Evening star., 1946-06-11
Gen. Mihoi|ovich Says He Met
|Nozis in Late November, 7947
I Don't Feel Guilty.
He Declares in
Opening Defense
BY the Assoeioted Press

BY the Assoeiatsd Press
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia, June
11.-Gen. Draja Mihailovich ad-
mitted at the trial for his life
today that he met the Germans
in "the second half of Novem-
ber" Of 1941 and declared that
the meeting followed German
attack against him with five di-
visions"
The Chetnik leader, on trial by
Marshal Titos Yugoslav regime for
alleged treason and collaboration
with the enemy, said that at one
time, he couldn't do anything with
many Of the troops who recognized
my command"
He opened his defense with the
statement that Il don't feel guilty"
The court president tried to get
the underground warrior to answer
yes or no to a question of guilt, but
the defendant merely repeated: II
don't feel guilty."
Opening the case yesterday. the
government of Marshal Tito
who had just returned from the
two weeks of conferences in Mos
coW-charged that an American
officer, Col. Robert H. Mcdowell,
took part in conferences between
Gen. Mihailovich and a German
commander in 1914 and that a
British omcer told Gen. Mihailovich
year earlier to "liquidate the Com
munists" in Yugoslavia. Tito's re-
gime has refused to allow Americans
or Britons to testify for Gen. Mi
hailovich. first underground leader
to gain prominence in the overrun
countries during the war.
There was tone of rebuke in the
defendants voice when he said, in
answer to question:
THE charge was handed to me
only a week ago and has many
points in it ." =
You must answer briefly" the
court president broke in to say.
Gen. Mihailovich himself inter-
rupted a moment later in the midst
of long question to say irrelevantly
Il was the first insurgent in
Europe"
When the court tried to confine
bin to the question of whether he
organized the Chetniks, underground
guerrillas, Gen. Mihailovich insisted
that he organized an army to fight
the occupiers (Germans).
With a quiet YES" he admitted
reaching an agreement with Mar
shal Tito's partisans early in 1941
not to attack each other.
Problems Discussed.
after Soviet Russia entered the
war June, 194D we discussed prob
lens for few days." Gen. Mihailo-
vich said.
@. What kind of conversations?
A. Concerning helping each other
but I thought the partisans wanted
to go too fast.
@. Did you come to an early
agreement with the partisans that
you would not attack each other?
A. Yes.
@. Did you have a pact with the
Partisans?"
A. Yes" ....
O., WAS. it October rs, 1s4l?" 49,. -,
A. Il am not sure, but it was along
there 1t was known fact"
Gen. Mihailovich said a British
liaison captain named Hudson
brought a message from Cairo, Brit
ish Middle East headqurters.
THE message from the Middle
East command considered they the
Chetniks) should fight for Yugo-
slavia and not for the Communist
cause or Soviet Russia" Gen. Mi.
hailovich testified.
Continuing questions about the
pact with the Partisans, the court
president asked:
did you plan to fight the oc-
cupier?"
A. "Of course, I did. That was
why I was preparing -. At the
moment I did not think it was pos
sible to fight"
Chair Ordered for MihailOvich.
The court orderd a chair fo1
Gen. Mihailovich, who until then,
had been standing before a micro
phone at small lectern facing the
three e-man court.
The defendant sprinkled his tes-
timony with the phrases Il can't
remember" and I'm not sure" and
TT is very hard for me to remem-
ber."
He spoke strongly and clearly
however, and persistently insisted
on his own phrasing of answers
Replying to question as to wheth-
er he led an attack against Par
tisan unit in 1941, he answered.:
"Yes, I did"
@. why did you attack"
A. II could not consider them my
allies. I tried to save villages from
plumber. Here was group un-
known to me and it began to plum
der. I attacked one other company
earlier before it joined me, because
it plundered."
Gen. Mihailovich admitted send.
ing officers to Gen. Milan Medic, the
Quisling premier of Serbia, whe
committed suicide in Jail after the
German collapse, but he denied any
agreement was reached.
Two civil attorneys defending the
general had one sharp encounter
after another with the court presi-
dent, who tried to make Gen. Mihai-
lovich say whether his force or the
Partisans was the first to fight the
! Germans