740.0011 European War 1939/9915: Telegram
The Chargé in Hungary (Travers) to the Secretary of State
[Received 12:55 p.m.]
166. Supplementing my 160, April 11, 5 p.m.87 Following received through Horsey from Lane dated April 8.
“Although the Yugoslav Government announced some days before that Belgrade, Zagreb and Ljubljana would be open towns the Germans began an air bombardment of Belgrade at 7 a.m. on Sunday morning April 6 without warning. It was very heavy and other bombardments of varying intensity occurred throughout the day, Sunday night and Monday. There has been no air activity today.
The morale of the civil population has been magnificent in spite of immense property damage and loss of life. It is impossible to state what the latter was.
We are at present living in the suburb of Dedinje which has suffered little or no damage. Most of the Government offices are gutted as is much of the central part of the city including the Belgian and Polish Legations. The German Legation was badly damaged.
The bombing was unquestionably indiscriminate, most of the worst damage occurring in crowded retail and residential quarters far from any possible military objective.
The city is without electricity or water and all available facilities have been so overtaxed that many dead are still lying in the streets. Many are still buried under debris. Food is unobtainable but we have supplies for some time.
I have organized American Red Cross with full cooperation of Yugoslav Red Cross and Belgrade municipal authorities for immediate relief of population with George H. Schellens as chairman. He requests authorization initial allocation $100,000. Lane.”
- Not printed.↩