Evening star., 1953-07-07
The Balkan Pact Stands Up

The Balkan triumvirate of Greece, Turkey
and Yugoslavia who signed treaty of friend
ship several months ago, are taking steps to
assure friends and foes alike that theirs was
not meaningless gesture.
In the wake of Soviet bids for more cordial
relations with each of the three powers, and
for renegotiation of some of their differences
with the Moscow government, the trio has re-
affirmed in a joint announcement and in
individual statements by each of their foreign
ministers the intent to carry out the tripartite
accord in all respects including that of military
cooperation. And even more meaningfu to
Moscow, perhaps is the unofficial word that the
trio will make a new appeal "to other countries
whose collaboration might be considered de-
sirable"-a clear invitation to neighboring
Soviet satellite states to break away from Red
domination.
Having expressed somewhat mixed and
guarded initial reaction toward the Big Three
conference scheduled in Bermuda on July g.
the Balkan group included in their latest joint
announcement what is interpreted as a more
friendly reference to the effect that they would
appreciate all the efforts that would be of
nature to assure the effective solution of those
problems which cause international tension"
The three Balkan foreign ministers have Sched-
uled conference in Athens at the time of the
Bermuda meetings. putting them in position to
react promptly to any British h-French-American
declarations.
1t was only fortnight ago that the Krem-
lin turned its current peace offensive" against
the Balkan area. The most spectacular move
was to waive its previous territorial claims to
three eastern Turkish provinces and to pro-
pose new discussions on control of the Turkish
Straits. No formal reply has yet been made by
the Ankara government At the same time,
Moscow suggested resumption of full diplomatic
relations with Greece and YugoSlavia. The
latter government responded aff1rmatively to
this proposal but Marshal Tito interpreted it
as triumph for Belgrade and repeated his own
scornful distrust of the Kremlin regime.
In the meantime, there have been develop
ments and rumors that indicate some of the
soft spots" behind the Iron Curtain may be
we'll within range of an anti-Soviet propaganda
drive from the pro-Western Balkan trio. AL
bania, cut off from direct land contact with it's
satellite partners, has long been reported un-
easy about its vulnerability. Disorders have
been reported in Bulgaria, and both Romania
and Hungary, ruled by pro-Soviet puppet gov
ernments, are carrying the burden of Russian
military occupation under the pretext of MAIN
tanning supply and communication lines to the
Russian zone of Austria
All of these countries have deeply rooted
tradition of nationalism and history of fear
of Russian imperialism. A carefully devised
strategy of psychological warfare coming from
neighboring anti-Soviet Balkan states might
create serious trouble for the Communist bosses
in the Kremlin.
g.
Washington is dismayed by report indi-
eating national shortage of brain power, and
we can understand how this could surprise the
politician, accustomed as he is to looking out
over vast seas of intelligent faces.