Spororum

Balkan term for Yugoslavia's long-deferred, long-discussed accord between the Serbian majority and the Croat minority is sporazum. Last week sporazum dramatically demonstrated how much Europe's tension had accelerated the growth of Balkan nationalism despite external pressure, internal dissension. In post-War Yugoslav history the sporazum was blocked by determination of 7,500,000 Serbs (Serbian Eastern Orthodox) not to share Yugoslavia's rule with 4,500,000 Croats (Roman Catholic), and the tenacity of Croatian struggles, the ruthlessness of Serbian repression, gave Croats the reputation of being one of the worst-treated minorities in Europe. The rise of Adolf Hitler quickly changed this, not only by making German Jews a still worse-treated minority, but by making the sporazum a big factor in Axis policy. Facing Germany and old Austria in the North, Italy across the Adriatic (and presently in Albania), with over 60% of her exports going to Germany and Italy, Yugoslavia stayed out of the Anti-Comintern Pact, turned down a British guarantee, pledged herself to maintain neutrality toward Italy and Germany in the event of war.

All this gave venerable Dr. Vladimir Matchek, democratically minded Croatian peasant leader, 'a powerful but dangerous weapon in his battle for Croatian rights. Three weeks ago he announced that Croatia would ask for German protection rather than continue to submit to Serbian rule. When Yugoslavian Premier Dragisha Cvetkovitch began negotiations, in the midst of Balkan alarms, Dr. Matchek took time out to say what he thought of the people he was dealing with. Said he: "We Croatians are wholeheartedly for an agreement, but if none is reached we'll be obliged to go our separate ways. If the Serbs go left, we must go right. If they go right, we left. If war comes--we will then have no alternative but to go on the other side. . . . The clique in Belgrade . . . would sooner see Yugoslavia broken up and Serbia a small Balkan State again than share with us the dictatorial powers they have usurped. The tragedy of all absolute rulers is that they are in blinkers."

This hardly seemed the proper tone for future partners. Nor were the times ripe for calm negotiation. But as the sensations of Germany's conflict with Danzig dwindled before the bigger sensation of a German-Russian anti-aggression pact, Yugoslavia's quarreling factions reluctantly, slowly, drew together: sporazum was announced as ready for signing as soon as Yugoslavia's Regent Prince Paul agreed. A Balkan saying has it that the only difference between a Croat and a Serb is that a Croat is ten minutes late, a Serb ten minutes later. Last week it looked as if both had been too late too often to make their sporazum mean much.

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