COMINFORM PLAN TO OVERTHROW THE TITO REGIME

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 March 1949, Page 5

COMINFORM PLAN TO OVERTHROW THE TITO REGIME

ATHENS, March 12

The Greek Minister of Public Order (Mr Constantin Rendis) said that Greek Communists had told him of a movx? for combined action by Greek rebels, Bulgarians, and Albanians as the first step in a plan to overthrow Marshal Tito.

Mr Rendis said that armed action against South Serbia was planned by infiltrating bands of Greek rebels, and members of the Communist-led Slav minority movement would start an uprising among the Macedonian population against the Tito regime. Mr Rendis added that Communists had told him the plan was based on the belief that even if Marshal Titoo asked the Western Powers for aid this could only be given by supporting the Greek Army’s efforts to eliminate guerrillas and members of theSlav minority group on the GreekJugoslav border. Marshal Tito’s regime would thus collapse. The Italian newspaper II Tempo says that Russian officers and noncommissioned officers, wearing Albanian uniforms, are directing operations against rebel bands in the Albanian hills. Refugees tell of sharp engagements in which Russians have been wounded, and later flown to Rumanian hospitals. The most significant statement is that clashes are occurring almost daily in Jugoslav-Albanian frontier areas, where the Albanians accuse Marshal Tito of arming the rebels.

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