Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, Conferences at Malta and Yalta, 1945

860H .01/2–1145

Memorandum From the British Delegation to the Soviet Delegation Regarding the Yugoslav Government ¹

Leningrad, February 9, 1945, noon

When Dr. Subasic returns to Belgrade with his Government about February 7th, he intends to raise two outstanding points with Marshal Tito. His Majesty’s Government consider it important that Marshal Tito should be in a position to give satisfactory assurances on both these points, and therefore hope that Marshal Stalin will agree to advise Marshal Tito in this sense.

2. The first of these points is that AVNOJ ² should be extended to include members of the last Yugoslav Skupstina³ who have not compromised themselves, thus forming a body to be called a temporary parliament.

3. The second point is that legislative acts passed by AVNOJ should be subject to ratification by a Constituent Assembly. This could be arranged either (1) under Article 116 of the Constitution, which lays down that all measures taken in accordance therewith should be subject to ratification, or (2) by introducing a passage in the new Government’s declaration agreed between Marshal Tito and Dr. Subasic. The latter would be the more satisfactory course. It would also be helpful if the new Government’s declaration could include a statement to the effect that the Government was only temporary, pending free expression of the will of the people.

[Yalta,] 6th February, 1945.

1. Notation on file copy reads: “Copy of paper handed by British to Soviet Delegation”.
2. Anti-Fascist Assembly of National Liberation of Yugoslavia.
3. Skupshtina, the national parliament of Yugoslavia before World War II.