811.20200(D)/9–2646: Telegram
The Ambassador in Yugoslavia (Patterson) to the Secretary of State
us urgent
[Received 7:25 p.m.]
973. ReEmbtel 972, September 26.87 USIS closing can only be understood in light of internal political situation as reported to Department; Embtel 564, June 688 predicted closing and should be read by heads of OIC.
Regime patently considers it vastly more important to keep people out of touch with Western democracies than to cultivate good relations with U.S. Reading room contained copies of New York Times, Baltimore Sun and other papers which printed articles defined by Yugoslav [Page 961] Government as anti-Yugoslav propaganda. As long as it was read USIS could not well restrain people from copying extracts and distributing them. Offense was heightened by making daily press bulletin available. In some instances visitors copied extracts and had them mimeographed or typewritten elsewhere for distribution.
Brandel of New York Times hit nail on head when he said chief reason for recent action was inclusion of US ultimatum note in daily bulletin. When Foreign Office called in Breese, see Embtel 852, August 29,89 Breese asked why US notes were propaganda while Yugoslav notes were not and argued point unsuccessfully.
Pridonoff articles merely provided excuse Yugoslav Government was waiting for. It is only part of campaign against Embassy since its establishment. All Yugoslavs who do not support regime are considered “enemies of the people” and mere existence of Embassy representing world’s greatest democracy gives some comfort to them. This angers Communist rulers who are aware that masses of people are against their regime. Campaign against Embassy presumably will continue unless we cease all contact with persons opposed to regime and cease to make available to public any published matter critical of it.
[On September 27, 1946, Acting Secretary of State Clayton made a statement to the press regarding the operation of the United States Information Service in Yugoslavia and the suspension of that operation on September 26 at the request of the Yugoslav Government. For text, see Department of State Bulletin, October 6, 1946, page 637.]
- Not printed.↩
- Ante, p. 897.↩
- Not printed; it reported that Eric Kos, Director of the Press Department of the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry, had called in William E. Breese, the American Embassy Press Attaché, and explained to him that the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry had no objection to the distribution by USIS of materials on science, culture, etc., but did object to the release of articles critical of Yugoslavia (811.20200(D)/8–2946).↩