860H.01/603: Telegram
The Ambassador to the Yugoslav Government in Exile (MacVeagh) to the Secretary of State
[Received 7:50 p.m.]
Yugoslav Series 18. Continuing his policy of keeping me informed of developments Ambassador Stevenson has now shown me further exchanges of telegrams between himself and the Foreign Office following his telegram summarized in my No. 12 Yugoslav Series of December 20, 9 p.m.
As a result of these exchanges, and against his carefully reasoned and most earnest advice, the Foreign Office has now instructed him to put into execution a new plan as follows (paraphrased from Foreign Office telegram 144 of December 23, 1943): (1) Brigadier MacLean (the Liaison Officer mentioned in the second paragraph of my number 6 Yugoslav Series of December 16, 7 p.m.) AK to go immediately to Tito’s headquarters and urge Tito to make no further polemical statements; (2) he is also to inform the Partisan leader that in the view of His Majesty’s Government Yugoslavia’s own interests and those of the common war effort must suffer unless relations can be established between the King and the Partisans; and (3) he is to say in this connection that His Majesty’s Government [Page 1040] would be in favor of having the King go to Yugoslavia in order to establish contact with Tito and the Partisans.
In reply the Ambassador, while continuing to protest, has submitted a brief to the Foreign Office for approval containing the textual orders in above sense which he proposes to issue to the Brigadier whom he has already sent to Yugoslavia to await final instructions there.
This brief contains the points numbered above but adds the proposal that the Brigadier should also inform Tito that it remains the British Government’s policy to accord all military support in its power to the Partisan movement.
From perusal of the lengthy message of the Foreign Office in this matter it would appear that it is by no means entirely satisfied with its own plan but simply regards it as all things considered something which “ought to be tried” and probably the best thing to do in the circumstances. The Ambassador on the other hand definitely feels it is bound to fail and in so doing to increase the Partisans’ arrogance and presumption. He has strongly advised that the Russians should be approached in advance of any such move and if possible associated with it and he has admitted to me that the King has not been consulted! In this last connection I talked with the Prime Minister this afternoon and he appeared wholly innocent of any idea that a plan might exist which would involve the King’s going to Yugoslavia at this time. He said B[ritish] A[mbassador] thought such a thing might be done later when the Germans are defeated or withdraw from the Balkans but now “it is too early”.