Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, Europe: Political and Economic Developments, Volume IV, Part 1

No. 95

750G.00/3–1751: Telegram

The Ambassador in Yugoslavia ( Allen ) to the Secretary of State ¹

confidential

Belgrade, March 17, 1951—3 p.m.

1316. Dep FonMin Mates asked me to call at Fon Off today re Trieste. He said Yugoslav Government had been distressed by recent reaffirmation of March 20 declaration in Washington and London, since Yugoslav Government felt that such reiteration cld not contribute to settlement of Trieste question. He referred particularly to statement in Radio Bulletin No. 64, Mar 15 [14],² that there had been no change in US position from that expressed three years ago, and said that our demand for return of whole territory to Italy and our simultaneous expression of desire for mutually agreed solution indicated that Yugoslav Government had unfortunately not yet succeeded in making its position clear to US on Trieste, despite Yugoslav efforts to do so on many occasions, and particularly on March 2 (Embtel 1207, Mar 2³). He felt, moreover, that action of US and Brit Govts in making public reiteration of this point of view at present time, when Ital public was agitating matter, was not in line with Yugo efforts to restrain such agitation. Mates thought Sovs had raised Trieste question primarily to create discord between Yugo and West and that we were aiding Sov maneuver.⁴

I said I wld report Yugo Government’s views to my government. I recalled that US had not wished Trieste question to be raised at Paris meeting but that since Sovs had raised it, we had felt called upon to state our position.

Similar representations were made simultaneously to my Brit and French colleagues today.

Allen

1. Repeated to Paris, London, Rome, and Trieste.
2. The Department of State Wireless (Radio) Bulletin No. 64 of March 14 summarized a statement made by the Department’s Press Officer McDermott. The Wireless Bulletin was the official news service of the Department of State. Prepared in the Division of International Press and Publications and transmitted daily by radio to various foreign service posts abroad, it contained statements by officials of the government, editorial opinion from American newspapers, and other important information. Foreign language editions were distributed in various cities by the U.S. Information Service.
3. Not printed, but see footnote 4, Document 92.
4. During the first week of the Four-Power Exploratory Talks in Paris, the Soviet Representative attempted to link the Trieste question with the discussion of the Austrian Treaty.