Evening star., 1941-04-12
Free Croatia

tSS SiOOtIu
Germany and its satellites are
proceeding with the political dis
memberment of Yugoslavia even be-
fore its armies have been fully driven
from the field. Hungarian troops
have occupied the fiatlands north of
the Danube, which are largely in
habited by Magyars. Obviously, this
is Hungary's reward for having
served as base for Germany's
Balkan operations. In the far south,
just overrun by German armored
divisions, local committee of the
Bulgar-feeling element there is agi-
tating for an independent" Mace
donia, in close relations with
Bulgaria.
The most ambitious bit of state
making, however, is that launched
at Zagreb on the heels of the Ger
man troops. Here a full-fedged
government has been established.
Proclaiming the existence of a new
independent" Croatia, this regime
has issued manifesto to all Croat
soldiers under the Yugoslav colors
| ordering them to leave and return
home.
The true nature of this new govern
ment can best be gagged from its
leaders. These are Doctor Ante Pave
lie, President, and Sladko Kvaternik,
Prime Minister Both of them rep
resent the most extreme section of
Croat Separatists, embittered by the
feuds between Serbs and Croats
which have complicated Yugoslavias
political life ever since the composite
state was set up two decades ago at
the close Of the World War. Most
of the CroatS remained loyal to the
ideal of Yugoslav unity, even though
they opposed Serb domination of
official and military life, and de-
manded larger measure of partici-
patton in the State. However,
revolutionary minority, hating the
Serbs, conSpired for an independent
Croatia, and did not hesitate to seek
aid from Yugoslavia's foreign enc
mics, wherever these might be found.
From safe haven abroad, their
exiled leaders plotted with Fascist
Italy, Nazi Germany, Hungary and
the Macedonian terrorist organiza-
ton known as the I. R. o. M. Indeed,
the Croat revolutionists formed
terroriStic organization of their own,
UStach, with murder schools abroad
where professional assassins were
| trained. The murder of King Alex
ander of Yugoslavia at Marseilles,
France, in 1884, was committed by
group of these sinister graduates,
the actual killer being a Macedonian
veteran of the I. r. o. NJ, though in
Ustach service.
Now the Ustach leader is none other
than Sladko Kvaternik, while the
brains" of the movement is Doctor
Pavelic. Both were convicted by
French court of being accessories to
King Alexander's assassination. But
they were living in Italy, and Mus
solini's government refused the
French demand for their extradition
to French soil.
Such are the sinister figures who
now head Free Croatia" Obviously,
such men do not represent the bulk
of the Croat people. Their true
leader is Vladimir Matcek, the pious
old peasant who recently rallied to
the national government and pledged
Croat loyalty to the struggle for in
dependence. German inspired dis
patches at first limited that Doctor
Matcek had rallied to the new re-
gime, but the fact that his name
nowhere appears in the government
is good proof that he has had moth
ing to do with it. The whole busi-
ness is little more than axis propa-
ganda. OF course, should Yugoslavia
be completely shattered, some group
ing of the Croats and their close
kinsmen and coreligionists, the
Slovenes, might occur. But it would
have to rest upon less shady founda-
tions to have any political vitality.