Enakopravnost. [volume] (Cleveland, O.[Ohio]) 1918-1957, 1946-10-11
ENGLISH SECTION
The Truth About the
American -Jugoslav
"CriSiS"
BY Louis Adamic

! Military Missions of the Ministry of
National Defense on several occa.
sions called the attention of the
military and air attaches of the
American embassy to the continu.
ing unauthorized, nreporte e d
flights of American planes (they
were nearly all American now
over Jugoslav territory. And on
July 10, General Kocha PopoviGh
Chief of Staff of the Jugoslav
Army, himself wrote to the Ameri-
can military attache in Belgrade,
asserting that the seriousness OF
these continued unauthorized
flights was not to be minimized
They made the whole country res
tive. There were rumors (probably
unfounded) that some of the planes
had dropped leaflets and supplies
for whom? were they photo.
graphing?
The Americans answered finally
in notes on July 16, and August T.
The matter, these notes said, had
been taken up with the competent
A m e ic a n military authorities
which had not yet replied. The let
ter Of August 7 said that, a short
time before, the American Govern
ment had issued a circular letter
forbidding American planes to fly
over the territory of friendly coun-
tries without special permission.
But still the flights continued.
There were l72 such flights. &C.
cording to Jugoslav records. be.
tween July Is and August s-s7
bo,nbe7s. As transport planes and
40 fighters.
On Aug. 9, an American CAT
transport appeared at height of
5000 meters over the airport in
Ljubljana and circled the city
twice. Jugoslav fighters gave what
they believed to be internationally
understood signals ordering the
plane to land (the American fliers
later said thed had not understood
the signals). When the American
plane failed to comply, and headed
toward the border, the Jugoslavs
| forced it down. By great good for
tune and the skill of the American
pilot, Capt. William Crombie, no
one was injured in the forced land
ing. A Turkish officer aboard the
plane had been wounded by Jugo-
slav gunfire while the plane was
still aloft.
This plane, forced off it's course
on the difficult run from Vienna to
Udine by bad weather." (there has
been difference of opinion on
this, Jugoslavs claiming the day
was clear), was only a short dis
lance from Tito's summer home at
Bled when it was forced down.
How would it be in an unreported,
unauthorized foreign plane sudden
ly came over the summer White
House? In such circumstances,
would American fighters have
forced down the foreign plane? If
they had shot it down believe
they would have been in error, as
l believe the Jugoslavs in this in
stance were in error But it would
i have been an error toward which
! American public opinion would
have shown indulgence.
And it should not be forgotten
that, despite official American de-
malls of the number of unauthorized
! flights claimed by the Jugoslavs,
American members of the crew of
the plane forced down on Aug.
asserted, when interviewed after
their release on Aug. p and be-
fore they were silenced, that they
personally knew of frequent
/ flights of both American and Brit
ish airplanes over Jugoslav terri
tory recently" They said they un-
| derstood there had been as many
as 20 such flights daily, which tai
lied with Jugoslav claims.
Yet even after this first incident
the tragic situation continued, and
on Aug. 10 another American
transport, making the same run,
again went off it's course, although
the Jugoslavs insist that the wealth
er was fine and visibility excellent
on that day. The plane was so kilo-
meters, or over Is miles, within
Jugoslav territory. The Jugoslav
aviators claim they tried for IS
minutes to persuade the plane to
land. 1t ignored their signals, and
under their tragically all-considered
gunfire fell in flames near Kopriv-
mix, with the loss of all five men
aboard.
Continued meat week.