Ext 6116/46(S) 'Secret Weekly Political Intelligence Summaries, nos 356-416, August 1946-November 1947' [‎135r] (271/978)

15
Yugoslavia
The incident at Lanische, in Zone B of
Venezia Giulia, in which one priest on a
confirmation tour was murdered by decapi
tation, and a second was so badly mauled
that his life is in danger, is given a
r^erent interpretation in Yugoslavia from
timt current in Italy. The attitude taken
by the Yugoslav radio and press, following
a statement by the Prime Minister of
Croatia, is that it was due to the action of
a mob righteously incensed because the
priests refused to allow members of the
Yugoslav Army to be godfathers, on
account of their godlessness. The injured
priest w T as taken to a hospital in Fiume (the
authorities refused to allow him to be taken
to Trieste), and the Prime Minister has
stated that he is under arrest and will have
to answer to the law for his actions,
together with other organisers of the
incident.
The Praesidium of the Yugoslav
National Assembly has ratified the Peace
Treaties with Italy, Hungary and Bul
garia. In connection with the Italian
Treaty the Belgrade Press stressed that the
signing of the document did not mean that
Yugoslavia had renounced her claims to
people and territory rightfully hers which,
by the treaty, remained outside the fron
tiers of Yugoslavia.
After long negotiations in Belgrade
Major-General Maclean is nearing an
agreement with the Yugoslav Government
on the question of Yugoslav D.P.’s in
British-controlled territory. The British
refusal to supply lists of names of persons
in the D.P. camps and to dismiss the Yugo
slav nationals in the Civil Watchmen’s
Service in Germany has been maintained;
the time-limit during which the Yugoslav
Government can prefer charges against
alleged war criminals has been extended to
two months; and it has been pointed out
that, while the Yugoslav fears of trouble
from their nationals in Austria is entirely
of their own making, owing to their expul
sions of Volksdeutsche and the arrival of
refugees in sorry plight, H.M. Government
are prepared to do what they can to prevent
trouble, by removing trouble makers else
where.
Although touring in Dalmatia is once
again permitted, and the Yugoslav State
Tourist Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. has been instructed to
encourage visits by every possible means,
visitors arrive to find themselves confined
to the town of Split, unless they apply to
the Police Department there to visit other
places in Dalmatia. To go outside Dal
matia application has to be made to
Zagreb; these restrictions will not
encourage the Anglo-American tourist
traffic which the Yugoslav Government so
badly wants.
A special tourist ration card is issued,
valid for one month; it allows six times the
flour and five times the sugar of a normal
ration card.
It is reported from Dalmatia that,
despite a constant flow of statistics in the
press about the vast number of houses com
pleted and being built, there is very little
evidence of such building to the casual
traveller; indeed, many buildings damaged
during the war, and reparable, still lie un
touched and in semi-ruin. Indignation is
felt in Split at the news that Marshal Tito
is taking over a villa belonging formerly
to a wealthy Czech, and that 25,000,000
dinars will shortly be spent, according to
report, on its renovation.
Greece
The Greek Government crisis continued
until late on the 29th August when a
Populist Government under M. Tsaldaris
was sworn in. There had been long dis
cussions throughout the 27th and 28th on
the possibility of a coalition government
and at times it seemed that the majority of
the party leaders would serve under a
neutral ’ ’ Premier. Archbishop
Damaskinos, M. Maximos, Adm. Voulgaris
and Gen. Papagos had all been sug
gested, but the seven political leaders
agreed to call on M. Maximos again. On
the 29th M. Maximos proposed that all the
party leaders should be sworn in as
Ministers holding provisionally the same
posts as in the previous government. This
the leaders of the Centre Parties refused to
accept. The meeting broke up, and
Tsaldaris informed the King that he would
himself form a Populist government as all
attempts to form a coalition had failed.
The following were then sworn in :—
M. Tsaldaris—Premier and Minister
for Foreign Affairs.
M. Khelmis—Minister of Finance (and
temporarily Co-ordination and
National Economy).
M. Mavromikhalis—Minister of the
Interior (and temporarily Marine).
M. George Stratos—Minister of War
(and temporarily Public Works and
Reconstruction).
M. Hadjipanos—Minister of Transport
(and temporarily Posts and Tele
graphs).
M. Protopapadakis—Minister of
Labour (and temporarily of Air).