<HTML>In a message dated 1/13/03 06:31:42 Pacific Standard Time, tkostop@enet.gr writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Just to correct a rather permanent (but not always inocent) misconception: The Neuillly Convention (Nov.1919) for the "voluntary migration" of minorities between Greece and Bulgaria, DID NOT  imply that those wishing not to leave their homes, accepted to be assimilated (linguistically or otherwise) by the respective nation-state. If we look at the original text of the Convention, it is clear that the "voluntary" character of the whole project refered ONLY to the decision to migrate and had NOTHING AT ALL to do with the alleged "choice of national community" in both sides of the border. This same Convention, anyway, clearly provides for the recognition and respect of the linguistic, religious etc rights of those minority members, in both sides of the border, that wished to remain in their countries of origin. ></BLOCKQUOTE> Mr. Kotsopoulos There was nothing "voluntary" back those days. It was the time of Nationalism, it was the time of each state attempting to establish its borders. Most of the people, as it was also the case later in 1922-1923-1924 all the way to 1955 were in most cases forcibly moved out of their lands and houses based upon 1. religion, 2. language 3. personal will. not in that order for the above cases. I<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">n the end, however, both countries resorted to violence in order to get rid of their respective minorities (although this was not achieved completely -in the casa Greece of Greece, the "remnants" were some 200,000 Slav-speaking Macedonians, according to classified reports of the Inter-War years, 80-90,000 of whom were ex-adherents of the Bulgarian Exarchate). ></BLOCKQUOTE> Why not supply to us these "classified reports"? According to most of the so-called "Macedonian" as well as Bulgarian sites the ENTIRE population speaking the Bulgarian language and/or the idiom were not more than 250,000. According to our records about 65,000 left Hellas in order to establish their homes in Bulgaria. It would be very interesting to verify your numbers and it can be done really easy, since most of the so-called Slav-speaking populations were located around my land of birth and I do have plenty informations. On the other hand, one must not forget the flux of Hellenic and Vlachian speaking populations that had to leave Pelagonia and search a new home in Florina, Thessaloniki the rest of Macedonia as well the rest of Greece. S<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">o, dear "Lyngos", there was never any kind of such a "deal", according to which "the ones that chose to remain" were obliged to accept  "that Hellas in order to advance had to speak one official language, while they could speak any kind of language in the family". Similar assertions are nothing but a by-product of the propaganda, which the various assimilatory mechanisms (such as Florina's "Aristotelis"), well-fed by the infamous "secret funds" [mystika kondylia] all-over the Cold War years, advanced in order to destroy what they called "the cursed slavic idiom" of Northern Greece. I think, Lyngo, that it's time for all of us to leave the realm of myth and enter that of history.></BLOCKQUOTE> I have absolutely no objection. And what might be the Historical truth? That "Aristotelis" was receiving secret funds in the middle of a triple occupation by the NAZIs the FASCISTs and the BULGARs? By whom? When? Better if you bring in here those proofs or yours asserting such "facts". If indeed 250,000 Slav-speaking people were left in Greece after 1920, where in hell Greece found all that Castor-Oil in order to feed it down to their throats in order to have them to forget their mother-tongue? Aristotelis was never an assimilation macchine, if you do indeed have such proofs bring them in here. Not only this, but the magazine "Aristotelis" was printed since its ideation by my father, in the printing -shop of KAZIAS, the editor at the same time of the only COMMUNIST newspaper in Florina and more in general Western Macedonia, yes or not? I have in here with me most of the issues of such magazine, and everyone can see who was writing, what, when. If you do have pro-NAZI -FASCIST or pro-BULGARIAN sentiments, I fully understand your positions, but again, I am asking you to back-up your assertions. There is one more thing to be explained in here and that is how 250,000 Slav-speakers left in 1920 in Greece, became 4,951 by 1995 or so. Any ideas? And don't tell me that the Castor-Oil did its job, because then, you must furnish us with the source of all that oil. Regards to all.............L. "Vlachs, the autochthonous of the Hellenic peninsula". <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"> Tasos Kostopoulos </BLOCKQUOTE> </HTML>