GRAVE VIEW TAKEN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 266, 23 August 1949, Page 3

GRAVE VIEW TAKEN

SOVIET-YUGOSLAV RELATIONS Threats of War Seen IN.Z.P.A.— popy right) LONDON, August 22. A grave view of developments in the relations between Russia and Yugoslavia is taken by two national newspapers to-day. One of them, the “Daily Mail,” says: “Hostility has reached such a pitch that an outbreak of war would not be surprising. “Russia, in fact, has gone so far as to threaten war. How else are we to interpret Moscqw/s statement that if Marshal Tito does not mend his ways she will resort to ‘ other and more effective means ’ to protect her citizens in Yugoslavia ‘bring order to unrestrained Fascist offenders’?”

“We can but watch events, remembering that a, Russian invasion of Yugoslavia would be a serious threat to British and American interests. Under' the Truman doctrine, the United States is pledged to sustain Greece and Turkey.” The “Manchester Guardian” says : “The Yungoslavs alone know whether they are going to overthrow Marshal Tito or not. The Cominform has been telling them over and over again not only that that is what they are going to do, but why they are going to do it. like most of the Cominform’s campaigns, it has an obvious political inference that the Communists think the time has come to overthrow their former ally. “Now that their Greek allies are in such distress, Marshal Tito’s continued presence in Belgrade is far more inconvenient to their cause than at any time since his heresy became apapparent.” Trying to Force Coup The Stockholm Liberal newspaper “Expressen” says that Moscow is obviously trying to force a coup d’etat. It adds that the Cominform phalange in Yugoslavia is strong, but that it is doubtful if it has sufficient supporters to risk such a venture without help from the other side of the frontier. J

“Marshal Tito can consolidate his position—by economic aid streaming in from the West among other things ■—if the opposition delays its action,” it says. “The army is tipped as the leader of any coup against Marshal Tito. It has been organised by Moscow and is strongly influenced by the Cominform. But are its leaders stronger than Marshal Tito's State police?”

Moscow newspapers yesterday carried the full text of the latest Russian Note to Yugoslavia, as well as three articles condemning Marshal Tito. He was described as a’ Fascist trying to masquerade as a Communist. “FREE COMMUNIST PARTY” MESSAGE SENT TO TITO (Rec. 11.15 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 22. The Associated Press Berlin correspondent reports that German Communists opposed to Russian domination formed a new party to-day and promptly sent Yugoslav Marshal Tito a message of support.' The veteran underground campaigner, Karl-Heinze Scholz, who is leader of the new “Free Communist Party,” said: “We have formed a party to fight Imperialist Bolshevism. We say the so-called internationalism of Soviet Russia is a fraud.”

Scholz said his party had 4000 active members in the Soviet zone and am other 600 in the Western sector of Berlin. However, the Western authoi’ities so far have refused to licence the new party while Eastern Germany’s Communist organisation calls it an outlaw. .LATEST NOTE IS GREEN LIGHT NO HINT OF WAR i (Rec. 11.40 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 22. London observers believe that Moscow’s latest Note to Yugoslavia is the green light for the new Cominform bid for the overthrow of Marshal Tito by joint appeals to “loyal” Yugoslav Communists to oust their leader. This Note they feel is a peg for selfjustification of “democratic methods” used by the Communists to achieve a change of leadership.

Moscow’s threat to “resort to other more effective means against Yugoslavia” is interpreted by observers to refer specifically to the alleged illtreatment of Russians, and not as a hint of war. The Note, though ominous in tone, was still no more than a move in the long-drawn-out propaganda battle. “More effective means” might be taken against a group of Yugoslav children in Russia about whose alleged enforced detention Belgrade has already protested.