860h.01/7–245: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to Mr. Alexander C. Kirk, Political Adviser, Allied Force Headquarters
639. On instruction from FonOff, Brit Embassy has inquired Dept’s views concerning request made by Yugoslav Ambassador in London that General Milan Nedic, Milan Acimovic8 and 40 other members or supporters of collaborationist regime in Serbia, who Ambassador alleges have been “captured by the forces of Field Marshal Alexander in the Tyrol” be surrendered as “traitors of Yugoslavia.” In requesting AFHQ and SHAEF to report whether any of these persons full list of whom FonOff is furnishing AFHQ and SHAEF are in fact in Allied hands FonOff states that while none of them should be handed over pending further instructions it feels that it may have to agree to their surrender to the Yugoslavs in due course but raises [Page 1242] question regarding “how far we should first try to satisfy ourselves whether by asking Yugoslav Government or otherwise that request is genuine and that at least prima facie case of guilt exists in each case.”
Dept has informed Brit Embassy that it agrees with FonOff view that such prominent Yugoslav collaborationists as Nedic should be turned over eventually for judgment by people of Yugoslavia. We added that we believe however that such action in immediate future might be premature pending determination whether character of Provisional National Government of Yugoslavia, or any successor to it, is sufficiently representative to assure that decisions taken by such Government in these cases would in fact conform to principles of justice and will of people as a whole and not merely to dictates of minority faction in country.
Sent to Ampolad Caserta and Amembassy Paris for Murphy, repeated to Belgrade.
- Former Minister of the Interior in the Nedich government.↩