Evening star., 1946-08-24
BY the Associated Press

BELGRADE, Aug. 24.-Marshal
Tito today accused United States
military authorities of deliberate
reconnaissance of his military
dispositions along the Alpine
border lands where five Amer
leans died Monday in the crash
of a Shutdown American trans
port.
United States Ambassador Rich.
ard G. Patterson, announcing the
deaths Of the five Americans, saio
they would be brought from theil
mass grave near Bled to this Yugo.
slav capital Monday or Tuesday
Here they will be given funera
with full military honors and re.
buried in an American military
cemetery on the outskirts oi
Belgrade.
The military funeral will be held
in the midst of a Yugoslav populace
which still had not been told by
the authorities that an American
ultimatum grew out of the attack
on the two transports.
Dead Are Identified.
1t was probable that the Yugoslay
government would be asked to fur
nish military escort for Ambas-
sador Patterson's special plane
which will bring the bodies here.
Those killed in the crash, it was
announced, were Capts. Robert H
Crays (the pilot, H. F. Schriebe1
and B. H. Freestone; Corpls. M
Conko and c. ]. Lower.
Mr.. Patterson inspected the CAT
which crash-landed in cornfield
August 8, under Yugoslav gunf1re
and said the pilot of the ship, Capt.
William Crombie of East Long
meadow, Mass, deserves the Dis
tinguished Flying Cross"
Verif1cation that the five died in
the August 10 crash had been fore
shadowed by note to Mr.. Patterson
from Tito saying there were no sur
vivors. Tito described the Incident
as "regrettable" but offered no apol-
ogy. He said the Yugoslavs were
not responsible"
Reconnoitering Charged.
In a written reply to newspaper
correspondents questions, the Yugo-
slav chieftain declared unauthorized
flights over Yugoslavia were for the
purpose of accommodating those re-
gions which our military units are
occupying in zone 'B" and the rest
OF the frontier zone"
Zone "B" is the eastern part of
Venezia Giulia, disputed by Italy
and Yugoslavia.
The question which the Yugoslav
premier was answering was:
DO you believe the infringement
of Yugoslav frontiers to be deliber-
ate, and, if so, for what purpose?"
Arbitrary Acts Charged.
Continuing his answer to that
question. Tito said:
Furthermore, the systematic fly
ing over our territory in upper Slo-
venia by Allied transport and pas
senger planes has not been acci-
dental erring from routes, or on
account of weather, but intentional
and arbitrary acts by Allied pilots
who do not respect our sovereignty
and who fly over our territory with
out permission in order to shorten
the way, as they themselves state
Tito accused American military
authorities of attempting to intimi.
cate his followers and encourage
his erstwhile opponents. Heavil,
armed craft such as Flying For.
tresses were being employed to these
ends, he said
According to our profound con.
vlction flights over our territory by
Allied military, -bombers
lighters and various other types
even Flying Fortresses-have hac
as their purpose in the first place
a demonstration and display O.
military strength and intimidation
OF our patriotic population on tht
one hand and announcement O,
antinational elements in YugosIayis
on the other" Marshal Tito said
Tito handed note to the Ameri.
can Ambassador, Richard c. Patter.
son, at the summer resort of Blee
yesterday saying that there appar.
entity were no survivors of Monday.
crash. He described the incident a.
"a regrettable accident" but Offered
no apology.
Mr.. Patterson and other American
diplomats visited the scene of tn,
crash yesterday and found reliabl,
evidence that none of the American
airmen managed to escape. TIL,
diplomats found pieces of flesh still
hanging from trees and charret
(See YUGOSLAV, Page A-2J