SECRET CHETNIK ORGANISATION

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24904, 18 June 1946, Page 5

SECRET CHETNIK ORGANISATION

MIKHAILOVIC GIVES EXPLANATION

FURTHER EVIDENCE IN BELGRADE BELGRADE, June 16. General Mikhailovic told the War Crimes Tribunal that the “Black Triokas” (Black Threes), which the indictment states prepared a list of victims and stabbed to death those marked on it with the letter Z, had been formed merely to frighten quislings. He added that he asked the 8.8. C. to broadcast orders with the object of creating a “mysterious personality”— virtually himself. The letter Z was chosen as a “bad letter,” as it began the Serbian word “zaplashti” (to-frighten). He denied that it stood for zaklati (to kill with a knife). General Mikhailovic denied ordering the killing of Partisans and their sympathisers. He said that purging could be carried out by other methods. “Never as long as I have been a soldier have I allowed even captured soldiers to be killed, let alone civilians,” he said. Questioned by counsel for the defence. General Mikhailovic said that he suffered from anaemia. When he had admitted that he had co-operated with the enemy, he did not mean that he had collaborated with them. “Collaboration means agreement with the enemy, which was never made,” he said. “I never personally collaborated with the enemy, although some of my commanders did2’ He said that the Germans arrested his wife and children and held his wife in prison for 18 months. The Germans put a price on his head and a price on the head of Marshal Broz, too. General Mikhailovic added that he had given Britain information about Germany’s V-l jet-propelled flying bombs in 1943, a year before the robot attacks began. The Court rejected an offer by American airmen and others to testify in General Mikhailovic’s defence. The prosecutor said that the proposed evidence would be in direct contradiction to statements made 1 by General Mikhailovic himself. DEMAND FOR DOUBLE PAY N.S.W. MINERS MAY STOP WORK (Rec. 10 p.m.) NEWCASTLE, June 17. The stoppage of all mines on the South Maitland coal fields is likely within a week if double pay for work on Victory Day is not allowed. A group of unions has decided to stop work next Monday if their demands are not met. These collieries are responsible for an output of more than 20,000 tons of coal a day, or about two-thirds of the northern New South Wales production. The men's objection concerns differences in awards in various parte of the State.

ATLANTIC FLIGHT RECORD BRITISH AIRLINER (Rec. 9 p.m.) LONDON, June 16. The British Overseas Airways Corporation Constellation airliner Balmoral to-day flew from New York to Heathrow, London’s new airport, In the record time of llhrs 5® "Daily Express” says the Pan American Airways claim for a record A J Sht of llhrs Bmin did not give the full flying time, but only that between setting out and arriving over the destination The full total, according to a Pan American Airways official, would be llhr 34min.