Evening star., 1946-09-04
Gets
Blank u. ). Bill
No Further Action
Planned if Tito
Pays, Clayton Soys
BY the Assoeiofed Press

onoerSecretary OF State Clay
ton said today that if Yugoslavia
will pay indemnity for loss of life
and property, the United States
stands ready to close the dispute
over the downing of two Amer
lean planes.
Mr., Clayton told a news confer
ence this country hopes to have
its bill for damages ready for Bel
grade in the near future.
He added that the United States
considers its 3,100-Word note to
Yugoslavia last night as closing cor
respondence on the matter, except
for the indemnity issue.
He recalled that Marshall Tito
had met all other American de-
mands, including formal apology
and a pledge that the Yugoslav
armed forces would never again
fire on American transport planes.
No Indication of Reaction.
Five American lives were lost in
the crash of one of the two trans
port planes.
Marshal Tito to date has given no
definite indication of his reaction
to the projected indemnity claim,
although he did assert in a recent
note that his Government could not
assume responsibility for the
crashes.
Should he refuse to pay damages,
the United States might have to
.reiterate its l3-day-old threat to
take the case before the United Ma
tions Security Council.
Most American officials concerned
with the matter appeared to believe
Tito would agree to indemnity
terms.
The notice that the United States
expects damages for the loss of life
and property was contained in a
note delivered oy Mr.. Clayton to DR..
Selgije Makiedo, Yugoslav charge
d'affaireS. The note in fact eX-
pressed surprise that Yugoslavia had
! not volunteered in advance to paw
Beyond that, Mr. Clayton. pains
takingly citing numbers, dates
places and types of aircraft denied
series of Tito claims that Ameri-
can planes were flying virtually al
will over Yugoslavia without permis-
sion. and thus violating that coun-
try's sovereignty.
After answering each point of the
Tito indictment. Mr.. Clayton de-
clared the alleged violations o1
YugoSlav territory must have beer
made by planes other than United
States planes" He did not elaborate
on that point.
278 Violations Claimed.
Tito had claimed 278 unauthorized
American flights over Yugoslavia
since July is.
In the latest Tito complaint, 8
note dated August 80 and made
public yesterday, the Yugoslav gov.
ernment asserted that the delib.
crate and brutal infringement" O.
Yugoslav territory can no lonpe]
De tolerated. The Yugoslavs as
serted in that note that they hae
not received replies to earlier pro,
tests concerning fights of American
planes.
Mr.. Clayton. basing his figures or
a check into the whereabouts O.
every American military plane il
Europe during the period" sale
there were only AZ fights anywhere
near Yugoslav territory. And he could
deny categorically, he said, that
some of those planes crossed the
Yugoslav frontier.
Tito Contention Denied.
mo American planes have flowr
over Yugoslavia Intentionally with.
out advance approval of Yugosla,
authorities unless forced to do 81
in an emergency" he asserted.
In that connection, Mr.. Claytor
denied Tito's contention that Meth.
Ell of the American transports forced
down was over Yugoslav territory
because of bad weather.
The pilot of the plane which
crashed August got off course, thu
American note said, because O
heavy clouds, icing and higl
winds"
But as for the August 19 crash
Mr.. Clayton said it was impossibl,
to get complete information for &
grim reason: The pilot and crev
of this unarmed American trans.
port are dead, shot down by Yugo
SlaV armed aircraft"
Had Expected Offers.
On the issue of payment, Mr.
Clayton said he was constrained
to advise that the United State.
lSee YUGOSLAV, Page A-6.)