396.1/2–751
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Officer in Charge of Balkan Affairs (Campbell)
Subject: Yugoslav interest in proposed CFM.
| Participants: | Mr. Mirko Sardelic, Counselor, Yugoslav Embassy |
| John C. Campbell, EE |
Mr. Sardelic called today in order to inquire whether the Department could give his Government any information on the subject of the possible raising of the issue of violation of the satellite Peace Treaties and threats to the position of Yugoslavia at a forthcoming CFM.1 He said that the Embassy had noted a great deal of talk on this subject in the press and wondered whether the Department could say anything to confirm these reports. I said that consideration had been given in the Department to raising the question of violation of the satellite Peace Treaties at a forthcoming CFM, that it had been discussed informally with the French and British, and that while no firm decisions had been taken it was not unlikely that this subject would be proposed for inclusion on the CFM agenda if and when the preliminary conference should meet. I referred to Ambassador Popovic’s earlier remark to Mr. Thorp concerning possible discussion of the Yugoslav situation at a Four Power conference and then stated that we would keep the Yugoslav Government informed in so far as possible of any developments in the preparation for a Four Power meeting which would be of direct interest to Yugoslavia.2 In the ensuing conversation we touched on the possibility of utilizing the Peace Observation Commission to investigate the situation on the borders between Yugoslavia and its Soviet satellite neighbors. I did not indicate that the US had any intention of making such a proposal, and he did not indicate whether the Yugoslav Government would or would not welcome it.
Mr. Sardelic made a number of inquiries concerning the recent conversations between M. Pleven and the President, asking whether Yugoslavia had been discussed. I said that I did not believe that it had been discussed.3 He referred to Yugoslavia’s interest in the strengthening of the ties between the Western allies and Yugoslavia’s hope that the USSR would not be successful in its attempts to [Page 1724] drive wedges between them on the German question. He said that Yugoslavia was also interested in the Schuman Plan and in whether the US is now taking a more active role in pushing ahead with it. I said that I was not well informed on the nature of the talks between M. Pleven and the President and was not in a position to say anything about them, although I did emphasize that they had been both friendly and constructive and had contributed to strengthening the ties between the two countries. I said that I would make some inquiries to see whether there might be something I could tell him at a later date on these subjects which might be of interest to his Government. Throughout the conversation Mr. Sardelic’s remarks reflected the opinion that the Western defense structure must be strengthened as rapidly as possible and that the Russians must not be allowed to profit from differences among the Western nations, including Western Germany.
- In November 1950 the Soviet Government proposed that the Council of Foreign Ministers be called into session in order to discuss the demilitarization of Germany. Following exchanges between the Soviet Government and the American, British, and French Governments, Four-Power Exploratory Talks were held at Paris, March 5–June 21, in an unsuccessful effort to prepare a mutually acceptable agenda for a session of the Council of Foreign Ministers. For documentation on these notes and the talks, see vol. iii, Part 1, pp. 1048 ff.↩
- At the conclusion of a call upon Assistant Secretary Thorp on January 10 (see Document 827), Ambassador Popović inquired about the Four-Power Conference and the possibility of including on its agenda a discussion of the threats to Yugoslav independence. It was subsequently decided within the Department of State to include the question of the threat to Yugoslavia as an aspect of a possible conference agenda item dealing with the violations of satellite peace treaties. (Memorandum by Gannett, January 26, with marginal notation by Bonbright, 768.00/1–2651)↩
- Regarding the Truman–Pleven discussions and the question of Yugoslavia, see Document 843.↩