Threat Of War Seen Grave View Of Soviet Note To Jugoslavia

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 August 1949, Page 6

Threat Of War Seen Grave View Of Soviet Note To Jugoslavia

LONDON, August 22.—-A grave view of developments in the relations between Russia and Jugoslavia is taken by two national newspapers today. 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 Moscow’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 Jugoslavia and ‘bring order to unrestrained Fascist offenders’?

“We can but watch events, remembering that a Russian invasion ol Jugoslavia 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 Jugoslavs 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 purpose. It would be reasonable, too, to draw the obvious political inference that the Communists think the time has come to overthrow their former ally.

“Nov/ 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 apparent.” Moscow newspapers yesterday carried the full text of the latest Russian Note to Jugoslavia, as well as three articles condemning Marshal Tito. He was described as a Fascist trying to masquerade as a Communist.