The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1946-08-16
News }1,)
Behind
THENE!'|&|I!l!$I|E!|lEI5
Released by Western Newspaper Tn
TRIAL OF MIHAILOVITCH
A PROPAGANDA STUNT
yAUL MALLON

A PROPAGANDA STUNT
WASHINGTON. - The final de-
tense of Mihailovitch, hero of the
Chetniks, was little reported in this
country. American popular interest
in him waned when he was reported
to have admitted acts of collabora-
ton" with the enemy during the
war. Of such a character is our
acute sense of justice. But in this
case it has been successfully abused
land misled
Mihailovitch spoke for four hours
from notes he had made for 80
days, ending his speech at midnight
with this final accounting from an
anti-Nazi resistance soldier:
81 had against me a COMPETE
tive organization, the Commu-
mist party, which seeks its aims =
without compromise. I was
faced with changes in my own
government and accused Of
connections with every possible
secret service, enemy and Al
lied. l believed 1 was on the
right road and called on any for
eign journalist or Red army
mission to visit me and see ev-
erything. But fate was merci-
less to me when it threw me
into this maelstrOm between
the western demOcracies and
RUSSIA. wanted much. 1
started much, but the gale of
the world carried me away from
my work."
BROKEN BY TORTURE
This is a Serbian soldier of re-
sistance, far from the early time
when he and the British alone were
resisting the Nazis but Russia was
not, speaking after clever Commu-
mist torture in a mockery of trials
which could find counterpart only
in the Moscow treason trials for
Russian propaganda purposes. The
methods of torture which broke his
mind have been frequently de-
scribed in books available at our
libraries Clan Valtin's "Out of the
Night"). Thus was the Slavic tenn
permanent and mind led to confess
anything his captors wished for
their purposes. of propaganda in
Strengthening the disliked Tito gov
eminent in Yugoslavia, and for eff
feet upon people throughout the Bal
kans. (Our own house foreign af-
fairs subcommittee says Tito was
educated in Russia, was soldier
OF the Red army and ruled Yugo-
slavia for the Communists by ma
chine guns, although he had the vol
untary support of only IS to 10 per
cent of his cities and "from 5 to
zero per cent" of villagers and
farmers.)
Before the "triar' of the Chetnik
commander-in-chief, on our side up
to December, 1915, his Communist
party adversary Tito went to Mos
cow. With him he took his military
leaders and the head of his secret
police-the Ozana. A full military
agreement was reached (Tito can
contribute an army of 100000 to any
Russian cause) and a propaganda
agreement for Mihailovitch.
This is the same Tito govern
ment which later informed our
state department that the
crimes of Mihailovitch, before
the trial, had been judged to be
"tO0 great and terrible for any
discussion'-Or for American
testimony. Its foreign minister
had announced before the trial
MAY III: "MihailOvitch will
be shot,"
The Russians took no chances on
it. The three members Of the
"court" were officers from the Tito
army, and members of the Commu-
mist party. The spectators Kissed
and booed statements, such as the
truthful assertion of a defense at
torney that the law under which the
men were being tried was made up
by the Communist government aft
er the supposed "crimes" were
committed. The verdict Of death
for Mihailovitch was cheered.
TRAVESTY ON JUSTICE
To call this propaganda farce by
the name of trial is an accusation
against justice. Mihailovitch fought
largely under the supervision of the
British mission against Nazis-but
he did not fight for the Russians.
This was his real crime. He fought
for the British and Americans as
well as his Serbs, but he did not
fight for the Russians.
Mihailovitch was not "tried' in
Belgrade. What was tried in Bel
grade was Russia and communism.