Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, Eastern Europe, The Soviet Union, Volume VI

740.00119 Council/8–2846: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Acting Secretary of State

secret

Paris, August 28, 1946—6 p.m.
[Received August 29—6:03 a.m.]

4304. Delsec 869. From the Secretary. We have sent a message directing Patterson to withhold presentation of credentials for the time being pending certain written assurances from Tito confirming his oral statements in which he expressed regrets for the loss of American lives and said that he had issued instructions to insure that such incidents would not recur. Tito’s earlier letter to Patterson⁴⁰ was largely a repetition of charges that American flights had violated Yugoslav territory and the omission from any written reply of any reference to the above assurances we considered significant. In the circumstances, I would hope that Ambassador Peake⁴¹ might delay presentation of his credentials until these written assurances are received.

Sent London 658; repeated Department as 4304, Belgrade 49.

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40. For text of Marshal Tito’s letter of August 22 to Ambassador Patterson, see Department of State Bulletin, September 1, 1946, p. 419.
41. The appointed British Ambassador, Charles Brinsley Pemberton Peake, arrived in Belgrade on August 15, 1946 (123 Patterson, Richard C).