"I DON'T FEEL GUILTY"

Chronicle (Levin), 12 June 1946, Page 5

"I DON'T FEEL GUILTY"

Press Assn.

Mikhailoviich's Only Plea C0LLAB9RAT10N TRIAL

Bv Teleciravh

-Cowriaht

Received Wednesday, 11.30 a.m. BELGRADE, JUnfe 11. "I do not feel guilty," was the' only reply General Draga Mikhailovitch would make to the President's deinand for a direct plea of guilty or not guilty, when the general's trial continued to-day. The prosecutor eariier, in winding up the case against Mikhailovitch, alleged that the Yugoslav i emigre government during the war used the British Broadcasting Corporation to transmit coded messages instructing him to co-operate with the occupation forces against the National Liberation Army and Government, and at the same time spread false reports of Mikhailoviich's activities to conceal his real role. He added that in addition to other crimes, Mikhailovitch commanded the dreaded Chetnik "Black Three" murder organisation, the members oi' which always stabbed their victims to death. Pact with Partisans When the court tried to pin him to an admission that he organised the Chetniks, Mikhailovitch insisted that he organised the army to fight invaders. He agreed that he ; made a paci with the partisans in j 1041 that they would not attack I one another, but added that he i could not do anything with many ! of the troops he commanded. After i Russia entered the war, he dis- | cussed probiems with the parti- , sans for a i'ew days. Mutual aid i wa& discussed, but he thought the ! partisans wanted to go too fast. | Shortly after the 1941 pact with j the partisans, the British liaison j Ollicer, Caplain Hudson, brought a j message from Oairo, stating that | the Middle East command consider- ; ecl the partisans should fight for ! Yugoslavia, and not for the Com- j muiiist cause of Russia. j Replying to the prosecutor, Mik- 1 hailovicch said that when he made ' the pact with the partisans, he intended to fight the invader. "At Ihe moment I did not think it was j possibie to fight," he added. Asked whetlier he led the attack ! against the partisans in 1941, Mik- ! hailovitch said: "Yes, I did. I could not consider them my allies." j He deelared he was first to fight ; the Germans, and added: "The i partisans were the first to begin j aUacking cities." Met Ihe Germans j Mikhailovitch admitted that he j met the Germans in the second half ! oi November, 1941. After five Ger- j man divisions attacked his force he ! met, a German emissary in the I Serbian village of Divtchi, as he ' wanlecl to prevent the people suf- ! fering from punitive expeditions. | The Gernvans asked him to surrendel' unconditionally. He re- ! l'used and ten ciays later the Ger- • maiis attacked. He suggested to . the exile Government that over- j tures should be made to Russia, but I received a reprimand from the ; exile Government, which said he must rely on ihe eastern irowers for support. Mikhailovitch agreed that he worked 011 directives from the exile Government, but deelared that he did not take orders from the British, "because I did not want Yugoslavia to become a colony, or under the command of any foreign country." He added that Captain Hudson had some code which enaoteu him to get information from the B.B.C. broadcasts. The Briiish Government knew what was going on, because they passed 011 the mes- j sages to the exile Government, ! which did not forbid him to attack | the partisans, and which did not 1 prder him to fight the Germans im- | mediately. ! Mikhailovitch said his treatment | after arrest had been correct. When shown a record of his interrogation after arrest, Mikhailovitch said he could not remember giving it. He had not been illtreated, but his health was very poor. Mikhailovitch frequently replied to questions: "I can't remember."