Evening star., 1948-06-29
SoviietAim Seen
To Send Troops
To yugos|aviia
Whereabouts of Tito
Unknown; Statement
Is Expected Today
By the Associofed Press

LONDON, June 29.-American
diplomatic sources in Rome said
today that Russia may be build
ing up a case to send troops to
Yugoslavia.
The Kremlin- ruled Cominform de-
nounced the Communist rulers of
the Balkan country yesterday
Premier Marshal Tito, his where
abouts still mystery, was castigated
by name and told in effect either
to adhere to the party line or be
replaced Tanjug, the official Yugo-
slav news agency, said it expected a
statement from Marshal Tito today.
The italian radio said martial law
was declared in Yugosiavia, but a
dispatch telephoned from Belgrade
to Prague said this was emphatically
denied in the Yugoslav capital.
The Belgrade correspondent of
the Associated Press said there was
a story that martial law was de-
clared around Mis-, near the Bull
garian border. to allow police and
soldiers to evacuate persons from a
f1cod zone. The story could not be
confirmed because of poor communi-
cations.
(There was no indication in
reports from the American En-
bassy in Belgrade to the State
Department today that there
had been any change in Marshal
Tito's status. So far as any one
in Belgrade could tell, Tito was
still in power, the department
was informed. The Yugoslav
government was functioning with
no apparent changes in top per-
sonnelD
Statement Promised.
Communist headquarters in Bel
grade repeated a promise to issue
statement in response to the Comm
form denunciation sometime this
afternoon.
The Cominform had accused Tito
and other Communist leaders OF
pursuing a hateful policy toward
Russia. leaning toward the western
powers, conducting a wrong Tor
eign and domestic policy and de-
partine from the Marxist-Lenlnlst
line.
Belgrade dispatches yesterday
said Tito was believed to be at his
summer palace at Bled in the north.
He usually spends June there. A
high Yugoslav diplomat in Rome
said Tito still is in power. The
fact remained that weeks had
elapsed since the strutting Marshal,
once a general in Russia's Red
Army. had appeared in the news.
At Lake Success, DR.. Jan Papanek,
former Czech U. N. delegate. ex-
pressed belief that Tito may be IN
grave personal danger, while high
American diplomatic ofhcials IN
Washington expressed the opinion
that the Yugoslav marshal and his
associates may already have been
"taken care Of"
Bv taken care Of" they meant
Tito may have been removed as
head of Vugoslavias government OF
merely 'immobilized for the PERIOD
of thinking and repentence-or
liquidated.
Lack Disciplinary Power.
The Cominform blast came with
suddenness and surprise yester-
dav from Prague. The opinion
there was that the Cominform IN
eHect bac said to Tito.
You have done wrong. Confess
and do better, but we don't think
you can
The Cominform ostensibly is only
Communist Information Bureau
without disciplinary power so far
as is known. But since the Rus
slams control the Cominform, it is
evident they can force Tito out OF
the Cominform. out of the party
and out of Yugoslavia if they choose
Communists in the past who have
been chastised by Russia CUSTOM
arily have denounced themselves,
left the party in shame and given
the reins to others. The denuncia-
ton of Tito and his lieutenants was
criticism as heads of the Yugoslav
Communist Party. But they also
are heads of the government.
French Communists said Tito's
"heresy" had been an open secret
among leaders of the party through
out Europe for weeks.
First Open Red Quarrel.
The fact remained that it was
the first open quarrel to erupt be-
hind the iron curtain among the
bloc of Eastern European states
60 SZIIC0CI A u Iaaa A . 4