ie 8A 3 By M it Cei iVhen : Asso ntenr gene loped oint: brne A >f L Boy hoi ioe ster S' ster low its tasl in pui on i ste “ra ma < Page 4B THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1976 Soviets might take Yugoslavia if Tito leaves office Celebr Associated Press BELGRADE, Yugoslavia — Josip Broz Tito has forged a single nation from eight nationalities and six lan guage groups. As president he has held it together under communism for 30 years. The question now is what happens after he is gone. At 84 and despite health prob lems, the Yugoslav leader still is the man to whom ultimate decisions are referred. But there are reports he may retire to test how the transition process works. Some fear Tito’s death may un leash disrupting forces that have been dormant during his three dec ades of rule. There also is wide spread fear that the Soviet Union may use transition problems to pull Yugoslavia back into the Soviet fold from which it broke away 28 years ago. Experts agree that political stabil ity would be the best guarantee against any Soviet threat to this country. The first Yugoslav state broke up during World War II when Germany and Italy partitioned it and installed puppet regimes. Tito led his partisan troops to victory over both occupy ing armies and laid the foundations of the new state. There seems to be no single man influential enough to inherit Tito’s unchallenged role and popularity. However, he has devised an intri cate machinery in an attempt to get around this while accommodating the interests of the various national groups. Since 1972 Yugoslavia’s top execu tive body is represented by a collec tive “Presidency” including a member for each of the six republics and two autonomous provinces. The Presidency is led by Tito, who has been named president for life or until he decides to retire. Once Tito has left, the Presidency will elect annually a president for a one-year term, as provided for by the 1974 constitution. Members of the Presidency are elected by the legislatures of the re publics and autonomous provinces, for a five-year term. The governments of the six repub lics and two provinces enjoy broad autonomy in internal matters. But a separatist trend has per sisted among the Croatians, the sec ond largest national group after the Serbians. Tito has been hitting hard against it, however, and a drastic purge ousted nationalists from the Croatian Communist party cadres in 1971. “The idea of a separatist state lin gers on in the mind of Croatian intel lectuals,” says Milovan Djilas, Tito’s wartime comrade who was later sent to prison, “but any organized nation alist movement can be easily broken up. They are isolated from the liber als in Croatia and from other Yugos lav nations.” The most popular among the members of the Presidency are Ed vard Kardelj of Slovenia and Croatia’s Vladimir Bakaric who both fought alongside Tito in the 1943- 1944 partisan war. Bakaric is reported to be ailing while Kardelj has recovered from surgery for an undisclosed ailment. Kardelj might be Tito’s choice to succeed him as party president. Kardelj was the No. 2 man after Tito in the Yugoslav delegation dur ing the three-day visit of Soviet leader Leonid I. Brezhnev in mid- November. During his talks with Tito, Brezhnev renewed a pledge that the Soviet Union will not interfere in Yugoslavia’s internal affairs, and ac cused the West of spreading tales to spoil Yugoslav-Soviet relations. When Jimmy Carter said before the U.S. presidential election that he would not send troops into Yugos lavia in the event of a Soviet inva sion, he raised an issue that Yugos lavs have been trying to play down for years. Officials in the Yugoslav govern ment and Communist party never state publicly they think the Soviet Union may send tanks into this Bal kan nation as in Czechoslovakia in 1968 and in neighboring Hungary in 1956. M ilitary invasion is one of the pos sibilities being discussed, but most analysts agree this is very unlikely. Tbe Soviet Union could be dis couraged from taking such an ex treme step by Yugoslavia’s social and economic system that has developed in a way vastly different from that of all other European Communist countries. Wlm E Associi KANSAS CIT" no Santa Claus at Americans back thjere any decora n or Christmas car ar the Decla mce was signe MARSHAL TITO Experts credit the Yugoslav sys tem with having raised the standard of living to such a level that would make it exceedingly difficult for the Soviets to absorb this country’s 22 million inhabitants back into the centralized “orthodox" state system. In Yugoslavia there is virtually no shortage of consumer items. Another factor discouraging a mil itary invasion are the highly trained armed forces, equipped with some American weapons, and the “Total People’s Defense. our sovereignty and indepei We know that strategical! United States is interested I j, lavia remaining free ffomani. bloc. But I would not say tie i, have the same interest,’’ An intellectual in Zagrebs® up his views as follows: “Yugoslavia will remain also after Tito. But it is whether it will continue or, path or whether it will tiltt Soviet side. “There are those who party would be stronger will help. Once Tito’s charisma longer here, who can guarantj the party can maintain co: Many Communists believe Communist government i better than freedom for thepe This view is discountedaieBL* __ ingly pessimistic by Milovani m', who spent nine years in W ^ * W I breaking with Tito. “Transition problems*: 1 Assa solved inside the party in agree | BETHLEIH with the armed forces th Majauskas and closely controlled by the part arc working ovt 65-year-old Djilas said in I office. They wi grade home where he livesot and letters — 2 [Many of toda; yere then unk lallmark histoi but the people ( Bethh The McLaughlin’s group of hairset- ters constantly evaluates product lines for your hair knowing that healthy hair makes for a satisfying haircut. At this time, we believe Jhirmack is the finest on the market and for your trust we offer them with a com plete money back guarantee. M c Laughlin's of corpus christi 1403 University Dr. 846-5764 ■ Aggie Cinema Presents CUoc,t Disro-Ey's SNOW WHITE AND XU E SEVEN DWARES Tito’s Yugoslavia has pursued a so-called “nonalignment’’ policy that has put Belgrade between East and West. But a ranking Yugoslav official says, “We know we need a direct dialogue,with the United States and its recognition of the importance of pension. “I don’t believe much ini invasion. It exists potential not in the foreseeable future, think it is in the Soviet intei Djilas says he believes the tive Presidency will not yond a transition period. “They will have to amend stitution. Yugoslavia needs a leader as symbol of unity.” AGGIE CINEMA PRESENTS stays good — c ot year in t Bethlehem. v,,Jj “We do as m eit] the rest of tl ajauskas, B tless. I Thousands small town in to mail their h the Bethlehen thing extra - Stamped on e; tscnd boxes of Bethlehem. MR. MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS CAROL (musical) We also ge WINNIE THE POOH Saturday Matinee -2 P.M. Rudder Tower - 701 FREE PICK UP TICKETS AT RUDDER BOX OFFICE \Advance Tickets Available I at Rudder Box Office ■ors. They se Aelopes,” said 1 Bethleh en KJhrist mas-ear ■'ear — with il ■hree church landscape. T ^tamped on i Special treat, repeated iethlehem, lethlehems, Earl Johns AC D YOUF ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE UNIONS INTERNATIONAL We Econt INTERCOLLEGIATE GAMES TOURNAMENTS The ultimate in college games competition. Campus tourna ment winners represent TAMU at Regional and possibly Ns tional competition. Campus tournament dates and times are Bowling Week of Dec. 6-10 (2 days @ 6 games a day) Saturday, Dec. 11 (12 games) 24 total games Entry Fee $3.00 plus games Men’s and Women’s Divisions Sign up and pay at the desk in the MSC Bowling and games area. Table Tennis Saturday, Dec. 11 Entry Fee $2.00 single; $4.00 doubles Rm. 212 MSC Singles & doubles events Men’s and Women’s Divisions For more information call 845-1515 or come by Room 216 MSC Fussball Friday, Dec. 10 6:00 p.m. Doubles only Entry Fee $5.00/Team MSC Bowling and Games Area Frisbee Saturday, Dec. 11 10:00 a.m. Men’s and Women’s Divisions Entry Fee $2.00 For more information call 845-1515 or come by Room 216 MSC All TAMU campus games are in accordance with ACUI Regulations and are sponsored by the MSC Recreation Committee San Ai 300 V bryj OPE 10 ^ 3 77 0