Evening star., 1946-06-21
ruth Mitchell Seen
with Nazis, YugosIav
Defendant Declares
By the Assoeioted Press

late Brig. Gen. William Mitchell,
was identified yesterday by Dragi
Jovanovic, police prefect in Belgrade
during the Nazi occupation, as that
Of a person he had seen with the
Gestapo and Chetniks.
Miss Mitchell, said to have been
the only foreign woman ever ad-
mitted to membership in the Chet-
niks, returned to the United States
in June, 1912. She had been pris-
oner of theSGermans for IA months
after her arrest in Yugoslavia, where
she had lived for several years.
Jovanovic, a co-defendant at the
treason trial of Gen. Draja Mihailo-
vich, the Chetnik leader, made the
Identification at the prompting Of
the prosecutor, who asked did she
have any connection with the
Gestapo?"
II don't know" Jovanovic ans
Wered.
Second Sensation of Day.
The bringing of Miss Mitchell's
name into the case was the second
sensation of the day in the Yugoslav
military courtroom.
Earlier Gen. Mihailovich drama
tically denied that he had obtained
money for his Chetnik fighters from
the Quisling regime of the late
Premier Milan Medic, as testified by
Jovanovic.
JoVanovlc was shown a picture of
Miss Mitchell with the caption hid
den, and he identified her as an
American he had seen with the
Gestapo. He was unable to re-
member her name, but when the
prosecutor suggested Ruth" Jo-
vanovic replied, Yes, that's the
name. Ruth Mitchell"
Shown with Miss Mitchell in the
picture, he said was King Peter,
the now deposed King of Yugoslavia.
The prosecutor asked Jovanovic
From where did you know her?"
L saw this woman in Bled and
I saw her in 1941 or 1912 with
Pecanac's. Chetniks in Belgrade. i
asked somebody who the woman
was" Jovanovic answered.
Sworn Into Chetniks in 194I.
Miss Mitchell said she was sworn
into the Chetniks in 1941 when
the leader was the bearded
Hosea Pecanac, a Serb patriot in
the First World War.
She said she took the oath on
dagger and loaded revolver, crossed
on Pecanac's desk on which was the
skull and crossbones of a Chetnik
who died in the course of duty.
The prosecutor asked Jovanovic
did you see her before Pecanac
formed an agreement with the Ger
mans and came to Belgrade or after
that?"
"Pecanac formed an agreement in
August, 194l. exactly on the day of
the formation of the Medic govern
ment. and it was after in the fall
Jovanovic replied.
Did she have any connection with
the German intelligence service?'
the prosecutor pressed.
This don't know" said Jovano-
vic. II saw her in the Gestapo with
the Chetniks.'
Interior, Minister Confesses.
Tanasije-Tasa Dinic, minister of
interior in the Medic government,
told the court today that Il do not
want to live after the great crimes
I have committed"
He admitted collaborating with
the Germans and said he approved
a decision that Yugoslavia should
join the Axis.
He was the eighth to take the
stand. of the "a Yugoslavs on trial
for treason and collaboration.
The court president asked Dinic
II he did not realize his acts were
the fullest treason to the people?"
Yes, it is," the defendant replied.
It the time of my collaboration
with the Nazis, unfortunately went
that way in order to help as much
as I could. Today I shrink from it,
I don't want to live after the great
crimes I've committed"
Miss Mitchell, who was granted a
divorce from her British husband,
Stanley Knowles, two years ago, for
nerly lived in Arlington County
She went to Albania to write book
in 1888 and was expelled by the
Italians when they invaded the little
country, according to published re-
ports, because they thought she was
a spy"
Moving to Yugoslavia. she joined
the Comitadji, or Chetniks. and
when the Nazis invaded Yugosla-
via she became dispatch rider
with the Serbian irregulars. Miss
Mitchell was captured by the Ges-
tapo in Dubrovnik and, as she said
in her own words after her repatria-
tion, Il was to have been executed
but, being an American citizen, I
was not shot"
Miss Mitchell was imprisoned in
a dozen German prison camps be-
fore her repatriation to the United
States on the Drottingholm in June,
1912. Alter her return she pub
licly attacked German atrocities in
Yugoslavia, particularly the Ger
man bombing of Belgrade, when
$4,000 were slain.
She was an outspoken admirer OF
Gen. Mihailovich. In 1943 she ac-
cused the Office of War Informa-
ton OF taking sides in Yugoslav
politics. The Owl denied the
charge.
Miss Mitchell's son, an RAF pilot
was killed in action against the
Germans in Libya during her i'm
prisonment.
Union Rally Tonight