Courtesy of the Port

At dawn one day last month the British submarine Regent slipped past mine fields into the harbor of Cattaro and ran up her largest white ensign. Much to the surprise of Lieut. Commander Peter Joseph Howell Bartlett, the harbor was full of Italian warships. The commander sent his mate to call on the Italian commanding officer. The mate explained that the Regent had come to look for Britain's Minister to Yugoslavia Ronald Ian Campbell, requested permission to search for him.

Doubtless because he knew the Regent could sink at least one Italian ship in a fight, the Italian courteously granted the request. But courtesy did not imply confidence. To make sure that neither side double-crossed the other, it was agreed that an Italian staff officer should board the Regent as an observer-hostage while the British mate was ashore. For nine hours the Regent lay in Cattaro harbor in what an Admiralty report called "this tense but farcical situation." Then two Italian dive-bombers appeared over the harbor, and at this point British and Italian versions of the incident diverged. The Italians said the Regent got the wind up and left. The British said the bombers machine-gunned the Regent, wounded Commander Bartlett and two others. In any case, the Regent slipped out past the mine fields again, without her mate but with the Italian hostage still aboard.

Minister Campbell was nowhere near Cattaro. He had rented two busses in Belgrade, filled them with his staff and with those of the Greek, Belgian and Polish legations, and set out, followed by three trucks loaded with luggage and documents. Instead of going to Cattaro, the motorcade proceeded to Gruz, the port for Dubrovnik, 65 miles up the coast. It was waiting on the dock for the submarine to appear when the Italian Army entered the town. Last week the British had a tale to tell about the daring of the Regent, but the Italians had the Minister.

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