Evening star., 1941-03-16
Balkans
Continued From First Page)

Greeks together were about ready to
make a major fight of it.
Yugoslavia, whose country would
afford the best possible avenue for a
German attack on Greece, still held
out against the Nazi insistence that
she become an outright partner Of
the aXis-and thus passive partici-
pant, at least, against Greece.
A government spokesman indicated
that an effort would be made to stall
off any final decision on the German
demands until the situation in
Greece is clarified"
Belgrade Atmosphere Changes.
The pressure on the Yugoslavs
continued without let-up. A German
dispatch to Belgrade newspapers
said significantly:
THE new moment has arrived
which may have decisive results on
Greek-German relations"
The Germans already had put the
word about that when British help
to Greece becomes of serious char
acter, military intervention of the
Reich" could be expected.
Here in Belgrade there was an
obvious change in the atmosphere.
One influential faction of Serb
official opinion was reported, on the
authority of government in
formant, to be urging that Yugo-
slavia hght rather than allow the
passage of Nazi troops.
Trucks loaded with fully equipped
troops drove through the streets of
Belgrade toward destinations not
publicly known, and the railroad
stations were full of conscripts 60
ing to active service.
The Belgrade newspaper Vreme,
generally considered to be a gov
ernment mouthpiece, carried an ar
ticle headed Freedom, Independ-
ence, Peace" which stated:
I'VE have armed only to insure
our peace. Yugoslavia will hurl back
any one who endangers the freedom
and independence of our country"
Diplomats took this as a semi
official answer to reported German
pressure for Yugoslavia's immediate
rehabilitation.
Turkeys Position Same.
AS to Turkey, Britain's nom
oelligerent ally, the newspaper TX
dam reported that her position "re-
mains the same" adding that I'VE
Will always be loyal to our Allies"
Adolf Hitler's recent communica-
ton to the Turkish President-un-
derstood to have been a German
offer to look after Turkeys interest
and well being"-was described by
Ikdam as nothing more than a sign
of politeness."
The German news agency. DNB.
reported from Sofia, Bulgaria. thai
President Ismet Inonu had sent a
reply to Hitler, tenor undisclosed
The Turkish paper Kakit, report
ing on the country's defense prepa-
rations, announced that 200 Turkish
parachutists would make a test
landing tomorrow at some point
beside the Bosphorous, the Black
ocd cilu VI Tile passage TO ana from
the Mediterranean which includes
the strategic Dardanelles.
Circumstances Back Theory.
The strong theory that the Ger
mans were preparing to move
against the Greeks in force was sup
ported by two circumstances:
Greek reports that a furious
week-long Italian offensive in AL
bania-said in Athens to have been
ordered by Mussolini himself-had
been utterly broken.
The receipt in Rome during the
day Of italian military dispatches
telling of big bombing offensive
in Albania involving hundreds of
Italian planes.
Diplomatic confirmation was re-
ceived of earlier reports that the
Greeks had prepared to fall back
from Thrace as an untenable area
and were taking up positions along
the Struma River, which is backed
by difficult mountain range.
German quarters in Sofia said