Evening star., 1941-04-07
Soviet Press Prints
News Of Nazi Move
Without Comment
Russion-YugosInv Pact
Cited os Attempt to
Avoid Wars Spread
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, April THE Soviet
Russian press published prominent
ly. but without comment, today its
first accounts of the German dec
laration of war against Yugoslavia,
with whom Soviet Russia signed
friendship and non-aggression pact
Saturday, and against Greece.
Pravda, Communist party organ,
devoted four columns at the top of
its foreign news page to Tass, So
Wet news agency, dispatches from
Berlin, Rome and Athens on the
start of hostilities.
The Soviet-Yugoslav accord was
cited in Moscow newspapers yes
terday as ''in the interests of all
people who aim to avoid the ex-
pansion of war"
The pact, signed Saturday by Pre-
mier- Foreign Commissar Vyasches-
laff Molotof and the YugoSlav Min
lister Milan Gavrilovic in the pres
ence of Joseph Stain, provides for
mutual respect for territorial in
tegrity and in the case of an attack
on either by third power the
other promises continued friendly
relations with the victim.
Principle Explained.
Tass said the pact firmly ad-
hered to the "Stalinist principle"
of peace and quoted Pravda as
explaining that principle in these
words:
I'VE stand for peace and the
strengthening of business relations
with all countries. That is our posi-
ton; and we shall adhere to it as
long as these countries maintain
like relations with the Soviet Union
and as long as they make no attempt
to trespass on the interests of our
country"
The pact followed by less than two
weeks a Soviet Russian Turkish
benevolent neutrality" understand
ing which was reported to provide
for Russian material help" should
Turkey be attacked
The official newspaper Izvestia
editorially termed the Soviet -Yugo-
slav agreement "of great signifi-
cance," because "this agreement is
between the powerful Soviet Union,
which unfailingly is carrying on its
policy of peace, and Yugoslavia, to
which security and peace at the pres
emf is IFS main callSe"
SYMPATHY Expressed.
Yugoslav efforts to secure peace
could not help but arouse the SYM
pathy of the Soviet Union," Izvestia
added.
The Soviet press declared yester-
day the people of Yugoslavia did not
want war and hailed the Soviet's
ncw pact with Yugoslavia as an out
standing milestone" in efforts of the
two countries to preserve peace
The press carefully refrained
from saying what deeper meaning
might be attached to the document
Hard raps were taken inferential-
ly, however, at the German con-
tention that Yugoslavia had sought
the war that broke on her yester-
day.
Pravda said --latest events in
Yugoslavia most clearly showed that
the people of Yugoslavia are striving
for peace.
I'm numerous demonstrations and
meetings broad sections of the
population expressed their protest
against the foreign policy of the
Cvetkovic CPremier Dragisa Cvet-
kovic, who signed Yugoslavia into
the axis government, which threat
ened to involve Yugslavia in the
orbit of war.
Desire for Peace.
when the new government
headed by Gen. Simovic premier
Dusan Simovic) came to power, it
clearly emphasized its desire for
peace and the preservation OF
friendly relations with all states,
above all with the states neigh
boring with Yugoslavia."
The paper added that Gen. Simo-
vics policies had received the sup
port of the majority of people" and
that the accord with Russia was
convincing proof of the Yugoslav
governments desire to strengthen
peace and prevent the spreading of
war"
Hailing the pact as showing the
"unwavering consistency of the So
Wet peace policy" Izvestia said the
pact helps prevent the spread Of
war"
"One must bear in mind that it
was concluded in the midst of war
which already has drawn into its
orbit more than 1,000, 100000 people, u
the paper said. LAS shown by numer-
GUS facts, this war tends moreover
to draw into bloody slaughter of new
peoples and countries, one after an
other. This alone clearly lends espe-
cial import to the treaty on friend
ship and non-aggression between the
u. S. S. r. and YugOSlaVia -