Office of the Historian

860h.00/9–245: Telegram

The Chargé in Yugoslavia (Shantz) to the Secretary of State

Belgrade, September 2, 1945—3 p.m.
[Received 9:10 p.m.]

425. In talk with Embassy officer today Grol said national elections scheduled November 1141 cannot solve present situation. Country is now ruled by totalitarian regime and in continual “state of siege.” Grol has been meeting leaders of Radical and Socialist Parties with view to possible formation of United Democratic Party composed of men not compromised by collaboration with previous dictatorships. However, he thinks [apparent omission] to polls would be to sanction regime and laws just passed by Provisional Parliament to which he takes violent objection. Furthermore effort to be expended would not be worth the return—possibly 30 or more seats, an impotent minority. Attitude of Croatia he said is decisive but Croats show tendency to return to old passive tactics. Without Croat support coverage of Serbs will be “platonic”. According to Grol solution may be looked for from elections if: [1] They are postponed until spring; (2) army [Page 1254] is demobilized;42 (3) Allies insist on more representative Provisional Government concentrating all political [parties?]; (4) Allies insist on changes in recent laws governing aduinis,43 judiciary and education; (5) [apparent omission] voting is overseen. Postponement of elections another 6 months would allow power of regime to subside to more normal level and large numbers of war prisoners still abroad to return home. Present national [apparent omission] is artificial, consisting [not?] of parties but of individuals. Present national state of siege, proven by recent drastic law against enemies of state, fighting in Homolje, Bosnia, Montenegro, continued harangues about Trieste and against Greece keep country in turmoil not conducive to real election. Order must first be restored.

Besides this Grol said economic conditions, especially lack of food, are so bad that severe crisis is likely in November or December. Harvest has been good in [apparent omission] and fair in Voivodina but drought burned crops in Macedonia and Montenegro, Bosnia has not enough man power, only Podravina has food in Croatia, Dalmatia is wholly dependent already on UNRRA supplies. These conditions make anything like normal political activity put of the question.

Shantz
  1. General elections for the Skupshtina of the Constituent Assembly were to be held on November 11.↩
  2. At this time the Yugoslav army was nearly 700,000 strong and continually increasing in size. The official justification for keeping this many men under arms was to prevent a severe unemployment crisis, of the type that the capitalist powers would face once they began demobilizing. In telegram 424, September 2, 1945, the Chargé in Yugoslavia agreed with Yugoslav opposition leaders that the real purpose of the large army was “to maintain regime by force if necessary and to influence outcome of elections.” (860h.20/9–245)↩
  3. Obvious garble.↩