124.60H/34: Telegram
The Chargé in Hungary (Travers) to the Secretary of State
[Received 11:00 a.m.]
164. From Lane from Belgrade, April 8. This morning the Swiss Minister,83 who is in charge of German interests here, received word from German Chargé d’Affaires that position of Diplomatic Corps had become “untenable” and that he was willing to make two propositions: (1) That Diplomatic Corps evacuate by airplane to Budapest; (2) that it evacuate by automobile to Novi Sad where there would be less probability of a major military engagement. Condition was imposed by Feine84 that no evacuation could be made from here to the south because of military operations there.
I explained to Steiner that first of all I had no right to leave Yugoslavia and second, that being accredited to the Yugoslav Government I must either remain in Belgrade or go to a place agreeable to the Yugoslav Government, and thirdly, as one of Feine’s conditions was that the German and Italian Legations should be evacuated with the entire Diplomatic Corps I could not, as an accredited diplomatic representative to the Yugoslav Government, approve of any arrangement which would put the Yugoslav Government at a disadvantage. In other words, the Yugoslav Government must be able to obtain equal advantages with respect to its representatives and colonies in Germany and Italy respectively. Steiner then proposed that the suburb of Dedinje, where most of the Diplomatic Corps is now residing, be declared neutral. This was discarded as it would be highly resented by the population of Belgrade which has already greatly suffered from the bombardment.
A forward [formal?] meeting of the Diplomatic Corps was held this afternoon at the Brazilian Legation at which I made two proposals: (1) The Yugoslav Government should declare categorically that Belgrade is an open town and should agree not to defend it; and (2) the German Government should agree not to bombard Belgrade by air or by artillery.
As all of the diplomatic representatives insisted on inserting an alternative, in the event of no agreement by the German and Yugoslav Governments, of the evacuation to another city such as Ruma, where there is a large German minority, I felt it wise to compromise by agreeing to this on condition that the seat would have the agreement of both Yugoslav and German Governments, which would be unlikely.
Some of my colleagues at the meeting expressed the opinion that it would be impossible to reach an agreement between the two Governments. [Page 977] I felt however that the Diplomatic Corps has the duty to exhaust every possible remedy to protect the nationals of each representative and in so far as possible to protect the population of Belgrade and that for that reason we should put forward this proposal. I am therefore sending this evening with the approval of the diplomatic body Colonel Fortier85 who returned this morning from the temporary seat of Yugoslav Government to General Simovich and Outerbridge Horsey86 by automobile to Budapest whence this telegram should be despatched and where our Legation will determine the best means to contact German Government, possibly through the Hungarian Government. [Lane.]