Dramatic Move In Balkan Crisis

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 66, 22 March 1944, Page 5

Dramatic Move In Balkan Crisis

(By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright ) LONDON, March 20. News Agency correspondents in Ankara quote reports rrom Bucharest that tne uermans have occupied the whole of Hungary. The Associated Press of Great Britain records an assertion by Ankara radio that the occupation was decided upon when Admiral Horthy (the Regent) and other Hungarian ofiiciais recently visited Hitler’s headquarters. An Exchange Telegraph correspond ent says that Budapest radio, which oroadcasts only German news, adds“lt seems probable that Admiral Korthy refused to provide troops for defence against the Russians. ’ ’ Telephone communication between Switzerland and Hungary is interrupted. Hungarian circles in Berne state that big German troop movements are occurring in Hungary. Ankara radio stated that a large number of Allied planes bombed several Hungarian towns yesterday. No confirmation of these reports is available in London, but Budapest radio has been acting in a peculiar way since late last night, when it used only material from the German telegraph agency instead of the usual Hungarian Telegraph Agency news items. This afternoon the radio transmitted, ih Rumanian, Slovak and German, the German High Command communique in full, and nothing else. Today the Budapest radio was to broadcast a talk on a Hungarian revolutionary leader, but it was not given, and instead there was a broadcast of a scientific talk. The Hungarian Legation in Stockholm says it cannot talk with Hungary. At a Foreign Office press conference in Berlin to-day, Ribbentrop’s spokesman was asked whether Germany was likely to intensify the war effort in Southeast Europe in view of the mili tary situation. He said that such a development was a matter of course, and ho spoke of intensification and joint strategy of military efforts as an objective of German foreign policy. Reports reaching Ankara from Bucharest say that the Germans have taken over Hungary. The Hungarian Regent, Admiral Horthy, and his chief of staff, according to these reports, are at Hitler’s headquarters. The Daily Express’s diplomatic cot respondent quotes London diplomst.j with special knowledge of Hungary f“i the reasons behind Hitler’s swoop: (1) It is a sanction against Hungary for refusal to provide division" of Hun garians to fill the great gaps in the German army as the resu-.t of the Russian offensive. (2) It is to protect Germany from the danger of having Hungarians -■' it communications with the south and southeast at a critical period of t*(3) It is a warning to other satellites which may be tempted to angle for a separate peace. The warning will apply particularly to Rumania, who is facing the near approach of the Russians and who would like to drop out of the war and earn generous peace terms. The Berne correspondent of the Stockholm newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, quoting a Budapest report, says two Rumanian divisions are helping the Germans to invade Hungary where fighting is occurring in many parts between minority groups. Fifth column ists are reported to have captured the radio stations. The Daily Mail’s Stockholm correspondent says Kallay is reported to have been arrested during a big roundup of political and military personalities in Budapest at the week-end.