European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 26, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse James Reston sunday june 26, 1977 the stars and stripes Page 15 Tito has mastered the politics of the Middle if you think you re confused about us politics of now York or Washington you should come to Belgrade. It Breaks every Rule in the political Book. It sounds like Moscow and works like Pittsburgh. It has a controlled press but you can buy not Only Moscow s pravda and Izvestia every Day. But also the Paris Herald Tribune another papers of the capitalist West. Officially it is militantly atheistic but it is full of Bell ringing churches. It has at least its share of political prisoners but its plane Fly nonstop every Day to All the other Capi tals Kast and West and its citizens Are More free to leave and return than in any other capital of the communist world. Accordingly it is prudent to Check you assumptions and prejudices at the Airport when you come to Yugoslavia. This coun try is sort of a half Way House Between the political Kast and West defiantly inde pendent part communist and part capitalist. The popular description is that it is a country with seven frontiers six republics five nationalities four languages three religions and two alphabets All held to Gether by one Boss. Marshal Tito now in his 86th year who is around somewhere but nobody knows quite where. There is a theory that Tito is not Immor Tal but Little evidence to prove it. He is the last of the political giants of this Century and has spent a Good Deal of time in recent years going to the funerals of former distinguished enemies who hoped to Bur him it is interesting that after All these years we know very Little about the parents friends women wives teachers comrades or children who influenced his life and career. All we know is that some How he survived and is still one of the last of the phantoms of world record is Well known but still unbelievable. He was conscripted into the aus Trian army in his Early 20s during the first world War. Deserted and participated inthe russian revolution 60 years ago. He led the partisan guerillas against the nazi sin the second world War. Broke with Stalin in 1948. And has run this country for Over 30years he is an even handed sort he takes my everybody and is Beholden to nobody and outlives them All. Like Mao tse Tung his Only competitor for the 20th Century political endurance medal he moves in my Sterious ways from his mansions i Belgrade to his Retreat on the Island of brioni in the Adriatic and like Mao in his latter Days nobody quite knows whether his Power is still based on myth or reality. In the Early Days of the nazi invasion of his Beautiful and up graciously Independent country the question was who is Tito later As he made his Way against his internal and external enemies i Savage Battles and brutal massacres the question was where is Tito and now the w billion Dinar question is what after Tito everybody is guessing nobody knows the answer and it s a Little ghoulish topless it too far. But it s easy to understand Why so Many people arc asking. For Yugo Slavia raises intriguing strategic political and even philosophical questions for the future of Europe and the wider relations Between the communist and capitalist and strategically. Yugo Slavia is either a Highway or a Barrier tothe soviet Union s ambitions for the Exten Sion of its Eastern european Empire audits growing naval Power into the Adriatic and the Mediterranean. Tito has been the Barrier to their Southern thrust for More than a generation but after him what this is what the other european Powers and the Pentagon would like to know for Yugoslavia could be the hinge in this sweep of soviet Power toward Africa and the , it May be More important. For Yugoslavia or eur communism is re to cd no n Tipre cd in we columns and cartoons on Iii a Del rep rent thai Ottn authors and in now a to be consid two 4i representing. To View of the Suffy Garden by Many observers in Europe a proof that a communist state can be inde pendent of Moscow and therefore a Symbol and argument for euro comm ism for communist influence and participation if not domination in the coming struggle for political Power in France an Italy in next year s elections. Accordingly All the major Powers arc paying attention to Tito and Yugoslavia president Carter sent vice president Mon Dale Here and by All accounts. Frit made a Good impression but did t gel too far with too. Who told him argue with the rus sians if you like but Don t involve is playing the Middle game listen ing to everybody and joining nobody an getting what economic Aid he can get from both sides. It is a remarkable political performance. He celebrates everything his Long life is now a succession of anniversaries recently his 85th birthday soon the anniversary of his break with Stalin the the 60th anniversary of the russian Revo Lution and his coming visit to Moscow an peking. It is a remarkable performance not Only abroad but at Home. A visitor coming to Belgrade after almost a generation i astonished by the physical change in this City and its environs. Twenty years was dismissed unfairly As a one Stop Light it is alive with new highways and traffic new International conference Cen ters looking like ism Headquarters in Westchester. And forests of swinging cranes building new apartment complexes around the Central More important All along the Hilly Side of the Danube the other Side Isas Flat As the Prairies of the Middle West along the Banks of the Mississippi Pri vate houses of red Brick Are going up alongside vast state run Orchards of peach and Cherry. All is not Well. Yugoslavia has almost a million unemployed or seriously underemployed in a population of a Little Over 20million, and it has Over a half a million of its people working in Germany. But there Are signs of a growing Middle class Here and Tito s gift of playing off both sides forthe Benefit of the Middle May keep his Experiment going Long after he s , he is apparently not planning on going anywhere this summer except to Moscow and peking where he will undoubtedly proclaim the principles of both with out joining either and allow them to contribute equally to Yugoslavia s development at bargain rates. In Short he has mastered the politics of the Middle. He is clearly not .1 Man you would hand your hat to by mistake. In the coming struggle for Power Between left and right in Europe and even in the larger world political Battle. East and West North and South. Tito will obviously have Amajor part la play even in the declining years of his Long career. Yourg Oye Proto and Wewt and w t0 Kent lock Iso &0 Elk Jesse l. Jackson no escape from King questions in one desperate act. James Earl Ray did something hundreds of respected pleading voices had t been Able to do. As the Assassin of or. Martin Luther King jr., went Over the Wall at Brushy Mountain Penitentiary he opened All the cells where the haunting questions about or. King s death have been isolated fro the answers. In his hours of Freedom. Ray was exposed to death by the same conspiracy that he can expose with his dark secrets. I those hours a single Bullet could have buried All that Ray knows and what wended to Krow. But Ray still lives and All the unan swered questions Are before us. Their Terri ble implications made clearer by Ray s Effort to escape the bloodhounds tracked him through the East Tennessee Woods the questions about or. King s assassination streamed through my mind until finally they brought me Back to the evening of april 4. 1968. As the Sun began to set Over had been in conversation with or. King and was just leaving our Motel to have dinner with the Rev. Billy Kyle. As or. King strode across the Balcony to the stairs he made a sudden movement and in that instant the Bullet aimed to hit betwee Nhis eyes struck his Throat and severed his spine. My most instant realization was that head been shot. My subconscious insisted that it was a shoulder wound not the Throat. I whirled to Sec where the shot had come from and saw so Many police coming from that direction that i reacted by plead ing. Don t shoot in the Motel courtyard at that moment were a number of other staff aides to or. King including the Rev. James Bevel a Dandy Young All of us going with or. King to join Rev. Kyle for i called. Don t shoot Don t shoot 1 could hear Rev. Bevel warning us All. Gel Down keep Low gel Down hitting the ground we began crawling running to the stairs to climb to or. King. Rev. Kyle ran to get a Towel to Stop the bleeding but a Justice department official had been so near or. King thai he already had done that moments later a picture was taken. It shows Andy Young and i standing overdo. King s body urgently pointing to where the shot had come reflection it seems to have been such an unnecessary act. We All knew where the Bullet had come from. We All knew in came from Over the backs of All those s when the questions began for me. Was it coincidence that a Memphis guard assigned to or. King had been released from duty Only two hours earlier Why waste area saturated with police at the moment the Assassin struck How could Ray have slipped through them How could he have made his Way so calmly and carefully out of Memphis and onto an escape route thai led him to Canada and then to London where Chanc exposed him other questions continued to role of the Fri what was the purpose of its special King squad whose member cheered when word of Ray s deed reached them in atlant How did James Earl Ray so often de scribed As inept and unexceptional. Manage to find other identities and pass ports to go along with them where did Ray in escaped Missouri Felon gel his subs initial financing the questions go on and on. They Nee answers and now. Ray has dragged them Back into the Light we cannot afford to let them be shoved into the Twilight Ever again. 1c lot Angel to i
