Evening star., 1950-09-21
Yugos|avia Reviewing
Entire Church Issue,
Pepper Quotes Tito
By the Associoted Press

-~AO@S4A@~0S AOSFS' 49, - wa 40
touring American congressional
delegation quoted Premier Mar
shal Tito today as saying the
'entire religious situation" in
Yugoslavia is now under review.
The statement came in an in
terview from Senator Pepper,
Democrat, of Florida who. along
with Senator Brewster, Repub-
lican, of Maine; Representative
Cooley, Democrat, of North Car
olina, and Representative Poage,
Democrat. of Texas. left by plane
today for Trieste after a two-day
stay here, which included three
hour chat with Tito.
With characteristic American
bluntneSs, the group raised almost
every problem involved in United
States -Yugoslav relations, includ-
ing some so delicate they have
been avoided in diplomatic dis
cussions.
Korea Plebiscite Uurged.
They ranged from religion to
communism, from the future of
more than 10000 Greek children
brought here during their home
lands civil war to the question of
American aid-both for domestic
development and for military as
sistance.
The Congressman quoted Tito
as saying the United States should
fight to the 38th parallel in Ko-
rea. then stop and call for
countrywide plebiscite. The 38th
parallel was the boundary which
separated western recognized
South Korea from Communist
North Korea.
Senator Pepper and other men,
berS of the delegation said Tito,
while sticking to an independent
stand for Yugoslavia in the Ko-
rean conflict, expressed approval
of the United States action-and
that of the United Nations-in
taking an immediate stand against
any effort to disturb world peace.
Tito Denies Charges.
The group bluntly told Tito that
the people of the United States
were gravely concerned over re-
ports reaching there that religious
persecution is carried on here;
that its people would tolerate aid
to no country without religious
freedom.
Tito denied the charges of reli-
gious persecution.
Although they refused to quote
Tito directly. the Congressman
said he informed them that only
yesterday he had a conference in
the same room where they were
sitting with a "high Roman Cath
olic official about state and church
problems"
The church official was uniden-
titled. However, the lawmakers
reported that Tito at this point
informed them that the new reli-
gious situation in this country is
being reviewed. Just four years
ago Roman Catholic Archbishop
Alojzijc Stepinac was sentenced
to 16 years in prison, accused of
collaborating with the Nazis. He
still is in prison.
Want Children Returned.
On the question of the Greek
children. the congressional delega-
tion told Marshal Tito that the
United States wanted to see the
immediate return of the young
Sters-about 1000 of them-to
their parents.
Tito replied that YugoSlavia al
ready has returned several hun
dred of the children and hopes
to get the rest back to their
parents just as soon as this coun-
try could determine the parents
identity and their present loca-
ton.
The delegation argued with him
that the children should be sent
home Immediately and their fu-
ture determined by some such Or
ganization as the International
Red Cross or the United Nations.
Tito apparently was positive on
one point. He said Yugoslavia
does not want military aid from
the United States while pursuing
its independent policy in the cold
war conflict between the East and
the West.
He told Congressman, however,
that Yugoslavia would welcome
financial assistance from the West
for domestic development, particu-
larly for mining equipment to ex-
tract the country's valuable ore
and thus pay back the loans.