Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Eastern Europe; Soviet Union; Eastern Mediterranean, Volume VIII

768.5/9–2552: Telegram

No. 655
The Ambassador in Yugoslavia (Allen) to the Department of State¹

top secret

Belgrade, September 25, 1952—3 p.m.

417. During final talk between Tito and Eden, Tito expressed surprise that Western Powers had not followed up Yugo readiness to enter into mil conversations. Tito referred to his several talks with United States and United Kingdom military officials, going back to his conversation with Gen West at Bled over a year ago.²

Eden referred to necessity for coordinating mil matters among three govts, which required much time.

My Brit and French colleagues are agreed that it wld be preferable, whenever we are ready mil talks, for us to take matter up with Dep FonMin Bebler rather than make another joint pilgrimage to Tito, who is not expected to return to Belgrade until after party Congress in Nov. We also think it preferable to call on Bebler separately since joint call can hardly be kept secret.

Allen

1. Repeated for information to London, Paris (for MacArthur), Rome (for Unger), and Frankfurt (for Handy) eyes only for Chiefs of Mission and senior military attachés.
2. For documentation regarding this conversation, see Foreign Relations, 1951, vol. IV, Part 2, pp. 1845 ff.