860H.01/7–1244: Telegram
The Consul General at Naples (Brandt) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 12—5:27 p.m.]
387. From Murphy. On arrival at Caserta, Macmillan and I met with General Wilson and received confirmation of Tito’s reluctance to come to Caserta for the reasons previously stated; that is Tito’s fear that public reaction to his negotiations with Subasic had met an unfavorable reception in Croatia and Slovenia. Ambassador Stevenson attended the meeting and showed me a letter addressed to Tito by British Prime Minister in which Prime Minister expressed in most cordial terms praise for Tito’s efforts to achieve Yugoslav unity and in which he urged upon Tito the desirability of working out a harmonious relationship with King Peter.
After consideration of various reasons which might have persuaded Tito to refuse to come to Caserta including possibility he might have received advice from Soviet sources not to come at this moment, General Wilson decided to send a message to Brigadier Maclean at Vis instructing Maclean to inform Tito of General Wilson’s surprise over his failure to proceed to Caserta as agreed, suggesting that it was necessary under the circumstance to survey Tito’s requests for military equipment and regretting his failure to comply with the invitation to proceed to Caserta which has [was?] designed to promote the common war effort. Wilson requested Maclean to inform Tito that Maclean was being summoned immediately to Caserta.
Maclean is due to arrive at Caserta this evening.
Repeated to London for Schoenfeld and to Cairo for MacVeagh. [Murphy.]