialist parties, and that owing to our inadequate military resources we were being driven step by step from the Slovak regions by the Magyars. Karolyi’s proceedings were becoming more and more dangerous to us, and it was essential to take some decisive step as regards the occupation of Slovakia. Conditions in the Teschen district, he said, were also unsatisfactory, owing to the action of the Poles. He concluded by emphasizing that the most important thing was to send our troops home as soon as possible, together with food supplies, and to urge President Masaryk to return to Prague with the least possible delay so as to exert his authority for consolidating our public opinion in social respects.
I continued, therefore, to attend to the settlement of all these difficulties of ours, but almost immediately afterwards it became necessary to engage upon our first diplomatic contest for the territory of the Republic, especially Slovakia. This first struggle was successfully concluded within the following two weeks.
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The events at Prague connected with the convening of the revolutionary National Assembly, with the election of Professor Masaryk as President of the Republic, and with the appointment of a Government, produced an excellent effect in the Allied countries. At a time when chaos prevailed in Austria and Hungary, when no clear agreement had been reached between the Belgrade Government and the Zagreb National Committee,
