Evening star., 1945-05-22
Moscow S Hand
Seen in Tito's
Shift on Trieste
Trieste Report Says
Occupation Dispute
Appears at End
By the Associated Press.

Tito appeared today to have
executed a complete about-face
in his attitude toward the occu-
patton of Trieste and the sur
rounding area, giving rise to
speculation in London that the
Yugoslav leader might have re-
ceived a friendly suggestion
from Moscow to change his
stand.
Diplomatic sources close to the
British Foreign Office said the stu
alton was definitely improved" and
there were indications of an early
solution.
"a dispatch from Trieste today
said the dispute over the occu-
patton of the city appeared ended
and that it was understood the
Yugoslav government had agreed
to all Allied proposals put for
ward, with notifications
Withdraw From Austria.
Tito was withdrawing his Partisan
forces from Southern Austria. one
of the points of dispute, and Yugo-
slav occupation headquarters had
been removed from Trieste, although
both British and Partisan troops
remained in the Adriatic port.
(American troops moved out
of Gorilla today and began to
occupy the strategic heights to
the east of the disputed city,
in what was described by high
Allied official as a peaceful pene-
tration into territory which has
been occupied heretofore, If at
all, by Yugoslav troops, accord
ing to dispatch from a Chi
cago Daily News foreign cor
respondent attached to the 9th
Army headquarters.
(American reinforcements were
expected to replace the outnum-
bered garrison in Gorilla once
it had deployed itself in the
mountains beyond the city.
cit. Gen. Mark w. Clark and
Maj. Gen. Alfred M. Gruenther,
the dispatch said, arrived in
Trieste this morning for the Sec
ond time within a week. They
will inspect the American garri-
son in the city and, presumably,
will later proceed to other Amer
ican camps and bases in the
zia-Giulia area.
Gn Trieste, the dispatch con-
tinued, the tension has increased,
If anything, despite the asser-
ton of high Allied official yes
terday that he was optimistic
regarding the possibility of
peaceful settlement of the terri
torial dispute. He admitted,
however, that he was basing his
optimism more on the obvious
fact of Anglo mill
tary superiority than on any
evidence of political rapproche-
ment between the Allies.)
Ready to Confer.
There were indications OF Tito's
apparent readiness to discuss with
Italy a long-term status of the dis
puted territory and with the Allies
the present status of occupation.
Sources close to the British Foreign
Office believed the matter of i'm
mediate occupation would be settled
through diplomatic channels, rather
than through direct talks with Field
Marshal Sir Harold Alexander,
Allied Mediterranean commander.
(The British radio said Field
Marshal Alexander had gone to
Trieste with the chief of staff
of the American 5th Army.)
1t was believed in London that
the Yugoslavs were prepared to
agree to peaceful but temporary
settlement of the dispute and would
press their territorial claims at the
peace conference.
This was borne out by Belgrade
broadcast of an editorial which ap-
peared in the Communist daily
Borba. published in the Yugoslav
capital. The paper declared the
Yugoslav government had stressed
that it does not intend to annex
these territories unilaterally before
a peace conference that will finally
settle the question of the Slovene
coast line and Trieste, i. e., before
the possibility of a direct agreement
between Italy and Yugoslavia.
Seek Satisfactory Solution.
The editorial added that for
these reasons Yugoslavia is prepared
to discuss the situation so as
to find, in agreement with the Allies,
a solution that will satisfy both
parties and will not be contrary to
the interests of the population of
these territories"
Tito previously had taken the posi-
ton that Trieste was liberated by
his forces and that they had the
same right as other Allied armies to
occupy liberated territory.
Italy received the port by the
treaty of st. Germain in 1919, after
occupying Trieste in 1918.
Meanwhile, dispatch from Rome
said Allied headquarters had formal.
ly denied that there was any con.