Evening star., 1943-12-10
Russian Amity Aided
By U, 5. Recognition
OF Tito S Partisans
BY BLAIR BOLLES.

One of the remaining barriers tc
full political cooperation by the
United States and Great Britain
with the Soviet Union was wiped
out today with the public recogni-
ton given by Secretary of State Hull
to the superior anti-AXis resistance
IN YugoSlavia of the Partisan forces
who for more than year have had
Russian moral backing.
Mr.. HullS action In stating that
the American government fully sup
ported the British decision to favor
the Partisans above the forces of
Gen. Draja Mihailovich in the dis
tribution of supplies was regarded
as result partially of the Moscow
and Teheran conferences, at which
American, British and Russian Off
Gals had full opportunity to explore
each others views on the leading
questions of the day.
Russian Stand Made Plain.
Russian journals and the Russian
radio have repeatedly made plain
the Soviet opposition to Gen. Mi
hailovich, whose Chetnik forces
have fought from time to time with
the Partisan troops and have been
scolded at long range for doing so
by Sir Henry Maitland Wilson, Brit
1Sh commander in the Middle East
The British government until re-
Gently has been more energetic than
the American about supporting Mi
hallOVlch, out the American atti-
tude toward the Partisans was un-
clear until yesterday.
Secretary Hull, responding to a
question about whether this Govern
ment was going to send lease lend
goods to the Partisans, said it was
the policy of Allied nations to fur
nlSh supplies to each or any group
in Yugoslavia effectively fighting
the Germans, that the British had
announced that policy as recently
as the previous day. This means
that the United States supports the
British policy, which, by announce
ment in Parliament, is to favor the
PartlSanS as the superior resistance
group,
King Peter Still Recognized.
The United States continues to
recognize King Peter and his gov
ernment-of which Mihailovich is
the War MiniSter-as the authority
for Yugoslavia's general conduct of
the war, but it intends to leave it
up to the Yugoslavian people
whether they want that king and
government to be returned. The
Partisans repeatedly have renounced
Peter and his government and set
up one Of their own under Ivan
Ribar. In official circles here the
existence of such a government is
doubted.
The action respecting Yugoslavia
can be taken as a precedent for the
rest of Europe and as a sign that
the United States is going to let
the course of events on that CONT
nent be determined by popular will.
so far as the occupied Allied coun-
tries are concerned. The prospects
OF political change were set forth
In speech by Assistant Secretary
of State Berle when he said:
Every government in refuge has
recognized and declared that its first
act on liberation must be to submit
Itself to the Judgment of its people.
which can then make such changes
as they choose.
Quite likely there will be changes.
For those who have fought out. un-
derground, in their own countries.
the terrible and bloody battle
against the Nazi invaders will un-
questionably emerge from the
struggle claiming their right to be
heard as representative of the
silenced and struggling masses"