The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-11
World Front
A Tyrant Is Dead
Why the King Was Killed
A Maze of Contradictions
BY HARRY CANNES

CHARGES that Communist
v killed King Alexander didn't 90
past the first editions of the CANT
talist press when the news of the
assassination was first announced.
1t became very clear who shot AL
exander, Barthou and some of their
retinue. Petru Kalemen, a petty-
bourgeois Croatian nationalist did
the job. What isn't clear, and NAV
not be until The capitalist armies
begin marching against one ans
other, is who was behind the ass
sassination.
By its sentimental soldering over
the tyrant Alexander, the Ameri-
can boss press tried to make thu
American readers feel that tie
Jugoslavian people had lost their
best friend. Jugoslavia is a prison
OF nationalities, all held togethei
under one of the most vicious
reigns of murder and terror
THE democratic" American press
tells its readers what a great
hero and what a great sportsman
King Alexander was. His favorite
sport was hunting down Commu-
nists and having them hung and
quartered like captured animals.
His heroism lay in the ruthlessness
with which he maSsacred all peo-
pies striving for national indepen-
dence
The assassination is typical
deed Of an enraged bourgeois
nationalist, who believed that by
his individual terrorism ne could
help his people against q tyrant.
1t is the deed of one who does not
have faith in the mass struggles.
in the revolutionary uprising to
overthrow fascism.
QUT the killing appears to be now
- not entirely an individual deed.
With Jugoslavia as the center. there
had developed a maze of imperial
list contradictions and cross contra
dictionS between France and Italy,
Italy and Germany, and Germany
and France. Either italian or
German imperialism saw in the
slaughter Of Alexander a way of
slasfing the Gordian knot of these
contradictions, ard inspired Kale-
men or his assoc y IS to carry out
his deed
Certainly, Hitler is shedding no
tears over the death of Barthou.
who sought to ring Germany with
a chain Of hostile states. In fact,
the Local Anzeiger, on hearing of
the death of Barthou, reminded its
readers that his aim was to Gre
ate a ring of enemies about Ger
many" Furthermore, Alexander's
visit to France was for the purpose
of str n g h ening Jugoslavian-
French war alliances, in view of
Mussolini's recent threats at Milan
The assassin, incidentally. was
equipped with special makes Of
German revolvers of unusual con-
struction. They we're more on the
order of sub-machine guns.
MUSSOLINI, of course, expressed
HA great regret over the killing.
But that's diplomacy. It is a fact
that Mussolini had been irving to
approach France, offering it con-
cessions in order to lessen its bonds
with Jugoslavia. Alexander's visit
was an attempt to strengthen
neutrality-suspicious. relations, which
would not be in the interest of
Mussolini. Mussolini undoubtedly
feels he can profit by the inner
weakening of Jugoslavia that will
follow Alexander's death.
Besides these contradictions and
war maneuvers. there were others
cutting across them. Alexander was
an immediate key to all these con-
traditions and some power utilized
thu Croatian nationalists' hatred of
fF,Xander to attempt to solve these
contradictions by a major stroke,
or by precipitating war.
The most likely figure behind the
assassination is the Fascist Dicta-
tor Mussolini He had most to gain
by it.
DUT outside Of its own tremendous
y significance, the assassination of
Alexander, Barthou and the others
has a greater meaning for the toll
ing masses of the whole world.
That is. the world crisis of capi-
talism is deepening so rapidly, its
war preparations and contradic-
tons have mstured so greatly, that
possible Saraievos break with the
frequency of exploding frecrackers
on a Chinese New Years eve.
iF'HE imperislists have so ripened
the situation for a new impe-
rialist slaughter that such incidents
increase at a tremendous pace, and
the whole world may at any mo-
ment be exploded into new crinli-
nal butchery.
In the place of one Sarajevo of
1914 today we have dozens. and the
possibility of hundreds. Sooner or
later-and more likely sooner-one
OF them will plunge the whole world
into a new imperialist war, unless
the toiling masses prevent their
rulers by revolutionary action.
Whether Aleyander's death brings
on the new world slaughter, the
fact remains that it will speed it
and has brought it dangerously
close. Mussolini, Hitler, Japanese
imperialism, are waiting anxiously
for the Gay. World fascism is en-
tering a deeper crisis. with the toll
ing masses going over into the Of
f2nsive against it. Alexander's
death is signal, one of many to
come. All of the contradictions Of
world capitalism along with the
HNl1tra diCtiNy,c of iJ1oe