NAZIS & TURKEY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 August 1941, Page 5

NAZIS & TURKEY

INTENSE DIPLOMATIC PRESSURE ATTEMPT TO GAIN USE OF BLACK SEA. GUERILLA FORCES ACTIVE IN BALKANS. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, August 28. Diplomatic circles in Sofia, Bulgaria, declare that Germany is trying to reach an agreement with Turkey lor the use of the Black Sea. There is intense diplomatic activity at Ankara, where the Turkish President, General Inonu, lias received the-Ger-man Ambassador. Herr von Papon, who will leave fori Germany on September 2 and is expected to return io Ankara after a few days. The Hungarian news agency reports that Turkey has closed Thrace to all foreigners and prohibited motor and rail traffic between Turkey and Europe. The Istanbul correspondent of “The Times” says that according to infor-

mation from trustworthy sources considerable forces of Italian regular and militia troops have arrived in the Greek and Yugoslavian territories which are occupied by Bulgaria. The presence of the Italians is very unwelcome to the Bulgarians, who consider the territories to be their exclusive property, and it is understood that the Bulgarian Government demanded, assurances from Berlin and Rome that the troops would be removed as soon as possible. A general impression prevails in. Bulgaria that the concentration of Italian, forces is the result of plans for German and Italian action in the Near East in the coming autumn, the correspondent says. The total number of Italians now stationed in the Balkans is estimated at 700,000. The German organisation created by Herr Todt, the German transport expert, has recently extended its activities to the Balkans, where it is constructing, repairing and enlarging roads and railways leading to the south-east. Work should be completed at the end of October. It is officially reported from Moscow that Yugoslav guerillas are courageously fighting the occupation troops and destroyed four sections of the Maribor-Trieste railway, derailed two German troop trains, and , destroyed several bridges on the highway between Varazdin and Cakovac. Guerillas in scores of places cut telegraph wires, destroyed railway switches and traffic lights, and also blew up a German-controlled explosives factory at Kannik.