THE BALKANS

Grey River Argus, 14 December 1943, Page 3

THE BALKANS

BULGARIA’S CRISIS Another Raid on Capital HUNGARY AND RUMANIA AT VARIANCE LONDON, Dec. 12. Paris radio states that on Saturday night, following Friday’s raid, the Bulgarian capital was again bombed. The Budapest radio stated that several time bombs exploded in Sofia on Saturday, 24 hours after the Allied raid on Friday, causing considerable material damage but no casualties, as the areas previously had been evacuated. • EFFECT OF AIR ATTACKS ON BULGARIANS. LONDON, Dec. 12. The Associated Press Ankara correspondent says: The puppet Bulgarian Government, backed by the German police, is fighting an incipient revolt while the Nazis tighten the last screws in the Balkan defence machine. A Bulgarian crisis was created by the implied threat from the Teheran and Cairo conferences that the Allies will soon strike in the Balkans, and a conviction that the Russians can no longer be expected to save Bulgaria from a responsibility of helping Germany to dominate the Balkans. The recent air attacks against Sofia have brought home to Bulgaria the realities of w.ar and have convinced the people that their lives and property are endangered by the Government’s alliance with Germany, and that the country faces a real catastrophe if the alliance is not broken. Risk of Civil War FEELING IN BULGARIA (Rec. 7.20) LONDON, Dec. 12. The “Daily Telegraph’s” diplomatic correspondent says: Bulgaria is faced with a definite threat of civil war if her leaders continue the pro-German policy. There are Bulgarian “partisans” openly fighting against Germans, and they control large areas in mountainous districts. Acts of sabotage are becoming frequent. A course which M. Bojilov, Prime Minister, is most likely to choose, as things stand, is to form a new Ministry of men who, though they fundamentally are pro-German, are not so clearly identified with the pro-German policy as his recent colleagues. A threat of an Allied invasion is steadily growing. It is not immediate. M. Bojilov may try, under German pressure, to keep Bulgaria at war on the German side as long as’ possible. A Bulgarian Colonel who has just arrived in Istanbul from Sofia said the Bulgarian Army and the Parliamentary Opposition are demanding that the Bulgarian Government take Bulgaria out of the war or make way for a popular Government. He added: “The crisis in Bulgaria is due to the Army’s opposition to the Government’s pro-German policy. The Parliamentary Opposition voted a lack of confidence in the Regency, which it declared was too pro-Nazi.” THE BULGARIAN WORKERS (Rec. 7.50) LONDON, Dec. 12. According to the Berlin Official News Agency, the Bulgarian Ministers for Education and for the Railways, addressed at Sofia a meeting summoned by the Government-con-trolled League of the Bulgarian Workers, and the Ministers called on the workers not to let enemy influence divert them from their work. Bulgaraia’s Mobilisation MINISTERIAL DECLARATIONS LONDON, Dec. 12. The Associated Press Ankara correspondent reports that the Bulgarian Government crisis is accompanied apparently by greatly exaggerated reports of Bulgarian mobilisation. The best information is that some Bulgar reinforcements moved to the Turkish frontier as a reaction against the conferences between. Inonu, Roosevelt and Churchill, but the Bulgars have made a similar manoeuvre several times since the outbreak. . The Sofia radio states that the Prime Minister of Bulgarian, M. Bolijov, speaking at a public meeting at Sofia, said the Bulgarian foreign policy has the approval of 99 per cent, of Bulgarians. It only aimed at the defence of Bulgaria’s legitimate rights, safeguarding the unity and future independence. The Bulgarian Minister of the Interior, Dr Christoff, declared the Allies were trying through air raids and propaganda to weaken the morale of the Bulgarians. According to the Berlin radio Dr Christoff said: “The enemy is mistaken, because he will cross the border of Bulgaria only over the bodies of 10,000,000 Bulgarians. The Bulgarian peasant loves the soil and is never defeated, except when political leaders are not united. A united Bulgarian nation will present an obstacle which the enemy is unable to overcome.” RUMANIAN UNREST. (Rec. 7.10) LONDON, Dec. 12. The “Daily Telegraph’s” Istanbul correspondent says: It is reported that huge demonstrations were held in Bucharest and other chief towns on the anniversary of the cession to Hungary by Rumania of the province of Transylvania. Increasing violence of newspaper polemics is sharpening tension between Rumania and Hungary and causing much concern in Berlin. Germany is unable to restrain her pugnacious satellites. The “Daily Mail’s” Madrid correspondent reports: A peace or war struggle has spread to Supporters of M. Maniu, leader of the Peasant Party, are forcibly resisting conscription for the army. HUNGARIAN PEACE PAMPHLETS (Rec. 7.20) . LONDON, Dec. 13. The Cairo radio stated: A Hungarian peace party flooded Hungary with pamphlets urging-people not to help in the war effort, but to help the peace party to power. The Government of Hungary is holding a meeting, after a meeting of the Cabinet. MR HULL’S WARNING TO RUMANIA, BULGARIA AND HUNGARY LONDON, Dec. 12. A German official has called upon Rumania. Hungary and Bulgaria to give a clear answer to the warning to these countries given by Senator Hull, U.S. Secretary of State, who, in a statement gave a remindei' to Balkan satellite countries that they would have to take the consequences for joining forces with Germany against the Allies. The German News Agency’s diplomatic correspondent, Dr Horn, stated: The enemy recognises the hopelessness of attempts to impress the German people by paoer manifestos and is now trying to lever Ger-

many’s smaller allies from the front line. These allies have replied to the sugary offers from Teheran in a fashion which already anticipates their answer to Mr Hull’s threat with a whip. Berlin, nevertheless, considers a reply to this direct enemy attempt to put pressure on them would be a valuable contribution to the manifestations on December 11 of solidarity in Europe and East Asia. TURKEY AND SOVIET. NO RUPTURE LIKELY. (Rec. 10.10.) . LONDON, Dec 13. > The Ankara correspondent of the Associated Press of Britain says: Uneasy Axis newspaper correspondents spent half an hour with the Turkish Foreign Minister, M. Menemenjoglu, after his recent interview with Alliea press correspondents. apparently, 'they bombarded the Minister with insistent queries as to whether the Cairo conference meant that Turkey was about to enter the war. M. Menemenjoglu, as with the Allied , correspondents, maintained that Turkey’s policy is unchanged, and, according to the official transcript of the interview, just released, he also said that Turkey’s policy towards the Axis remains unchanged. “One German correspondent asked whether M. Menemenjoglu’s statement that Turkey’s relations with Russia were now almost the same as with England was based on new communications concerning M. Stalin’s conception of a future order in Europe. The nearest that M. Menemenjoglu replied to their queries was as follows: “We exchanged views upon a combination of problems for which Me-sSrs Roosevelt and Churchill had a special Russian mandate. We have never experienced anv friction in our gelations with Russia. Those relations emerged strengthened from the Cairo conference.” The Associated Press Agency comments: “This sounded the knell to the German Ambassador, Herr Von Papon’s diplomatic move, which one time seemed likely to succeed lo paralyse the Turko-British alliance by embroiling Turkey wth Russia. .TURKEY’S ARMY OUTLAY LONDON, Dec. 12. More than sixty per cent, increase in Turkey’s wartime budget is devoted to the army, said M. Sarajoglu in a speech opening Savings Week at Ankara. He added that no expense was being spared in this direction because a nation’s liberty ana independence was a very high prize tor the society of civilised men. We shall not hesitate after sacrificing everything else to give blood to satoguard these things.” The Associated Press Agency Ankara correspondent states: In spite of the current feeling here that Turkey will not soon become a belligerent, war clouds are definitely i thickening over the Balkans. Exaggerated reports are circulating regarding Turkish military preparations. The best evidence is that Turkey’s 750,000 army is not being heavily reinforced at the moment, and there is no indication Turkey is making any preparations for a winter campaign. However, an additional 1,250,000 trained Turkish reserves could b e swiftly brought under arms. TURKISH GOVERNMENT PARTY. (Rec. 10.10.> LONDON, Dec. 13. The German News Agency states: The Turkish Government is giving a detaileci'i, statement regarding the Cairo cV? ference at a meet ing of’the Govern! fent Party’s Parliamentary group <l l Tuesday.