Paris, June 20.
General Sarrail, who commanded the Allied forees in the Balkans from October, 1915, until his recall in December, 1917, has just published a book 'Men Commandement en Orien' which gives a remarkably interesting insight into the life and daily anxieties of one who has to coordinate the. efforts of allies. General Sarrail had a most difficult and thankless task. He was supposed to direct the movements of French, British, Italian, Servian, Greek and Russian forces, under Most trying conditions of climate and in a country almost, devoid of the ordinary means of communication.
He was always stinted for men and material, and he was in constant danger, with King Constantine in Athens, of being attacked in the rear. He always had to Keep wp @ show of force to prevent Greece from coming into the war on the German side. His transports were frequently torpedoed, and he could never be sure of having enough ammunition or supplies. He created, despite all these difficulties, a working organization that made the eventual offensive possible, He says that the British never liked the business and wanted to evacuate Salonika and leave King Constantine at Athens. As for the Italians, they joined so as to be able to keep their fingers on Albania and have their say in the pence negotiations. The Greeks wanted the maxima of profit vith the minimum of risk. There were influential Frenchmen, he says, who did not want a success the Balkan front because
the papers! Sarrail did not belong to headquarters set. General trail severely criticizes the Allied officers, both French and British, employed on missions at Athens, who were constantly bam-boozied by King Constantine "and his staff.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.