U.S. Concern Over the Political and Economic Stability of Yugoslavia; The December 1957 Agreement By the Yugoslav and U.S. Governments to Terminate U.S. Military Assistance 1

1. Continued from Foreign Relations, 1952–1954, vol. VII, pp. 1264 ff. For related documentation, see also volumes XXIV and XXV.


239. Despatch From the Embassy in Yugoslavia to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.68/2–2155. Secret.


240. Letter From the Ambassador in Yugoslavia (Riddleberger) to the Director of the Office of Eastern European Affairs

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.68/4–555. Top Secret; Official–Informal.


241. Report Prepared by the Operations Coordinating Board

Source: Department of State, OCB Files: Lot 62 D 430, Yugoslavia, 1956–1957. Top Secret. This progress report was discussed at the OCB meeting of April 13 and approved for transmission to the National Security Council with the recommendation that the policies set forth in NSC 5406/1 be reviewed by the NSC Planning Board. Minutes of the meeting are ibid., Preliminary Notes. Attached to a covering memorandum from Executive Officer Elmer B. Staats to the OCB, dated May 10, which stated that the report was noted by the NSC on May 5, in NSC Action No. 1393. See Document 246.


242. Memorandum on the Substance of Discussions at the Department of State–Joint Chiefs of Staff Meeting, Pentagon, Washington, April 15, 1955, 11:30 a.m.

Source: Department of State, State–JCS Meetings: Lot 66 D 70. Top Secret. A note on the source text indicates that this was a Department of State draft not cleared with any of the participants. In a memorandum to Murphy on April 6, Walworth Barbour stated that since Riddleberger was soon to meet with Tito to obtain an explanation of Yugoslavia’s increasingly neutralist position, the Department of State wished to delay re-examination of U.S. policy toward Yugoslavia. Barbour asked Murphy to deliver a progress report to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the Department of State’s efforts to secure Yugoslavia’s cooperation in military matters involving the West. (Ibid., Central Files, 768.5–MSP/4–655)


243. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Yugoslavia

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 768.5/4–1955. Secret; Niact. Drafted by Unger, David E. Mark, and J.L. Colbert. Repeated to Ankara, Athens, London, and Paris.


244. Telegram From the Embassy in Yugoslavia to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 768.5–MSP/4–2555. Secret; Priority.


246. Memorandum of Discussion at the 247th Meeting of the National Security Council, Washington, May 5, 1955

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Prepared by Gleason on May 6.


247. Telegram From the Embassy in Yugoslavia to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 768.5–MSP/5–655. Secret; Priority. Repeated to Paris, London, Athens, and Ankara.


248. Telegram From the Embassy in Yugoslavia to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 661.68/5–1355. Secret; Niact. Repeated niact to Paris, Athens, and London and priority to Moscow.


249. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the Yugoslav Ambassador (Mates), Department of State, Washington, May 23, 1955

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.68/5–2355. Confidential. Drafted by Merchant.

In a May 18 memorandum, Merchant had advised Secretary Dulles that Riddleberger could not meet with Tito, who was on the island of Brioni, to discuss the recently-announced top-level Yugoslav-Soviet conference. He suggested that Dulles meet with Ambassador Mates to inform him of U.S. concern regarding the proposed meeting and to request that the United States be informed of the discussions at the meeting. (Ibid., 611.68/5–1855)


250. Telegram From the Embassy in Yugoslavia to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 661.68/5–2855. Confidential; Niact. Repeated to London and Paris. A copy was sent by the Acting Secretary of State to Goodpaster with a covering memorandum dated May 30, which stated that the telegram might interest the President.


251. Telegram From the Embassy in Yugoslavia to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 661.68/6–355. Secret; Niact. Repeated to Ankara, Athens, London, and Paris.


252. Telegram From the Embassy in Yugoslavia to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 396.1–BR/6–2855. Secret. Repeated to Ankara, Athens, London, Paris, and Rome.


253. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the President and the Secretary of State, White House, Washington, August 11, 1955, 9:15 a.m.

Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers. Top Secret; Personal and Private. Drafted by Dulles.


254. National Intelligence Estimate

Source: Department of State, INRNIE Files. Secret. National Intelligence Estimates (NIEs) were high-level interdepartmental reports presenting authoritative appraisals of vital foreign policy problems. NIEs were drafted by officers from those agencies represented on the Intelligence Advisory Committee (IAC), discussed and revised by interdepartmental working groups coordinated by the Office of National Estimates of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), approved by the IAC, and circulated under the aegis of the CIA to the President, appropriate officers of cabinet level, and the National Security Council. The Department of State provided many political and some economic sections of NIEs.

According to notes on the cover sheet, “the Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State, the Army, the Air Force, and The Joint Staff” participated in the preparation of this report; this report “supplements NIE 31/1–55 and supersedes portions thereof.” NIE 31/1–55, “Yugoslavia and Its Future Orientation,” May 19, is not printed. (Ibid.)


255. Memorandum From the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Murphy) to the Secretary of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.68/9–1655. Secret. Drafted by Mark.


256. Letter From President Eisenhower to President Tito

Source: Department of State, S/PNSC Files: Lot 62 D 1, Yugoslavia. Secret. Delivered by Murphy during his visit in Yugoslavia September 27–October 1.


257. Memorandum of a Conversation, New York, September 22, 1955

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.68/9–2255. Confidential. Drafted by Armour, an adviser on Political and Security Affairs at the Mission at the United Nations. Secretary Dulles, Foreign Minister Popovic, and Ambassador Mates were in New York in connection with the Tenth Regular Session of the U.N. General Assembly, which convened on September 20.


258. Telegram From the Embassy in Yugoslavia to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 110.13–MU/9–2755. Secret; Limit Distribution.


259. Telegram From the Embassy in Yugoslavia to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 110.13–MU/9–2855. Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution.


260. Letter From President Tito to President Eisenhower

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, DullesHerter Series. Unclassified.


261. Memorandum From the Secretary of State to the President

Source: Department of State, S/PNSC Files: Lot 62 D 1, Yugoslavia. Secret. Drafted by Robert Murphy on October 7. A typed notation on the source text, initialed by Murphy, indicates that Dulles said that he would use this memorandum “as a talking paper” with the President. Dulles met with the President on October 11 at Fitzsimmons Hospital in Denver. In his memorandum of their conversation, dated October 11, Dulles noted: “I said that Bob Murphy had come back from Belgrade and had had a most successful visit with Tito and his principal aides. I thought that he had pretty well cleared up the concrete points of friction between us. The President said he was happy with this result. He said he had a high regard for Murphy and his ability to deal with problems of this kind. I said that Murphy had brought back a letter from Tito to him (the President) which I was leaving with Sherman Adams, together with a draft of a possible reply, both of which the President would want to consider at his convenience. There was no rush about the matter.” (Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers) The letter from Tito, dated September 30, is supra ; Eisenhower’s reply is infra .


262. Letter From President Eisenhower to President Tito

Source: Department of State, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204, Presidential Correspondence with Tito. Dulles delivered this letter to Tito during his visit to Brioni on November 6; see infra .


263. Record of the Meeting Between Secretary of State Dulles and President Tito on the Island of Vanga, November 6, 1955, 3–5:40 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 64 D 199, Yugoslavia. Secret. Drafted on November 8 presumably by MacArthur and circulated to the members of the U.S. Delegation at Geneva. A handwritten note on the source text indicates that Secretary Dulles approved this record on November 23.

The Secretary flew from Geneva, where he was attending the Four-Power Conference of Foreign Ministers, to Vienna on November 4. He met informally with Austrian leaders on November 5 (see Toden 16, infra ) and then flew to Brioni for talks with Tito on November 6. According to Dulles’ Appointment Book, the Secretary was accompanied on the trip from Geneva by Mrs. Dulles, Douglas and Mrs. MacArthur, Jacob Beam, Robert R. Bowie, and Carl McCardle; Ambassador and Mrs. Riddleberger joined the party in Yugoslavia. Only Riddleberger, Dulles, and MacArthur were present for the substantive meetings with the Yugoslavs. (Princeton University Library)


264. Message From the Secretary of State to the President, at Denver

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, DullesHerter Series. Secret. Transmitted to Denver in Toden 16, which is the source text.


265. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.68/11–855. Secret. Repeated to Belgrade.


266. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Secretary of Defense (Wilson)

Source: Washington Federal Records Center, JCS Records, CCS.092 Yugoslavia (7–6–48). Top Secret.


267. Memorandum of Discussion at the 267th Meeting of the National Security Council, Camp David, Maryland, November 21, 1955

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Drafted by Gleason on November 22.

  1. The President was recuperating from a heart attack in Fitzsimmons Hospital in Denver, Colorado.