Evening star., 1941-02-21


it pdS said Turkey 1Uould 9iUe
Germany free hand In Bulgaria.
Later Turkish newspapers denied
this Interpretation and insisted
Turkey mould stand by its agree
n1entS 1Uith Britain and Greece.
BY the Associated Press.
ELGRADE, YugoSlavia, Feb. 81.
Columns of Nazi motorized troops
many miles long rolled south
through Rumania toward the Dan
ube River frontier with Bulgaria,
military dispatches reaching here
today reported,
simultaneously, the general staff
of Germany's Balkan army was said
to have moved from Bucharest to
Craiova, only 40 miles north of the
Danube.
The Yugoslav cabinet went into
emergency session in the early aft
ernoon as the Belgrade govern
ment's attitude toward the fast
moving international events still
lacked complete clarity.
Dispatches from the Bulgarian
port of RuSe on the Danube facing
Rumania where German troops are
massed, said the Bulgarian police
fought Communist demonstra-
tionS" against the expected entry
of Nazi troops into Bulgaria.
Planes Lined Up on RunwayS.
Unusual activity was reported
from all Rumanian airports con-
trolled by the German air force,
with fighting and bombing planes
lined up on the runWays.
Military observers at RuSe said
German engineers continued their
drill of floating pontoon bridges but
insisted that none had touched the
Bulgarian shore.
This drill has been going on daily
for many weeks, apparently in the
Nazi effort to have everything in
readiness when and if the time
comes for crossing.
The Balkan situation was typically
complex.
High-lighted was the belief ex-
pressed by observers that Adolf Hit
Ter had approved cession of an
other slice of dWindling Rumania
to Soviet Russia in return for Mos
cows "co-operation that is. a pas
sive attitude-with his plans for
Southeastern Europe.
Moldavia May Be Reward.
Russias reward, these observers
said, probably will be the province
of Moldavia on which the Soviet
long has cast covetous eyes, as even
Red diplomats acknowledge.
There was a report already of
friction between Bulgaria and Tur-
key. whose non-aggression pact is
but four days old The Turkish
Minister to Bulgaria, according to
reports reaching Belgrade, has pro-
tested against the declaration of a
semi-ofhcial Bulgarian newspaper
that it is none of Turkeys busi-
ness when Bulgaria will recover her
outlet to the Aegean Sea from
Greece"
This newspaper. Fora, had de-
clared fatty that the question of
changing Bulgaria'S frontier was in
no way affected by the Turkish
Bulgarian declaration"
Official Bulgarian quarters denied
Bulgaria was mobilizing. They said
"only a few reservistS were being
called to the colors. They added,
however, that Bulgaria has the
right to mobilize If she wishes with
out consulting anybody"
Fear of Revolution.
The YugoSlav press printed re-
ports of parliamentary debates at
Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, in
which many Deputies were quoted
as declaring that entry of foreign
troops onto Bulgarian soil would
bring the strong possibility of a
Communist revolution" and that
Communism is becoming more and
more danger within Bulgaria"
Bulgarian Deputies were said to
have called on their government
for an explanation of the entire
situation but without reply. Details
OF the proceedings were published
here, but not in Bulgaria.
Angel Sivinoff, member of the
Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Com
mittee, was reported to have declared
in open session that the Bulgarian
people are very much interested
regarding the passage of German
troops through Bulgaria"
Premier Bogdan Philoff was said
to have refused to answer. Deputy
Ivan Batenbersky shouted, Even
the government majorities are being
kept completely in the dark regard
ing future plans of this govern
ment" and then Philoff left the hall,
according to these reports.
The Yugoslav press for the first
time headlined the fact that Ger
man troops were poised on the Dan
ube. Yugoslav policy, as affected
by the recent BerchteSgaden con-
ference between Hitler and Yugo-
slavia's Premier and foreign min
(See BALKANS, Page A-4.)