Office of the Historian

860h.01/8–1045: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State

London, August 10, 1945—7 p.m.
[Received 7:14 p.m.]

8100. Foreign Office official today made following remarks about statements of Tito22 and King Peter:23

1.
The King was unwise in making precipitate statement despite Tito’s provocation. Whole Yugoslav situation regarding monarchical question will be discussed thoroughly with Bevin24 on Monday. Official [Page 1248] stated in strictest confidence that Bevin had shown no inclination to depart from former Govt’s policy towards Tito;
2.
Ambassador Stevenson wired that Yugoslav Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs25 called on him and said that Subasic might be forced to make statement following King’s action. Stevenson told Under Secretary that in his personal opinion it would be better to avoid such statement if possible and if necessary should be made only on legalistic lines. Ambassador continued by expressing opinion to Under Secretary that Tito-Subasic agreement was still in force and therefore the Regency Council would also continue remain in force despite King’s action.

Foreign Office official said that Stevenson’s attitude was probably correct but that British policy on this matter would not be clarified before Monday.

Sent Department as 8100; repeated Belgrade as 10.

Winant
  1. Reference is to a speech delivered by Marshal Tito to the delegates of the National Liberation Front in Belgrade on August 7. Marshal Tito urged the creation of a liberal republican regime, and declared that monarchy was “incompatible with democracy” in the Yugoslavia of the future. Since the monarchy was “outmoded, tyrannical institution rejected by the vast majority of the people,” King Peter and all of the reactionary émigrés were to be barred from the country. (See the New York Times, August 8, 1945, p. 1, col. 3.)↩
  2. In telegram 8032, August 9, 1945, the Ambassador in the United Kingdom reported that on the previous day King Peter had issued a statement in which he charged that Marshal Tito’s words were “the final repudiation” of the Tito-Subasich agreements. After pointing out in some detail Marshal Tito’s past failures to live up to the agreements, the King concluded: “I consider that the Regents have not been allowed to perform my constitutional duties and that they have overlooked their oaths and obligations given to me. I hereby proclaim that they can no longer represent me or work in my name. I have therefore decided to withdraw the authority which I gave to them.” (860h.01/8–945)↩
  3. Ernest Bevin, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.↩
  4. Stoyan Gavrilovich.↩