Evening star., 1949-07-19

why trieste Should NOT BE
Free" City
To the Editor Of The Star:
DR.. Richard A. Kahn's arguments for q
free" city of Trieste sound hollow and
utopistic. He states that Trieste econom-
ically must remain free city" for the sake
Of peace. although about three-fourths of
the 350,000 inhabitants of Trieste are of
Italian origin and speak Italian for it is
the only sea outlet of Austria. Hungary and
Czechoslovakia. which before World War
imported and exported through Trieste three
and six times as much as Italy. respectively;
and lit was business center in which
Yugoslav firms (Consulich Line) and Ger
man corporations austrian Lloyd COM
peted freely with Italian companies (Assi-
curazioni GeneralD." And he concludes
Not one of the adjacent countries will be
satisfied by an Italian Trieste, II it does not
assure equality of business opportunities for
all and free port to their importers and
exporters"
It is simplicistic to think and state that
peace will be served and preserved by keep
ing Trieste "a free city," for all the countries
interested in Trieste would dislike and op-
pose such a setup, revamping old strifes
And just now the Kremliners within and
without the city advocate its independence
or internationalization as first step toward
its final Kremlining In the present world
wide pattern OF nations and boundaries, it
is unjust and impractical to cut an Italian
city away from the Italian nation, and this
severance had been perpetrated solely to
appease the Soviets. At the outset of those
defeatist negotiations James F. Byrnes.
speaking frankly. declared that Trieste was
an Italian city and as matter Of principle.
should remain 50. Nine -tenthS of the popu-
lation is Italian and the rest are Croato
Slovenes whose infiltration was pushed first
by the Hapsburgs and then by the Russian
Gen. S. Lebedev, former commercial attache
at the u. S. S. r. Embassy in Belgrade, who
now rules Yugoslavia as Tito, impersonating
the liquidated Josip Broz.
Baltic Outlets Available.
Trieste is not the only sea outlet for
Central European countries. There are
others on the Baltic shores and along the
Eastern Adriatic coast. But even If Trieste
were the only sea outlet. its union with
Italy would not alter its function, as is the
case of all sea outlets the world over. II
it were otherwise, most of the sea outlets
should change their nationality, which
sounds ridiculous. There were no "Yugo-
slavia firms in Trieste before World War I
when there was not yet any such thing as
Yugoslavia. which name came into use by
law Of October 3, 1929: moreover. the
COSullcn Line naQ Deen eSLdDllSIleQ ny IIe
homonymous italian family which came
originally from the Italian island OF Lussln-
piccolo and now. because of the said ap-
peasenaent and Its dire consequences, oper-
ates from Genoa. Italy. The Lloyd was
German, or Austrian in the same measure
and sense as the city itself. and in fact
since the liberation of Trieste in 1918, 1t
has continued to operate under Italian rule.
Before the internationalization Of all ma
tions and cities into one world and one rule.
it is absurd that Trieste alone, among all
ports, should give equality of business oppor-
tunities for all and q free port to their
importers and exporters, just as II 1t were
q city Of nobody. by nobody and for nobody.
If your correspondent means to suggest
the idea of mutual agreements between
Italy and the neighboring countries for
mutually profitable use Of the port under
Italian sovereignty. that is admissible and
desirable. Actually. such agreements
worked very we'll before the Anschluss.
However. free, independent or interna-
tionalized city is utopia that may be
turned into Soviet reality in no time. The
impracticality of this plan amply is demon
strated by the inability Of the powers to
appoint a governor, to make the harbor
operative and profitable and to include into
tho so-called free territory" the Zone B
which Yugoslavia high-handedly annexed to
herself. A free" Trieste would be at the
mercy Of allied indifference and Red as-
sression. ANTONIO S. ROSSO.