860H.01/4–246
Memorandum by the Secretary of State to President Truman40
Subject: Recognition of Federal Peoples’ Republic of Yugoslavia and the Exchange of Ambassadors Between the United States and Yugoslavia
The Yugoslav Chargé d’Affaires ad interim has informed me that the Yugoslav Government “gives an affirmative answer to the note of the Department of State of December 22, 1945 concerning the international obligations of the former Yugoslav Governments.”41 This communication supersedes an equivocal note addressed to the United States Embassy in Belgrade on March 2 in this connection which is now withdrawn.
Meanwhile, a request has been made for the agreement of this Government to the appointment of Mr. Sava Kosanovic as Yugoslav Ambassador to this country to replace Ambassador Simic who has now become Minister for Foreign Affairs.42 A biographic summary concerning Mr. Kosanovic, furnished by the Yugoslav Embassy here, is enclosed.43 It will be noted that Mr. Kosanovic was in the United States from 1941 to 1945 as Minister Without Portfolio in the Yugoslav Government-in-Exile. During that period he engaged actively in propaganda activities from his office in New York and he has numerous contacts with various groups throughout the United States, particularly the United Committee of South Slavic Americans in which Louis Adamic is active. Mr. Kosanovic is a controversial figure among Yugoslav-Americans and may be expected to acerbate the divergencies between the various contending Yugoslav-American factions. However, he was a moderate who became converted to the Partisans and retains a measure of independence of view. As such, he is probably as good a representative to this country as is likely to be nominated by the Tito regime at this time.
I suggest that, with your approval, we notify the Yugoslav Government that the assurances they have now given are acceptable and that the appointment of Mr. Kosanovic is agreeable to this Government.44 [Page 885] At the same time, in accordance with our note of December 22, 1945, it is further suggested that, if you approve, we issue the necessary letters of credence reaccrediting Ambassador Patterson as United States Ambassador to the present Yugoslav regime, thus completing our recognition of the Yugoslav Republic and the Government at present in power there. We would also make public our action in this sense.45
- This memorandum appears to have been approved by the President, but the record of that approval has not been found in Department files.↩
- See note of April 2 from the Yugoslav Chargé supra.↩
- The request referred to was set forth in a note of March 1, 1946, from the Yugoslav Chargé to the Secretary of State (701.60H11/3–146).↩
- Not attached to file copy of memorandum.↩
- In a note to the Yugoslav Chargé on April 16, 1946, the Secretary of State stated that the appointment of Kosanovic was agreeable to the United States Government (701.60H11/3–146). Ambassador Kosanovic presented his credentials to President Truman on July 18, 1946.↩
- The revised letter of credence for Ambassador Patterson was signed by President Truman on May 11, 1946.↩