825.00B/10–847: Telegram
The Ambassador in Chile (Bowers) to the Secretary of State
786. For Lovett and Armour. Tonight President informed me of the action of the govt this evening in sending across the frontier the Yugoslav Chargé and the Secretary of the Yugo Legation in Buenos Aires who was here.8 Later he sent me a full statement which will be sent later by air mail. The purport of this statement follows:
The Govt has precise information that instructions to the Communists in Chile directing their activities are being sent by the Agrupacion Regional Latin Americana which has its center in Buenos Aires and Rosario which has intimate contact with the Communist international center in Belgrade. The work of this organization intensified immediately after the visit to Chile of the Yugo General Ilic who came for the President’s inauguration. During his visit he held conferences with the Communist leaders in Santiago and the provinces, he took the initiative in organizing groups for Communist [Page 504] propaganda. Since he left numerous agents have appeared in Chile mostly Yugoslavs bearing Chilean passports forged by the Agrupacion Regional Latin Americana, bearing instructions from the Communist International in Europe.
Before leaving Chile General Ilie had accredited as Yugoslav Chargé Andres Cunja who had lived in Chile since 1937. He established contacts with the Communist Party here and organized groups of Yugoslavs and descendants and made possible the entrance to Chile of Communist agents. Plans had been announced that Yugoslav Minister in Buenos Aires9 would visit Chile but because of the attitude of Chilean Govt this was abandoned. But a few days ago a Secretary of the Legation in Buenos Aires, Dalibor Jakasa, arrived with instructions for The Chargé. These called on the Communists to (a) intensify the campaign against the US and the western democracies, (b) to attack the policy of continental defense, (c) to carry out sabotage of production through slowing down production or through strikes.
These instructions are now being carried out by the Communist Party here and the purpose was to create strikes in the mines of coal, nitrate and copper.
With full information as to these activities the Chargé was summoned to the Foreign Office this afternoon, informed that his functions were terminated, and since he had gravely infringed the hospitality of the country and attacked it through subversive activities, “the govt had decided in conformity with the practice of international law to put him and the Argentine secretary on the frontier.” This measure carried out this afternoon.