A King & His Women

THE CHANCELLERIES A King & His Women

Statesmen of the world had a chance to see what Roosevelt intervention, new style, meant in one actual case. On the whole the results were troublesome but not harmful.

It all started when Richard C. Patterson Jr., the U.S. Ambassador to the exiled Yugoslav Government in London, delivered a U.S. note to 21-year-old King Peter II. On at least two counts this note was historic: 1) it precipitated an unholy international mess; 2) it was the first specific application of the principle laid down by President Roosevelt in his recent state-of-the-nation message (TIME, Jan. 15)--that the U.S. now wants to see that liberated Europe's temporary (or "provisional") governments do not become permanent tyrannies.

The note's exact contents were still unknown last week. But it meant just one thing to wishful, boyish King Peter: the U.S. agreed with him that the provisional government of Yugoslavia's Communist Marshal Josip (Tito) Broz needed a lot of improvement. Thus emboldened, King Peter withdrew his previous approval of the government, announced that he had accepted the unoffered "resignation" of its No. 1 figure in London, Premier Ivan Subasich. In short, King Peter tried to force Subasich out.

Hell popped. Winston Churchill thundered at King Peter, his onetime protege. Ambassador Patterson visited the King day after day, trying to explain that the U.S. had not expected and now deplored his breaking with Tito just before the second Roosevelt-Stalin-Churchill meeting. Peter swallowed his pride and consulted his displeased parent, Queen Mother Marie. At Egham House in Surrey, Mr. Subasich had an emotional session with the King and the ladies of the royal family: Queen Mother Marie; Peter's young wife, pregnant Queen Alexandra; and her mother, Greek Princess Aspasia.

It was a painful scene: the ladies wept. Premier Subasich wept. But he did not give in. Last week, just in time to save the Big Three from embarrassment, King Peter backed down. Premier Subasich and his cabinet went through the motions of resigning. Then they were immediately reappointed by the King, who also renewed his agreement to let a regency rule for him.

On the face of things, U.S. intervention had been a serio-comic failure. But it was not a fiasco. The U.S. principle was on record, in a specific case: that provisional governments have only provisional power until their people have a chance to speak.

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