Evening star., 1942-12-30
YugosIavian Cabinet
Crisis May Ease Way
For Europe's Invasion
Guerrilla Truce Possible
With Proposed Custer
Of Foreign Minister
BY BLAIR BOLLES.

LOndOn was viewed here today in
responsible quarters as a develop
ment that will help ease the way
of Allied armies into the Balkans
when the time for an invasion of
Europe arrives
1t is believed that the situation
may make possible a truce between
the forces of Gen. Draja Mihailo-
vich and the Partisan" guerrillas-
both of whom fight Italy and Ger
many.
Despite official disclaimers to the
contrary in London, the new cabi-
net is expected to be formed with
out DR.. Momcilo Ninchich in the
position of foreign minister. The
most likely occupant of that i'm
portant post is Milan Grol, a men,
ber of the Serbian Democratic
party. Premier Slobodan Youano-
vich may take the post, however.
Wranglings Obscure.
The internal Wranglings of the
government which DR., Ninchich
ominated-obScure as they were
from the sight of most persons in
terested in United Nations triumph
had reached the point where they
were a serious threat to the strategic
prospects of the Allied military
forces, and were disturbing the rela =
tons between the three major west
ern powers of the United Nations
alliance-the United States, Great
Britain and Russia.
The cautious policies of DR..
Nlnchich resulted two weeks ago in
a near break between the YugoSlav
and the Russian governments which
has proved embarrassing for the
alliance.
Signs have reached the War and
State Departments here that the
continued existence of the govern
ment controlled by Foreign Minister
Nlnchich would cause unnecessary
difficulties for the Allied armies
which some day probably will use
Yugoslavia as battlefield for part
of the Job Of rolling back the Axis
In Europe.
American Government officials
have discussed the wisdom of keep
ing Mihailovich out of the new gov
ernment so that his position in Yugo-
slavia will be purely military. He
has made enemies in YugoSlavia of
those who opposed the attitudes of
the government in London, and the
Partisan" forces have fought
against his men.
Gen. Mihailovich has been Min
lister OF War in that government. 1t
is thought that his separation from
a government post would make pos
slble union between him and the
Partisans. who have Soviet backing.
Symbols of Reaction.
The first interest of some elements
in the American and British gov
ernments now is to prevent the re-
turn in high positions to the
new government of the two lead
ing symbols of reaction who were
in the old - Ninchich, who Wis
tied Washington last June, and
Milan GaVrllovitch, Minister of JUS
t1ce In the resigned government.
Both are known as Serbian Chau-
vlnlsts destructive to Yugoslav unity
because they were miStruSted by
Croats and Sloyenes in Occupied
Yugoslavia and by the Croatian and
Slovenian ministers in the Yugo-
slaVian government. Ninchich may
get minor post.
Tho r,J0 Jr y;
Yugoslavia now are toward unified
cooperation Of Serbs, Croats and
SloveneS and toward an understand
ing by the three nations with Russia
The Partisans reflect these trends,
with which Ninchich and Gavrilo-
WITCH had no sympathy. The MIN
ChlCh policy has been to draw away
from Russia and to condemn all
Croats for the fact that the pro-
Axis bands Of UStashi aSSaSSins con-
trolled by Ante Pavelich are made
up for the most part Of Croats.
Yugoslavia is regarded in some
quarters in the same light Spain
was looked upon a few years ago
as microCoSm Of the world issue
to come. In Spain it was FasCism
versus cousin of Communism. In
Yugoslavia it is peasant isolation
reaction versus international social
democracy. The party Of the left
In both Spain and YugoSlavia have
found sympathy and assistance in
Soviet Russia
During the Spanish War the other
great powers isolated Russia by a
form Of intervention called non
intervention or by outright inter
ventlon for Gen. Francisco Franco.
the righteSt revolutionary. In this
war. Russia is the ally of the United
States and Great Britain and has
a 25-year pact with Great Britain.
Constitutional Assembly.
The Yugoslav government crisis
of December was precipitated
by two events of October. Ban
Subasich, the exile governor of
Croatia, who is in New York City
sent a message to President Roose-
welt, Prime Minister Churchill and
Prime Minister Stain announcing
he would have nothing more to do
with the government in which
Ninchich was foreign minister.
It is learned that in October also
Serbs, CroatS and SloveneS backing
the Partisan movement met in a
constituent assembly in the town
of Bihach Bosnia, and chose one
Ivan Rybar as their leader. The
assembly sent greetings to Moscow
and also to Roosevelt and Churchill.
The meeting adopted resolutions OPP
posing the Ninchich government and
called for rapport with Russia and
for the united action of the three
Yugoslav peoples.
The crisis was seen as certain
when King Peter II in speech on
December l called for national
unity
Ban Subasich in his message also
protested that Ambassador Fotitch
was a Serbian ChauviniSt. If the
ambassador is displaced, his most
likely successor is said to be one
Coro Eoconpyich who was Min