Evening star., 1945-05-19

OF Lne YugOSlaV Army IN
Istria, Trieste and the Slovene
coaStline."
BY the Associated Press.
ROME, May 19.-Field Marshal
Sir Harold Alexander, Allied
commander in the Mediter-
ranean theater, today charged
Marshal Tito of Yugoslavia with
the apparent intention of estab-
fishing claims in Northeast Italy
and Southern Austria by force
of arms, which was call too remi-
niscent of Hitler, Mussolini and
Japan"
He disclosed that his efforts to
come to a friendly agreement" with
the Yugoslav leader had failed.
At the same time Allied headquar-
ters disclosed Tito agreed in July,
1914. and February, 1945, that for
military purposes Allied forces
should occupy the Venezia Giulia
region. including Trieste, while the
Yugoslavs should occupy Fiume and
an area to the east ora line run
ming roughly north Of Fiume.
Duty as Trustees.
Alexander, charging that Tito
sought 'by force of arms and mill
tary occupation to establish his
claims" added that "it was to pre-
vent such actions that we have been
fighting this war"
The Allied commander declared :
TT is our duty to hold these dis
puted territories as trustees until
their ultimate disposal is settled at
the peace conference.
"I tried my best to come to a
friendly agreement with Marshal
Tito but did not succeed"
Alexander, whose statement was
made in the form of a message to
his troops, declared, "We have no
objection to the claims put forward
by Marshal Tito" but insisted on
peaceful settlement since I'VE can
not throw away the vital principles
for which we all fought"
BUNNY IOt0 OF fianS.
When informed by his chief of
staff that further military converse
tior1s with Tito appeared useless,
Alexander sent a message to the
Yugoslav leader bluntly telling him
the Allied command intended to
continue using the port of Trieste
and to maintain forces in North
eastern Italy and Austria.
He warned Tito that Allied head
quarters expected him Ito take steps
to assure that no regrettable Incl
dents took place" Tito, he added,
was asked ito forbid his troops to
move over the Austrian border and
to withdraw those already across" +"
This request" he said, so far
has not been complied with"
A Belgrade dispatch said Marshal
Titos reply to American and British
suggestions that no frontiers be
changed before the peace conference
caused surprise and disappointment
at the United States Embassy, which
Immediately dispatched the mar
shal's reply to the State Department
in Washington. Contents of the note
were not made public.
(The Yugoslav Foreign Office
also declined to reveal the con-
tents of the note, but the Ministry
of Information planned a state
ment, possibly later today, am
plifying the Yugoslav point of
view concerning the disputed ter
ritory of Venezia Giulia. The ter
ritory went to Italy after World
War -
Taken Up Directly.
Alexander said "the United States
and British governments have taken
the matter up directly with Mar
shall Tito. The Soviet government
has been Kept fully informed. We
are now waiting to hear whether
Marshal Tito is prepared to CO.
operate in accepting peaceful set
tlement of his territorial claims, OF
whether. he will attempt to estab-
lish them by force"
(American correspondents in