Evening star., 1941-03-20

By the Associated Press.
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia, March
20.-The British were reported
today to have landed great
numbers" of troops yesterday at
Salonika, Greek port on the
Aegean Sea and a back door to
the Balkans, which likely would
be the first objective of any Ger
man thrust from Bulgaria.
This was understood to be the first
appearance of British forces at
Salonika, although disembarking of
force expected to total 100000 men
has been under way for several days
at five ports in Southern Greece.
Accounts of the landing of the
troops at the Aegean port, along
with vast supplies of gasoline, came
from the Greek frontier town of
Gevgelia, Yugoslavia, as Berlin dis
patches reaching Belgrade asserted
that "the Greek question already
has been settled"
Won Papen to Go to Berlin.
These dispatches failed to say
Just what kind of settlement had
been made, but they added that
'only a short time must elapse be-
fore this contlagration which threat
ened to engulf other Balkan states
will be eXtinguished."
Additional advices from the Ger
man capital declared further that
the Turkish and Yugoslav questions
also now are "all settled" but they,
too, were without explanation. An
Istanbul dispatch said German Am
bassador Franz Won Papen would
go to Berlin soon to report on Brit
ish Foreign Secretary Eden's recent
visit to Turkey.
An unconfirmed report from the
Albanian frontier said Greek forces,
hammering at Tepeleni since mid
December, finally had entered the
central Albanian city, taking many
Fascist prisoners and quantities of
war material.
The Gevgelia account said the
Salonika population accorded wild
celebration" to the British troops.
Confirmation Lacking.
Confirmation of this dispatch was
lacking at the British and Greek
Legations here. The British said a
recent order was issued forbidding
the movement of British troops
north OF a line running through
Larisa, Greek railhead town far
south Of Salonika.
1t was pointed out, however, that
neither Embassies have as yet con-
firmed the landing of any British
troops in Greece, although this is
common talk among diplomats here
and in other Balkan capitals, some
of whom themselves brought eye
witness accounts from Greece.
In Istanbul, the Turkish Assembly
was expected to approve shortly an
extraordinary defense appropriation
of 3o,000,00O Turkish pounds, al
ready approved by the cabinet.
Other supplementary appropriations
TO the 1941 budget totalling 70,000,-
D00 pounds for defense were likely
later (TThe Turkish pound is not
quoted in foreign exchangeD
German circles here echoed the
Berlin reports of satisfactory So
luton" of the Turkish and Yugoslav
questions, but they likewise were
silent as to its nature.
Yugoslav Accord Reported.
The Berlin correspondent of the
newspaper Vreme said the way had
been opened to preserve the "honor
and independence OF both countries"
while bringing them into the axis
orbit
Other dispatches said only that
the negotiations were mutually sat-
lsfactory."
Germans still insisted Yugoslavia
would join the Rome-Berlin-T Toxic
alliance formally March 26. One re-
port was that passage Of hospital
trains and war materials would be
permitted by Yugoslavia as maxi
mum concession, but whether Ger
many would settle that cheaply was
not known.
In Sofia, capital of German dom