seen the full scope of these measures in all their consequences, the scheme proved to be a sound one. From the National Council and its secretariat was then developed a body which attained first-rate importance in our revolutionary activity.
The Czechoslovak National Council was thus constituted in February 1916. Its president was, of course, Masaryk, its vice-president Dürich, while Štefánik was the representative of the Slovaks, and I was the general secretary.
27
Our task was to include in our organization all the Allied and important neutral countries and to unite in a central body the resources of all our colonies, as well as the whole of our movement relating to prisoners of war and the troops.
We in Paris were well aware that we must, as rapidly and efficiently as possible, develop headquarters there which, both formally and practically, would deal with matters relating to our diplomatic policy, as well as the whole organization of our troops. We set up quite a substantial office, where I worked regularly in the general secretariat. We notified this officially to all our colonies, and began our work of concentration. As the moral authority of Masaryk had never been contested by anyone, we had no initial difficulties with regard to the fundamental acceptance of the authority of the General Secretariat. The express recognition of the leadership of Masaryk and the National Council reached us from the various representative bodies abroad, whether civil or military, only by a gradual process, but morally this leadership was recognized from the time when our first public action was taken.
What was chiefly necessary was that in the various countries uniform central organizations of our colonies should be established, and then that these bodies, each of which had jurisdiction only for the affairs of the respective colony, should subordinate themselves to the main authority of the National Council. In matters relating to volunteers for military service, the colonies were allowed a free hand, but those involving prisoners of war and the organization of an army, being questions with a wide political range, were from the very outset reserved for the National Council. This development was accomplished with comparative speed in France and England, even though a number of minor disputes regarding the political jurisdiction of the National Council continued for some time.
