860H.00/10–146: Telegram
The Ambassador in Yugoslavia (Patterson) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 2—4:44 p.m.]
1001. Embtel 923, September 14, Paris 114.91 Two prominent Serbs [Page 963] visited Dr. Bibar, president of praesidium, few days ago to protest arrest of ex-Premier Milosh Trifunovich and his continued imprisonment incommunicado. Ribar answered “We have indisputable proof he was in contact with Americans.”
This indicates that President of Yugoslav Government considers contact with US treasonable. However, having heard Trifunovich feared arrest we never called on him. We saw him last in April, 1946, when he called at Embassy on own initiative to give us his views (despatch 321, April 1892).…
In view of recent attitude of Yugoslav Government towards Embassy and towards USA in general, we gave up seeing our sources for their own protection. We have not called on Milan Grol since August 8; OZNA. agents watch his house. After two talks with Dragoljub Jovanovich, we also decided to stop seeing him. We are now practically confined to partisan sources for information on internal developments.
Yugoslav Government obviously aims by secret methods to deprive opposition of any contact with Americans and thus of their slim remaining hopes that America may help Yugoslavs regain their liberties.
Continued hostile and aggressive acts of Yugoslav Government towards America (especially shooting down our planes, closing USIS and accusing our staff of spying), Yugoslav press campaign against USA, Britain, Greece and Italy coupled with troop concentrations in Slovenia, Macedonia and Albania at least suggest threat of impending aggressive military action now or later against Trieste or Salonika or both and indirectly or even directly against Western Powers in conjunction with Soviet Army.
We believe this presents far more serious threat to world peace than situations in Spain or Greece, and that question of bringing case to attention of Security Council should be considered.
Sent Department 1001, repeated Paris as 121.