were: Where to find assistants and how to unite our colonies? The geographical dispersion of the colonies made this a long business. I did not wish to behave like an autocrat by proclaiming myself the national leader abroad, but acted constitutionally, by parliamentary methods. As I have said, the colonies had known me personally before the war, and my authority grew as the work went on. Our people saw what I was doing and understood my tactics. I explained to them why I had gone abroad, who and what parties had known and approved of my departure. Everywhere I was recognized as leader, my membership of Parliament carrying weight in this respect; it constituted my political title. But I was alone. My assistants were not members of Parliament, neither Beneš nor Štefánik. Because other members of Parliament were expected to come from Prague, the formal setting up of our central authority was long postponed, nor did I hurry matters even when several colonies got together and linked up with me. As a name “The National Council” suggested itself naturally on account of old traditions, but I feared to use it lest it compromise our National Council at home and expose its members to reprisals.
Yet, as things developed, we were obliged to set up our central authority formally. We had to make public declarations under a recognized name. We had also to deal with “personal affairs” like those of Koníček and Dürich. Of Dürich I have spoken; but, when Koníček came from Russia to proclaim the Russian Czech programme which the Tsar and the Russian Government had ostensibly endorsed, the question of his credentials arose and also that of the right of final decision in case of dispute. We settled Koníček more easily than Dürich. Another urgent matter was our public declaration of hostility to Austria which, for reasons I have mentioned, had been put off long enough. When we issued it on November 14, 1915, I signed it as “The Czech Committee Abroad.” It was signed also by representatives of all our foreign colonies. This made it the proclamation not only of a provisional Government but of a Parliament abroad.
A Government was exactly what we needed. So, in the course of 1916, the National Council was constituted. When I was in Paris, I agreed with Beneš and Dürich (before the latter went to Russia) upon the name and the form of the organization. Beneš, who was appointed Secretary-General, carried the work through and used the name “The National Council of Czech Countries” in his official correspondence. Publicly
