Belgrade Embassy Files: 801
The American Ambassador in Yugoslavia (Patterson) to the Yugoslav Minister for Foreign Affairs (Tito)79
Excellency: I have the honor to transmit, under instructions from my Government, the following message to Your Excellency:
The United States Government has been following developments in post-liberation Yugoslavia with particular attention in the light of the responsibility toward the people of Yugoslavia assumed by the United States in conjunction with its British and Soviet Allies at Yalta. The three signatories to the Crimea Declaration recommended in that declaration that the agreement between Marshal Tito on behalf of the National Committee of Liberation and Dr. Subasic on behalf of the Royal Yugoslav Government be put into effect immediately. That agreement provided for the establishment of a unified government containing adherents of both parties to exercise the executive authority pending the decision by a freely elected constituent assembly on the final constitutional organization of the state. The agreement further called for specific guarantees of personal freedom, freedom from fear, liberty of conscience, freedom of speech, liberty of the press, and freedom of assembly and association.
Elections for a constituent assembly have been announced for November 11, 1945. However, owing to failure effectively to implement these guarantees conditions have now been created in Yugoslavia under which a single list of candidates representative of only one section of the electorate will be presented for endorsement on that occasion. In addition, the elections will be conducted and the votes counted by local committees and judicial organs of which the controlling membership has been appointed by, and is consequently overwhelmingly responsive to, leaders of one faction. Finally, in view of these conditions one of the contracting parties to the Tito–Subasic agreement has felt called upon to resign from the unified government together with one of his colleagues.
The United States Government views with concern the developments outlined above which in its opinion demonstrate conclusively that a situation has arisen inimical to the exercise of democratic processes and prejudicial to the validity, as a free and untrammelled expression of the will of all democratic elements of the people, of the elections now contemplated. Election of a common list without an [Page 1282] opposition will give no indication of the real views of the Yugoslav people. Unless the Yugoslav Government can restore the confidence of the electorate by fully implementing the guarantees contained in the Tito–Subasic agreement, and particularly those relating to personal freedom and freedom from fear, it is clear that the regime resulting from the forthcoming election will not enjoy the prestige that attaches to a Government that is based on a genuine consultation of the people’s will.
It may be noted that before communicating the above views the United States Government has been in consultation with the other signatories of the Yalta Declaration.
Please accept [etc.]
- According to telegram 624, November 6, 1945, from Belgrade, this note and a parallel British note were delivered to Marshal Tito at noon on November 6. In the same telegram Ambassador Patterson informed the Department of some last-minute editorial changes in the note: “We changed concluding phrase of second paragraph to read ‘together with one of his colleagues/First sentence of paragraph 4 of draft formed last paragraph of note.” (860h.00/11–645)↩