Evening star., 1941-03-03
Member of the Associated Press.
Tuq-of-Wur at Belgrade


The storm center of the diplomatic
campaign now being fought in the
Balkans between Britain and Ger
many seems to have shifted to Bel
grade, the capital of Yugoslavia.
Here, both antagonists are using
every ounce of pressure to turn this
pivotal country to serve their re-
spective ends. With Bulgaria solidly
in the axis camp, Yugoslavia is the
last Balkan state whose neutrality is
more than an empty phrase.
The prize is worth striving for, be-
cause Yugoslavia is in many ways
the solidest and most powerful
Balkan country Large as the COM
bined areas of New York, New Jersey
and Pennsylvania, its population of
100000 consists mainly of sturdy
peasants with high fighting qualities.
Popular sympathies are undoubtedly
with the Greeks and against the axis
powers, especially against Italy,
which to most Yugoslavs is the arch
enemy. There is scant question
which side they favor, and they
would tend to line up with Greece
and Britain if they were free to
choose.
The Yugoslavs, however, are faced
with very stern realities which give
them little hope of doing more than
maintain strict neutrality and which
may even drive them into the axis
camp alongside their Bulgarian
neighbors. Except for southern
outlet down the Vardar Valley to the
Greek port of salonika, Yugoslavia
is entirely enveloped by the axis and
thereby cut off from the outer world
It's excellent army is partially mo-
bilized to at least 100000 men, but
1t is short on equipment and its air
force is relatively antiquated. The
northern provinces, including Bel
grade, could not be defended against
a major German attack, and though
the Serbs, who constitute the hard
core of the population, could be
counted on to fight to the last, other
elements might be less reliable, espe-
cially if they were fighting Germans
rather than Italians. Lastly, Yugo-
slavia'S economic life is so intimately
tied up with Germany that its foreign
trade is almost wholly dependent on
good relations with the Reich.
Events move so fast these days
that one may tend to forget the trip
of the Yugoslay Premier and the
Foreign Minister to see Hitler at
Berchtesgaden in mid-February.
What was discussed in that confer
ence has never been revealed, but
ever since then the official press has
maintained a friendly tone toward
Germany, while only last week those
same statesmen signed pact OF
friendship" with Hungary, amid mu-
tual Iaudations for the new order"
in Europe and the harmonious roles
that both signatories could play
therein.
Under these circumstances, it is not
strange that official spokesmen in
Berlin confidently predict that Yugo-
slavia will soon join the axis. Rumor
has it that the Yugoslavs have been
offered Northern Albania and a cor
ridor to Salonika as rewards for
playing Germany'S game. The pros
poets of a German-Yugoslav under
standing have been improved by the
eclipse of Italy, since Berlin can
promise Belgrade almost anything
without reference to her discredited
and dependent axis partner. Rejec-
ton of German offers, and opposition
to German plans, involves the likeli-
hood of invasion, devastation and
ultimate partition between greedy
Balkan neighbors.
Faced with such alternatives, iso-
lated YugoSlavia Is in very tight
spot. If Britain could guarantee i'm
mediate aid on a large scale, it Is
possible that the Yugoslavs might
resolve to stand their ground. But
such a prospect seems remote, and
In default of it the trend appears to-
ward "appeasement" and even en-
trance into the axis fold.