360H.117/90
The Minister in Yugoslavia (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 20.]
Sir: With reference to the Legation’s despatch No. 662 of October 5, 1929,2 relative to a new law regarding military service in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, I have the honor to inform the Department that on March 19th, the Legation received a communication from the American Consulate in Belgrade with the enclosure of a letter from the Yugoslav Vice Consul in New York, addressed to a naturalized American citizen in response to an inquiry concerning the possibility of naturalized American citizens of Yugoslav origin visiting Yugoslavia without the necessity of undergoing military service. A copy of this letter and the enclosure is transmitted herewith for the information of the Department.3
It was immediately noted that in the Vice Consul’s letter the following statement appeared:
“A Yugoslav citizen naturalized in a foreign country has a right to visit his homeland every three years without being compelled to service in the Army.”
Since this is not the practice of the Yugoslav authorities at the present time, the Legation addressed an inquiry to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, dated March 20th, 1934, a copy of which is also enclosed for the Department’s information,2 in which the Ministry’s assurance was requested as to whether or not the statement of the Yugoslav Consulate General in New York might be taken as being correct, and whether naturalized American citizens of Yugoslav origin may in the future visit Yugoslavia for a period of three months every three years without being compelled to undergo military service.
[Page 743]There is enclosed a copy of the Ministry’s reply to the inquiry, dated March 26, 1934,4 in which the Legation was informed that in accordance with the law for the organization of the Army and Navy of September 6, 1929, as completed and modified by the law published on October 28, 1931, Yugoslav subjects naturalized in foreign countries have the right to visit their native country and to reside there for six months each third year without being forced to complete their service in the Royal Army—all of the above in accordance with the conditions foreseen by Article 45 of the above mentioned law of September 6, 1929, and as modified by Article 28 of the law of October 28, 1931.
In this relation I have the honor to enclose a translation of Article 45 of the law of September 6, 1929, as modified by the law of October 28, 1931,4 mentioned in the Ministry’s reply. The Legation, after careful perusal of the amended text is of the opinion that instead of making it possible for a naturalized American citizen of Yugoslav origin to return to Yugoslavia every three years for a short residence without being compelled to undergo military service, the text as amended simply tightens the regulations regarding the forced military service of such naturalized American citizens of Yugoslav origin who have not complied with the provisions of Article 45. It is, of course, evident that the great majority of Yugoslav subjects proceeding to the United States for naturalization have not complied with the provisions of Article 45 of the law of September 6, 1929, and therefore that the very strict regulation with regard to their being compelled to undergo Yugoslav military service upon their return to this country remains for the great majority unrelaxed.
The matter is being reported to the Department at some length in the hope that the Department may consider it appropriate to bring the matter to the attention of the Royal Yugoslav Consulate General in New York, in order that what appears to be misleading information will not be given in the future to naturalized American citizens of Yugoslav origin who might upon the receipt of such information feel themselves entitled to visit their native land to the consequent embarrassment both of themselves and of the Legation.
Respectfully yours,