political Murders in the Balkans
Markham, R. H.
political Murders in the Balkans Tyranny Established in the Name of Democracy By R. H. Markham It has bean reported from Bucharest through .a|**eow ?»·* the Rumanian ex-Prime Minister, Alf»»"der...
...The impression got around thst Russia was afraid to set...
...The smashed...
...Though he started out as a bold champion of Rumsnian nelf government and won enviable fame as a defter of tyrants, he ressed to support democracy and drifted into die tatorisl paths for personal advantages...
...By the ^sdn...
...At the time when be wa* nego-ttXbtg with both ramps, Stalin made a notable speech in which he described the struggle among capitalist states, but he did not take side...
...Yet today Ramie, which deserted aad humiliated the Balkans at Ha most crucial moment, is sponsoring a purge of Kumsnians who were cowards and Who aacCUmhod to Hitler...
...Such men am going to liquidate an antiquated, aalledoroua bourgeois political opponent, who has committed no war crime and whose offense is thst he resemble...
...Bulgaria had been regarded ss peculiarly Russia's sphere of influence by all Rumanian*, and it was a Slav nation freed by Russia, yet Moscow wis quite passive when Hitler took Bulgaria over...
...Russia went even further and drove the Greek representatives out...
...Yugoslavia made s marvelous gesture of defiance to Hitler...
...1? ? a case of a bully, at a moment of power, making *a --zaniple of a dissgreeable and helpless old man...
...To be sure it concluded a friendship pact, but gave no help of any kind...
...r* being impeeed on much of Earepe, but that Asser-icsn Intellectuals who think they are liberals csll this bloody absoluti»*» democracy...
...He has been made ? victim of an autocratic partisan crusade aimed at lie elini ? nation of actual or potential political rivals, what is characteristic of extensive purges now taking place throughout the Balkans...
...The answer is George Tatarescu, traitor to hie party, a collaborator with Madame Lepeseu, a servant of King Carol, a notorious anti-Samite aad a con do ner of Iron Guardists...
...Them nation*, barely working their way out of long Turkish slavery, and striving in the face of graft, political violence, ignorance and imperial pressures toward freedom, tolerance snd self-government, are being terrorized by legalized political murders...
...He favored Wti-Semitic groups, condoned Fascist acts, served the «? toe rat Carol, helped break up his own National-rtaaant Perty, betrayed hi* chief, Juliu Maniu, and eased the way toward autocratic regimes...
...Unfortunately, in this fight of the Tatarescu pot against the Vaida kettle, Tatarescu is by no means alone...
...ACCENTUATING this humiliation of crushed little nations, the Soviet Union also withdrew recognition from Norway end Belgium...
...Thus the personnel of two sad legation*, representing heroic countries that had been smashed to bits for daring to oppose Hitler, sorrowfully departed from the capital of mighty Russia, ss Stslin concluded new commercial pacts with the Nsxi Fuehrer...
...A little later, however, he received hie- pram from Hitler and concluded the pact which made wsr certain and left Southeast Europe at the mercy of the Nazis...
...Hungary joined Germany, and Russia did nothing...
...In every town and city of the "liberated" areas gallows have been raised...
...And before the new Hitler-sponsored snd Hitler-subsidized Premier had settled in the new palace, Moscow recognized him and srrsnged for the exchange of diplomstic representatives...
...On the contrary it carried on trade with Germany and Molotov visited Berlin . Bulgaria later signed s pact with Hitler, but Russia did nothing more vigorous than have Tass write pale little articles...
...Whst did she do to prevent ¦smania from joining the Axis...
...People tee their neighbor* dangling in ¦trange, crooked-necked postures from the ende of rope...
...It is mainly political...
...Simply stated, it is Shi whan Adolf Hitler, at the apogee of his power, Ms moving into Southeast Europe and was par sly ting W.wnssaeriag the small Balkan nations, Russia wa* |M the aide of Germany and remained there until Russia Whs ettiejred, And bar last act before being invaded Pj h» ha ox...
...And slang with them, the anti-Cam-muuixt heargeei* leaders em being diapeaad ef...
...Drum* beat, trumpet* blow, flag* wave, soldier* march, fists am clenched in salutes and eloquent demagogue* declare that all thi* i* don* in th* nam* of democracy and national unity...
...On the contrary, it had just installed a pro-Nazi government...
...hate helpless Yugoslavia and Greece which fm Jest been crushed by Hitler...
...Stalin didn't say a word...
...They were pat there by Moscow and the Red Army...
...As the Minister of heroic Grew* wss disconsolately leaving Moscow, smarting from having been kicked out, Hitler's Iraqian Raschid AH wa* glowing from Molotov'* hearty hand (hake...
...Political and •ven personal opponents are being denounced and executed...
...But between such a taurei condemnation and the present political effort to exterminate him, there is a vast difference...
...If greet Rossis had mad* a deal with Hitler for its owa advantage, w a* it strange that Rumania tried to do th* name...
...When the light of our eye hecomet darkneee, kaw grett to that darkneet...
...They call'such tyranny good...
...Rabid "People's Courts" am working, such a* Hitler u»ed to extol...
...Rumania saw Russis sttsck little Finland, take nearly half of Poland, recognise the Hitler-created state of Slovakia, ship supplies to the despot who had smsshed the Czechs, and, in agreement with that despot, ¦i occupy two Rumanian provinces...
...On what grounds is the present dictatorship trying to dispose of s quasi-dictator, who might be their rival...
...With him, for instance, is Mihail Railea, who is just s vest pocket edition of Tatarescu...
...Not only that, but when Yugoslavia collapsed under terriAc Nazi blowa, Russis drove the Yugoslav diplomstic representation out of Moscow without even taking the trouble to say good bye, and refused to recognize the Yugoslav government in exile...
...He was Vaids's colleague in desertion, and Tatarescu's pal in autocracy...
...It overthrew a pro-Nazi government and set up one thst wss unequivocally sgainst Germany...
...Ia defense of his political record I have nothing to any, I long ago condemned him...
...It appeared that Russia wss sfrsid of offending Hitler...
...anti-Hitler nation* were getting Russia's bradxa...
...Both Britain and ^«¦enp were trying to win Russia's lappert Stalin j?M both hi* prim, namely th* Baltic states, eastern ***** and Beeoarabla...
...For centuries Russia has had its eye on the Dardanelles, it hsd even fought wars for them...
...Later he tern a factional group away from the Liberal Party, ef which he had been secretary, and helped Car*] establish a personal regime which put an aed to all normal political life and eventaally eevalaeed fate bloody absolut ism With Tataresco's help, Carol created his own "Hitler Jagend" and itwagarated many Nasi practices...
...For twenty years the Russian Communists hsd boasted of the army and war industry they were creating, but · if they didn't dare mak* a stand against Hitler what could weak agrarian states do...
...yet Russia took no action when Hitler strengthened his hold on Turkey...
...otherwise Tatarescu would be tried...
...Almsader Vaida...
...Lot aa rwvlew some of Russia's step* in relation to *· *«lk«n .rates, as these desperately tried to save t»e*.e*)r** from the Na«i-F*srist Behemoth...
...It was left for Englsnd snd the neutrala to give the poor Yugoslav diplomats a send off...
...The act which irst brought George Tatarescu t* the attention of all Rumania and indeed or the »ntert world was his participation, as a high gevarasseat functionary, in a terrible anti-Semitic pogrom in western Rumania 18 years ago...
...Is it any wonder thst the Balkan peoples despaired of Russia and began to my that even if Hitler penetrated to India, ae Alexander had one* done, Stalin though expecting each intervening nation to fight, would do nothing himself, except expel those nations' legations from Moscow...
...Tatarescu and Ralleo...
...When the National Liberal Party, the National Peasant Party aad the email Socialist Party opposed the personal regime ef absolutist Carol...
...They are legalized IjtHtical massacres, I sat by no means inferring that Aleiander Vaina Voevode ia a "good" man...
...This is being done not only in Rumania, hut in most of Southeast Europe, with the exception of Greece...
...In addition to that, Kumania had watched Russia meekly submit to Germany's domination of the whole Bslksns...
...The most ominous development of this mease*-tons spring is not that minority dktatorahlge...
...greeted the mtW pro Hitler Iraq goweinamnt and driven frees Mas-cow the representative* of the tittle defeated a at i-Asia states, eaa nay ana nay that th* Soviet Uasoa had deae anything to inspire Ramsels to resist Hitler...
...And what' haa been Russia's conduct in respect to Ru-inaniaV war crimes...
...M<*tcow'a record in this respect is plain, for all the jrarU and ail generations to read...
...Twice they split their parties) once to serve a royal autocracy aad now to serve a foreign autocracy—in both cases in regimes to which a majority of the Rumanian people lave been opposed...
...When a writer calle the du$k the dawn, it i* tragic...
...But there wss one small nation it hastened to fsvor, Iraq, because Iraq was not crushed by the Nazis...
...When Carol fell - or fled -- Halles worked himself into th* Socialist Party and then split it in order to join the present Communist-led, Soviet-inspired, Rumanian dietatorshi pi Tmtmretcu and Rallea save a rteord of slat aet 100 por eon t political untcmpulontneu...
...Aim during the first part of 1941, the Soviet Union made new commercial agreements with Russia, which greatly pleased Ute Nazis and which the neutral press called record-making grain contracts...
...Tass merely wrote another mild article...
...More specihcsUy, let us ask who is trying to purge Dr...
...ef lftt it was plain to the world that Hitler ¦ss about to prorok* a global war...
...political Murders in the Balkans Tyranny Established in the Name of Democracy By R. H. Markham It has bean reported from Bucharest through .a|**eow ?»·* the Rumanian ex-Prime Minister, Alf»»"der Vaida-Voevode, has been arrested and 9 t* he tried as a war criminal Since he had no fkett connection with the war and was deprived of ¦il political posts long before the war began, this jeridirial action is plainly political...
...If mighty Russia made a deal with Hitler and actually joined him in seising foreign territory, what could little Yugoslavia, or Rumania or Bulgaria hope to do...
...Aa the Bulgarian* my, "For one a wedding (tvadba), tot another an ax* (oredVa...
...Ralles's first notorious political act was to break off relations with his political chief, Juliu Maniu, and join King Carol in suppressing democracy...
...It is an attempt to deprive the moderate elements' of leaders, to terrorise the people, so that when election* come, 9S.6 percent of them will vote for the dictatorial regime*, a* they did in Russia, Austria, Italy, and Germany...
...Even the Bulgarian Communist*, led by the famous George Dimitroff, did nothing of importance to resist it...
...The purge is not primarily of war criminals nor of the persecutors of Jews...
...And how do the bullies happen to be in power...
...And is It strange that some of the Balkan papers wrote, "Does Russia expect us to commit suicide...
...Turkey signed a pact with Germany, and Russia acquiesced...
...They say, "only the old gsng is being killed" as though the very concept of justice snd right weren't being wiped out and at though Hitler's methods weren't being adopted...
...He ahm kicked out Titalesce, the ramous pre-French, pro-Russia ? Foreign Minister...
...And saddest of all, many earnest but irresponsible Americans applaud this ss democracy...
...Tatarescu supported it...
...It is the continuation of a long Communist revolution begun 26 yearn ago in Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary and Rumania...
...I know him well and have i»ng felt outraged at his political activities...
...After Rasei* had taken tWanerabfa, recognised glevekia, whom traitor em Nasi-led gevmammt had destroyed tzecher.lov.kia...
Vol. 28 • April 1945 • No. 17
