Evening star., 1942-08-10
European RivaIries
Present Postwar
Problem for America
Crouts VS.. Serbs and
Czechs VS.. SIovuks Cited
As Current Examples
BY HELEN LOMBARD.

1t is easy to blueprint the post
war world. 1t is going to be harder
to fit red blooded human beings
into a blue print But it is a job
which will have to be done by the
United States-if it is done at all.
Facts coming into Washington
from Europe indicate some OF the
difficulties that are in the making.
The Yugoslavs, for instance, are
carrying into the war the quarrel
that divided them before the Nazi
onslaught. Many of the 100000
Croats who made up part OF the
Yugoslav kingdom -are fully CO.
operating with the invader and
have declared themselves partisans
of the Nazi new order.
The Serbs, the other dominant
race of the kingdom, are fighting
stubbornly against the Nazis under
Gen, Mikhailovlc. They are hav-
ing trouble, however, not only with
the pro-Nazi Croats in YugoslaVla,
but with certain loyal Croat mem
bers of the government-ln-eXlle,
who give allegiance to King Peter
but who do not wish to see the
Serbian head of the guerrlllas be-
come too much of lengendary
figure.
Serbian Generals Arrested.
Three Serbian generals who were
serving with the Allied armies in
Egypt were arrested by order of the
government-in-ex Exile because they
insisted on returning to Yugoslavla
to fight with Gen. Mikhailovlc. The
government in London maintained
that Yugoslav soldiers should be
willing to fight anywhere with the
Allied forces.
The situation is not better in
regard to France. Gen. De Gaulle
is the symbol of the Free French
but the word free" is interpreted
in different ways by his followers.
Some De Gaullists see the general
only as military man who is lead
ing the fight. Others think that
France will have to turn to him for
political leadership after the war.
This latter contention of the
London followers of De Gaulle is
having repercussions in occupied
France. 1t is safe to say that the
majority of the French, especially
those in occupied France who hope
for no particular privileges from
their conquerers, are anti-Nazl.
They do not, however, wish to see
their future government decided for
them from London even if the gov
ernor is a Frenchman.
Slovaks Fighting Russians.
The Czech government in exile
has its own problems. 1t is called
the Czechoslovak government in
exile, although many of the Slovaks
are fighting today as volunteers on
the side of the Nazis against the
Russians. The Czechs in Bohemia
are risking their lives daily to defy
the Nazi rule. The government in
exile, however, sees the future of
Czechoslovakia as state combin-
ing the two races.
Repercussions from these ideo-
logical and national differences are
being more keenly felt in the United
States than ever before. Groups
from each of these races form a
part of American national life.
Some are reacting ideologically to
the world struggle. Others are
more inclined to follow racial bias.
Justice and State Department Of
ficials who have direct dealings with
these foreign groups are wisely dis
couraging too much accent on the
European angle of the conflict and
are adverse to the slowing up of the
Americanization process. For this
reason many of the free" move
ments which started as an imitation
of the first one-the Free French
have been discouraged.
The official attitude is that in the
uniform of the armed forces of the
United States or behind the as
sembly lines of the American fac
tories any citizen or Would-be citi-
zen can fight for freedom and a
better postwar world.
(Released by the Bell Syndictea, Inc)