Evening star., 1946-08-04
Neither Side Pleased by Trieste Pact
Decentralization of Veneza Gua Leaves Both Italians
Dspeased With Allied Force Charged With Maintaining


articles tollo,Ding tour OF Germany,
Italy and other areas OF Central and
Southern Europe.)
TRIESTE-The big American C-54
bearing party of American editors on
recent survey in Germany, Austria and
Italy left the pleasant cline of Vienna
last July 10 and within an hour had
climbed the Alps and dropped us down
at Udine spot on the humid f1atlands
where the snow melts down into the
Adriatic Sea-
An hours ride by American Army car
brought us to Trieste, hot spot and
crossroads of eastern and western politi-
cal thinking. It is in this province of
Venezia Giulia that American and Brit
ish are glaring across the Morgan line
at Marshal Titos Yugoslav Partisans
Also engaged in the glaring are Italians,
who aided in the underground move
ment during the German occupation,
and Slovene Communists who are de-
termined not to lose the ground they
had won in the province before the
Allied Military Government took over
Neither Italians nor Slovenes are
pleased by the recent decision to inter-
nationalize the zone; the Italians show
their displeasure by rioting in the streets
of Trieste and the Yugoslavs torment our
soldiers by trying to slip across the
border. Italians and Slovenes join in
objecting to the civilian police force
which the Allied government is trying
to use to control the area.
We got into Trieste and out, between
riots, along the road from American
headquarters at Gorizia where several
days later an American soldier was
killed driving jeep.
Two Divisions Prepared.
The American 88th Division, under
command of Maj Gen. Bryant E. Moore,
every inch soldier, stationed in Venezia
Giulia, is at full war strength and ready
for any eventuality. Under the zone
commander, 1t. Gen. Sir John Harding,
doughty little Britisher, who led New
Zealand troops into Trieste, is New
Zealand division. The combined British
American force can handle any situation
likely to arise, Gen. Harding thinks, par
ticularly since an American cruiser lies
at anchor in Trieste harbor, under COM
mand of Admiral Bieri. To date border
incidents" of the pattern familiar along
adjoining zones of Russo American in
fluence to the north, have provided most
of the difficulties Since, under the
terms of the occupation agreement, 1000
Yugoslav troops remain within the Brit
ish-American zone, it is difficult to con-
troll such incidents.
A brief resume of the dispute which
brought this situation to pass in Trieste
is in order:
AS the war drew to close Allied
troops, battling their way through
Northern Italy envisaged occupation of
Southern Austria with lines of COM
munication through Venezia Guilia
Field Marshal Alexander opened nego-
tiations with Marshal Tito in February,
1945, and understood that when his
forces reached the Yugoslav lines he
would have control of the Trieste area
which the Allied Military Government
would handle through the existing
Yugoslav administration.
Tito Becomes Obstinate.
On May the I'd New Zealand Division
crossed the Isonzo River and met Yugo-
slav Partisans east of Monfalcone. Pro-
crossing onward to Trieste they met in
tern1ittant clashes with German troops,
but Tito's men had silenced the pill
boxes on the hillsides overlooking the
road. In Trieste the New Zealanders
took the surrender of 1000 Germans, and
by May 8, with British naval units, had
occupied substantial areas of the city
Opicina, nearby, had been occupied by
the British, but the Yugoslavs were per-
mitted to administer the local govern
ment.
Henceforth the situation became deli
cate. Marshal Tito suddenly showed an
unwilhngness to concede more than the
lines of communication to Austria and
maintained that he had conquered the
rest of Venezia Giulia and considered 1t
Yugoslav territory.
Here is the evidence as presented by
the British American command:
On May the Yugoslav radio was still