COMMON COFFIN

Grey River Argus, 26 August 1946, Page 5

COMMON COFFIN

TO BURY AMERICANS Plane Wreck Found NEAR YUGOSALV FRONTIER (Rec. 5.30). LONDON, August 24. A search party, headed by Mr Patterson, United States Minister to Yugoslavia, have found the wreckage of the second American plane that was shot down by Yugoslavs. It was located on a wooded hillside in the Julian Alps, near the Austrian frontier. The Associated Press' correspondent at ’ Belgrade says: The party have learned, reliably, that nobody parachuted from the plane. A member of the Yugoslav militia told the party that at least five bodies were buried in a common grave in the village of Koprivnik, on Wednesday last. The American searchera also found a peasant, who told them about the providing of a common coffin for the bodies. Parts of the bodies were found in the plane wreckage. Mr Patterson has arranged for .the opening of the grave. A Faris' message states: M. Kasanovic, the Yugoslav Ambassador to the United States, who is a member of the Yugoslav peace delegation, told the press that the Turkish officer who was shot down with the American fliers, is being held, because, he said, an investigation had shown that his flight over the area was “hot accidental”.

Marshal Broz-Tito, at a press conference in Belgrade, accused the American military authorities of a deliberate aerial reconaissance of the Yugoslav military installations along the Italian-Yugoslav frontier. He said: “There was systematic flying over our territory. It had not been an accidental departure from routes because of the weather, but was intentional by pilots who did not respect our sovereignty, but flew over the boundary without permission to shorten the way, as they themselves stated”. He also said that Yugoslavia asked for nothing but respect for its sovereignty. The Belgrade radio on Friday said: “As the American airmen who were forced down in Yugoslavia have already been released, Marshal Tito has refused to accept the American ultimatum”. To-day, however, the Associated Press correspondent in Belgrade says: The report that Tito refused either to “accept or reject” the American Note was the result of a mistranslation. Yugoslavs now explain that the statement quoted from the Belgrade radio meant that Tito had “set aside” the American Note as being no longer relevant. The Associated Press Vienna correspondent describes developments as the creation of an “iron curtain in the air”. He states: American military air transport service, avoiding all risks of trouble in future, will not fly any aircraft near the gun-guarded Yugoslav frontier. The aircraft will use the Brenner Pass' route, which is frequently closed by bad weather. There is no explanation of the withdrawal of landing rights at Budapest and Bucharest, necessitating rerouting American civil air lines around south-east Europe.

Tito’s Promise U.S.A. AWAITS FULL REPORTS (Rec. 6.40) WASHINGTON, Aug. 24. The State Department said that messages from the United States Ambassador in Yugoslavia, Mr Richard Patterson, “indicated” that Yugoslavia had complied with the American ultimatum. But it remained to be seen what efforts Yugoslavia would make to right the wrong done. Mr Patterson reported that, during a conference, Marshal Broz Tito had emphasised that he was extremely sorry for what had happened, and he promised to meet the American demands. He said that the incidents would not be repeated. He said Yugoslavia would always accept, in resonable numbers, the planes that were forced off their course by the weather, by loss of direction, or by mechanical difficulties. Marshal Tito had suggested that means be worked out for such planes to signal distress. Mr Patterson reported Marshal Tito claimed that the incidents were not the result of special orders, and said emphatically they were not in retaliation for Yugoslavs who were shot by an American border patrol. He said that the Yugoslav fighter planes had acted in normal defence of the frontier. The American transport brought down on Monday last, he said, was 50 kilometres inside Yugoslavia. Marshal Tito also said he had warned repeatedly against a continuation of unauthorised flights over’ Yugoslavia. The State Department said that no statement as to the American attitude would be made until full reports of the incident are received. U.S. FLIGHTS RESUMING (Rec. 6.40) FRANKFURT, Aug. 25. General McNarney’s U.S. Aimy Headquarters has announced that regular direct air transport flights between Vienna and the Udine are being resumed to-day. A senior officer said that the pilots would be instructed, as heretofore, carefully to avoid flying off the course or flyingover Yugoslavia.