Evening star., 1941-03-22
YugosIuvio
Continued From First Page

Continued From First PageD
three Serbs had been unsuccessful
up to this afternoon.
One after another of the possible
candidates fatty refused to enter
into any cabinet for the purpose OF
making a deal with Germany which
would place their country in the axis
| orbit.
The Yugoslav high military coun-
Gil, including all the general staff
members, four corps commanders
and the War Minister, met early this
morning in secret session. Details
of their meeting were closely
guarded.
Yesterday the general staff was
reported to have approved an under
standing with Germany, but the
lower officers and rank and file
were said to be opposed.
Bitter Attack on War Minister.
Government quarters disclosed
that DR.. Branko Cubrilovich, Min
lister of Agriculture who resigned,
made bitter attack upon War Min
lister Petar Pesic in cabinet meet
ing yesterday for his advice to Yugo-
slavia to give in without a struggle.
CubrilOvich pointed out that little
Serbia, the forerunner to present.
day Yugoslavia, fought the German,
Austro- Hungarian and Bulgarian
armies for four years in the World
War and finally emerged victorious
on the side of Britain.
The War Minister was reported to
have replied that he was facing real
tiles and that resistance in his opin-
ion would be vain because Yugoslavia
was nearly surrounded by axis
armies.
Minister of Supplies Protich was
said to have told the meeting he
would rather kill himself than see
the country fall to the axis, but that
any other course would be difficult
in view of the axis military advan-
tage.
Another cabinet member, uniden-
titled by the speaker, was said to
have leaped up and said: 1T is in
conceivable that any son of Stoyan
Protich should cast such a vote"
Protich is the son of famous Serb
patriot.
Angry shoutings and accusations
were said to have been interspersed
with pleas from Cvetkovich for
unanimous approval of his capitu-
lation plan.
British Fight Surrender.
The British were reported to be
making a desperate attempt to stave
off a threatened surrender of Yugo-
slavia and the British Minister,
Ronald Ian Campbell, was said to
be interviewing several political
leaders today.
Even as Prince Paul wrestled with
the cabinet crisis which blocked the
plan to link his country with the
axis powers, mobilized Serb soldiers
paraded in the provinces singing
American and French World War
songs and students in Belgrade as
sembled to play the British song
"Tipperary."
Working with the regent, Premier
Cvetkovich summoned Vice-Gover-
nor DR.. Ivkovich of the province of
Croatia to Belgrade, and political
circles said he might be offered one
of the three cabinet posts vacated
yesterday by anti-aXis ministers.
Customarily, ministerial vacancies
are filled from the same party, but
observers considered it unlikely that
any prominent member of the Serb
Peasant party would serve in a pro-
axis cabinet to approve the Crown
Councils program of modified al
lance with the Rome-Berlin-T Toxic
axis
Serb leaderS-repreSenti third
of the Kingdoms 100000 popu-
lation, largest of Yugoslavias many
minorities-bitterly oppose the plan
The cabinet approved it by vote
of 13 to Thursday night, but the
Yugoslav constitution requires that
such proposal must have unanimous
approval.
The uproar in the wake of the
swiftly-circulated reports of the gov
ernment's intention to tie up with
the axis-a move generally inter-
preted as giving German forces in
Bulgaria a green light to attack
Greece and thus aid faltering Ital-
ian troops in Albania-forced the
Premier and Foreign Minister Gin
car -Markovich to delay their de-
parture for Germany to sign up.
Previous reports said they had ex-
pected to affix Yugoslavia's sigma
ture to some kind of an agreement in
Vienna tomorrow, but government
leaders said today they probably
would not be able to leave before
Monday or Tuesday.
The hitch brought expressions of
deep indignation from German
quarters, but British circles expressed
optimism that the popular resent
ment. coupled with the seriousness
of the cabinet situation, might block
permanently the plan to swing
Yugoslavia into the axis camp.
U. S. Envoy Sees Premier.
1t was disclosed that Bliss Lane,
the United States Minister to Bel