Show s Yugo yugoslavia slavi a Js Is Eu ropes now new tinder box minority mi bority problem may M 4 y force its collapse repetition of czech coup Is seen f for or dictators italis turn now by JULES DORMIER last year it was czechoslovakia this year its yugoslavia the cast is different the locale changed but the drama is the same a stubborn minority versus the strong central government the background is also similar an abortive nationalist history which got its start in the hasty halls of versailles this is what happens when uninformed treaty makers XI 4 1 A CROATS GANDHI dr vladimar matchek leader of the croatian autonomy movement whose victory in last decembers election was snubbed by the belgrade government disregard centuries of tradition tossing cats and dogs in the same pen eventually the cats or the dogs subdue their enemies who cringe vengefully in the corner awaiting the time to strike back now is the time just as germans could legitimately complain that czechs czecho and slovaks were purposely subduing them so can yugoslavian croats choats claim discrimination on the part of the more powerful serbs gerbs who run the belgrade government it grows from centuries of dislike aided by the fact that croats choats are traditionally catholic and the serbs gerbs are greek orthodox and moslems croats choats consider serbs gerbs uncultured barbarians planned federalist state but the pressure of war sometimes makes strange bedfellows bed fellows in 1917 the croats choats anticipating breakup of the austro hungarian empire joined the slovenes venes and serbs gerbs in formation of a new state in which all three groups were to have equal constituent rights the capital unfortunately for the croats choats was placed at serbian belgrade any croat like dr vladimar matchek mat i chek the groups gandhi will readily outline the succeeding 20 years grievances dr matchek is leader of the current revolt and his hi s mouthpiece is dr milan Kosh says dr Kosh in joining the serbians Serb ians we showed a preference tor for our brother slavs we had rather operate cooperate co with them than with the germans austrians Aust lans rians or hungarians Hung arians but under the old empire we had our own parlia parliament mint at zagreb capital of the croat revolt and had control of our own internal affairs all that has been taken away from us to make the present highly over cen state yugoslavian army has generals only two of whom are croats choats though there are about croats choats and serbs gerbs in the nation croats choats have no hand in running the state and they say are regarded by belgrade as good for 0 only one thing paying taxes last december came the crowning blow at a regular election dr matchers Match eks forces won at least 90 per cent of all votes cast by fians but were not given seats because yugoslav election laws allegedly framed by belgrade politicians provide that the party winning a bare majority automatically gets two thirds of the seats in parliament feeling that his regularly elected deputies have a right to speak tor for the people dr matchek founded an extralegal extra legal croatian national assembly which sits at zagreb and refuses to recognize the present yugoslav government unsigned settlement A settlement was almost reached april 27 when dr matchek claims he signed an agreement with premier Da grisha Cvet kovitch under which yugoslavia yugo bavia would be divided into three autonomous provinces as shown on the accompanying map dalmatians Dalmat ians and croatians Croat ians would form one group slovenes venes a second and the rest of the nation a third state in which would dwell a confusion of moslems serbs gerbs montene grins albanians bulgarians Bulga rians and rumanians this plan for a strong federated state might have saved yugoslavia but prince paul senior regent until 15 year old king peter comes of age is said to have rejected it later newspaper correspondents were s shown hown the official draft of the agree ment and found it carried no signatures now the zagreb assembly has voted dr matchek dictatorial powers ordering him to keep the existence and liberty of a croatian nation above all other considerations stage Is set for italy this is the typical powder keg situation which aggressive germany and italy love to solve by sending in troops to keep peace it if the march does come it will probably be from italy tor for the rome berlin axis has apparently granted mussolini a carte blanche in the adriatic area in exchange for help in stripping strip poland of danzig and the polish corridor it will further be italis province because rome does not dare allow germany good friend though she is to push southward into the italian sphere of influence capture of yugoslavia would give germany an outlet to 0 the mediterranean sea and this italy cannot afford the time may soon come when prince paul paid is unable to take care of himself and italy is carefully planning toward that day rome has sponsored an italian yugoslav ian friendship treaty under which soldiers would probably come to prince pauls defense in the event of a croat uprising croats choats dislike fascists the croats choats want no truck with dictators a few months ago they looked favorably on germany and thought of inviting der fuehrer to liberate them subsequent nt news of de in austria and czechoslovakia czecho slovakia has changed their minds but they probably realize that the price they pay for independence from the serb yoke may be dependence on italy it is recalled that when germany seized czechoslovakia czecho slovakia all her neighbors neighbor s rushed in to get their share of the spoils sinae yugo sl avias story parallels czecho A FINLAND f P WED BRITISH aa ISLES DENMARK IJA ik I 1 FRU aa NEN afi J BELG IUM POLAND GERMANY e FRANCE SWITZ HUNGARY RUMANIA ITAL YU 0 SPAIN VA BULGARIA ALBANIA TURKEY GREECE GERMA a b ab agre in 10 1 choats croats 1 0 I 1 BELGRADE dalma I 1 IS erbs runia fians 7 an cl I 1 alb t bu ga 1 rians 0 0 A ito wAP PROXIMATE boundaries 0 OF PROJECTED autonomous YUGOSLAV YUGO SLAV STATES TROUBLE AREA map alap shows yugoslavia with minority groups which might be liberated by greece bulgaria rumania coups md d hungary in case int internal ernat revolt developed from the croatian issue assue boundaries of the proposed autonomous states for slovenes venes croats choats and serbs gerbs are shown by broken lines slovakian Slova kias thus far its coming history might be written in advance A croat uprising could get so bad that prince paul would invite so linis aid immediately available from the colony of albania at a moments notice greece would invade to recapture her macedone ans bulgaria to free her nationals rumania to get hers and hungary to liberate the germans and mag aars placed under yugoslavian care by the versailles treaty in such a situation the highly anti fascist croats choats would probably appeal to france and britain thus endangering european peace once more it is significant that the rulers of europe invariably play their diplomatic games on other fronts yet go back to the balkans when it comes time to start a war twenty five years ago this june archduke franz ferdinand and his wife were assassinated at Saraj evo serbia now yugoslavia and war resulted today yugoslavian neutral inde ceis one of the greatest safeguards to european peace strategically gi cally placed the she separates ambitious germany from such ea easy zy marks as bulgaria and greece she keeps both italy and germany from locking horns homs with rumania and blocks any expansionist ambitions hungary may entertain but will yugoslavia a war baby like czechoslovakia czecho slovakia explode from internal pressure and again endanger european peace it may happen during the next few weeks or months keep a weather eye on the balkans released by western newspaper union |