Evening star., 1942-03-08
Roosevelt Praises
Yugos|av Chetniks'
Resistance 10 Axis
Message to Minister
Here Broadcast to
Small Fighting Force

A message of praise from Presi-
dent Roosevelt to the Yugoslav
Chetniks for their continuing fight
in Yugoslavia against the Axis has
been broadcast to the Chetnik
leaders, it was learned yesterday.
The President expressed his views
in letter to Minister Fotitch of
Yugoslavia which said:
THE firm resistance of the
Yugoslav people to the forces bent
on the destruction of their liberties,
and their valiant determination to
continue the struggle for freedom.
are symbols of the faith we all have
in the cause in which our nations
are united"
The Allies now are seeking means
Of getting help to Gen. Draja
Mihailovic, the Chetnik leader. who
has sent an urgent message to his
government stating that his army is
near the end of its resources 1t
needs machine guns and planes.
Drastic Axis Retaliation.
Drastic stories of Axis retaliation
against the people in occupied
Yugoslavia for the Chetnik fight
have reached the Yugoslav Lega-
ton here from Premier Slobodan
Javanovich of the Yueoslavian gov
ernment in London who recently
notified the Washington Legation:
I'm Kragujevac the Germans shot
all the pupils Of the sixth. seventh
and eighth grades of the city's high
school, including all the professors
and the director, who, although
spared by the Germans, asked to die
with his students.
whole cities were DESTROYED. In
the town of Gornti Milanovac only
70 buildings remained intact out of
464. The population was locked in
the church in the center of the
city. whereafter the town was set
aflre. Only when the flames spread
over the city In all its fury, were
the people permitted to save their
lives through debris and blaze.
From this ruin. from this devas-
tation, from these endless lines of
graves in our fatherland from these
mass slaughters and from the blood
OF innocent children. happy,
strong, free and content fatherland
OF ours will rise"
The terroristic campaign in Yugo-
slav territory under Axis control is
carried on with the assistance of
the followers of Ante Pavelich,
whom Premier Javanovich terms
the Yugoslav Quisling, according to
the reports of cruelty reaching
Washington.
Axis Troops QuarreIed.
What authority Pavelich has is
exerted In Croatia, seething prov
irce whose reStlessness under Axis
control has caused Germany many
administrative problems.
For several months German and
italian troops were the police agents
of occupation in Croatia, but they
quarreled so often among them
selves that Bulgarian and Hun
garlan soldiers were substituted for
them, it is said here.
Rome hopes to turn Croatia into
an Italian puppet state and to
establish the Duke of Spoleto on a
puppet throne as King Airnone.
Fearful of losing his life, the duke,
uncrowned, has been staying on an
island in the Adriatic Sea of the
Croatian coast hoping against the
time when some order might be en-
forced in his kingdom, whose popu-
lation resents foreign governors.
1t is almost a year since the gov
ernment of Yugoslavia decided to
stand firm against the Berlin in
sistance on cooperation with Axis
aims. Although most Of the country
was quickly conquered by the Axis
invaders, the Chetniks and the un-
organized dissidents keep the coun-
try in state of upheaval unlike any
other occupied country, according to
reports to Washington