Office of the Historian

501.BC/8–2048: Telegram

The Ambassador in Yugoslavia (Cannon) to the Secretary of State

secret
Belgrade, August 20, 1948—3 p. m.

1126. My 1125, August 20.1 Borba’s lead yesterday can be interpreted as present abandonment Yugoslav treaty case re FTT.2 [Page 541] Politically situation would now appear as it was before with Yugoslavs pressing familiar propaganda formulas. Sudden Yugoslav foray at SC seemed designed: (1) to demonstrate Yugoslav big power role not impeded by Cominform attacks; (2) to force Soviets to take position on Trieste immediately and while Danube Conference in progress.3

If Soviets had failed support Yugoslavia at SC, they conceivably might have risked conference solidarity and would have been vulnerable to their own charge against Yugoslavia of concessions to imperialists. If Soviets supported Yugoslavia they would in effect strengthen basic and pro-Yugoslav element in FTT against Vidali pro-Italians. If this were in fact Yugoslav strategy, it has every local indication of successful enterprise.

In present situation which has gained time for Yugoslavia, our best tactic may be prompt renewal reincorporation proposal to USSR. Soviets at SC were presented with issue they could easily manage in the competing charges re administration zones A and B. Reincorporation is infinitely more difficult for them and we hope they can be continually faced with necessity taking position on it whether it be for, against, or refusing positive response.

Sent Department 1126; repeated Trieste 103; Rome 159.

Cannon
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. The Yugoslav charges were taken up by the SC in a series of meetings August 4–19, for which see: United Nations, “Report of the Security Council to the General Assembly covering the period from 16 July 1948 to 15 July 1949,” General Assembly, Official Records, Fourth Session, Supplement No. 2, pp. 52–57. Verbatim accounts of the sessions of the Security Council may be found in: United Nations, Official Records of the Security Council Third Year: 344th Meeting, August 4, 1948, No. 101, pp. 1–27; 345th and 346th Meetings, August 10, 1948, No. 102, pp. 1–41; 347th and 348th Meetings, August 12 and 13, 1948, No. 103, pp. 1–15; 350th Meeting, August 16, 1948, No. 104, pp. 1–19; 353rd, 354th, August 19, 1948, No. 107, pp. 1–39.

    There is a condensed account in Yearbook of the United Nations 1941–48, pp. 52–57.

    ↩
  3. For documentation on the Danube Conference, see vol. iv, pp. 593 ff.↩