Mission for Mihailovich

In a Belgrade prison cell, Draja Mihailovich awaited trial for treason (though he claimed that he had fought against Germany for his king & country). Marshal Tito (who had fought more effectively against Germany, but for Stalin & Communism) spoke sentence ahead of the judges: "[His] crimes against the people of Yugoslavia are far too big and horrible [to permit discussion of] whether he is guilty or not." 500-odd U.S. airmen who had fought in Yugoslavia disagreed.

They did not know much about Balkan politics, but they were sure that Mihailovich was a right guy, and they said so in hundreds of protest letters. Last week some of them turned up at the New York County Lawyers' Association in Manhattan's Vesey Street to testify before the Committee for a Fair Trial for Mihailovich. Excerpts:

Lieut. William L. Rogers of Mantena, Ill.: "I was shot down over Belgrade Sept. 8, 1944. I bailed out, landed in a cornfield where the stalks were still standing, my leg hurt badly. . . . After a few hours peasants came to where I was lying. They said: 'Chetniks, Chetniks' and 'doctor, doctor.' They brought a two-wheeled cart and made me understand they were taking me to a doctor. The cart's jolting hurt my leg; when they noticed it, they placed me on some boards and carried me. . . ."

Lieut. Robert L. Eagan, Chicago: "I witnessed on several occasions combat between the Chetniks and the Germans, while the Chetniks would be attacked by Tito's Partisans from the rear."

Captain George S. Musulin, Pittsburgh: "I was received by the Serbs with a great display of enthusiasm . . . they spoke about God and America in the same breath."

Technical Sergeant Gus T. Brown, Luling, Tex.: "I landed halfway down a mountainside and found myself buried to the waist in snow. ... I kept warm by making a shelter of my parachute. I saw a light across the valley and started yoo-hooing and heard an answer. Someone called 'Amerikano?' We turned and said 'yes' and they hollered back 'Chetniks.' They came running down toward us and we hollered with joy, so they started kissing us and we started kissing them, beard and all."

Staff Sergeant William P. Whelan, East Pittsburgh, Pa.: "One day we saw General Mihailovich. We got his autograph and he was very amused by this. ... I get very mad when I know that he is classified as a traitor and his life is at stake."

Some other Americans were mad. Former Assistant Secretary of State Adolf A. Berle, one of those presiding at the Vesey Street hearings, said that the U.S. had "some direct responsibility in the matter." But the U.S.'s official protests had been in vain and Washington was not prepared to take further action. Only the 500 grateful U.S. fliers were still trying. Their testimony would be forwarded to Marshal Tito in a probably futile effort to save Mihailovich's life.

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