64. Telegram 200523 From the Department of State to the Embassy in Yugoslavia, October 10, 1973, 0120Z.1 2

SUBJECT:

  • ASSISTANT SECRETARY STOESSEL’S MEETING WITH AMBASSADOR GRANFIL: MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION

PAGE 01 STATE 200523

73

ORIGIN EUR-25

INFO OCT-01 IO-15 ISO-00 EA-11 ARA-16 CIAE-00 DODE-00

PM-07 H-03 INR-10 L-03 NSAE-00 NSC-10 PA-03 RSC-01

PRS-01 SPC-03 SS-15 USIA-15 ACDA-19 MBFR-04 SAJ-01

NIC-01 /164 R

DRAFTED BY EUR/EE:HGILMORE:JABAKER:GB

APPROVED BY EUR:WJSTOESSEL, JR.

EUR:JAARMITAGE

EA/K:DLRANARD (SUBS)

IO/UNPMROTHENBERG (SUBS)

EA/LC:LMRIVES (SUBS)

EA/VN: HWEN (SUBS)

ARA:P DE VOS (SUBS)

S/S -O: W.NEWLIN

——————————- 057668

P R 100120Z OCT 73

FM SECSTATE WASHDC

TO AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PRIORITY

INFO AMCONSUL ZAGREB

USMISSION USUN NEW YORK

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 200523

E.O. 11652: GDS

TAGS: PFOR, YO

1. SUMMARY. ASSISTANT SECRETARY STOESSEL CALLED IN YUGO-

SLAV AMBASSADOR GRANFIL TO EXPRESS US CONCERN ABOUT A

NUMBER OF RECENT YUGOSLAV STATEMENTS AND ACTIONS WHICH

REFLECT LITTLE CONSIDERATION FOR US INTERESTS AND SENSITI-

VITIES. AMONG THESE ACTIVITIES ARE TREATMENT YUGOSLAVS

RECENTLY GAVE TO PRGSVN DELEGATION, ALLEGATIONS AND

INNUENDO CONCERNING US RESPONSIBILITY FOR CHILEAN COUP, AND

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02 STATE 200523

YUGOSLAV STATEMENTS AND ACTIONS IN UN. EXISTENCE OF THESE

PROBLEM AREAS DID NOT CREATE PROPITIOUS ATMOSPHERE FOR A

MEETING BETWEEN YUGOSLAV FOREIGN SECRETARY AND SECRETARY

KISSINGER. VISIT BY DEFENSE SECRETARY SCHLESINGER NOW

SUBJECT TO REVIEW. GRANFIL CLAIMED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN

US AND YUGOSLAVIA, WHICH HE TERMED A “REAL” NON-ALIGNED

COUNTRY, WERE INEVITABLE, BUT CHARACTERIZED US-YUGOSLAV

RELATIONS AS BASICALLY GOOD. YUGOSLAVIA’S POLICIES AND

ACTIVITIES, HE MAINTAINED, ARE NOT ANTI-US.

2. FOLLOWING FOREIGN SECRETARY MINIC’S DEPARTURE FROM US,

ASSISTANT SECRETARY (EUR) STOESSEL CALLED IN YUGOSLAV

AMBASSADOR GRANFIL OCTOBER 9 TO REVIEW A NUMBER OF RECENT

DEVELOPMENTS WHICH CAST A SHADOW ON US-YUGOSLAV RELATIONS.

(C) ACTIVITY AT UN. WE UNDERSTAND THAT YUGOSLAVIA

IS NON-ALIGNED. HOWEVER, WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY

YUGOSLAVIA MUST ACCEPT EVERY POSITION THE NON-ALIGNED

MAJORITY HAS ENDORSED. YUGOSLAVIA SEEMS AT TIMES TO TAKE

THE LEAD IN SUPPORTING AND ENDORSING A NON-ALIGNED POSI-

TION ON A GIVEN ISSUE. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL RECENT

ISSUES BEFORE UN ON WHICH YUGOSLAV SPOKESMEN HAVE MIS-

REPRESENTED OR IGNORED THE US POSITION:

1. CAMBODIA - YUGOSLAV SPOKESMEN HAVE CALLED

FOR A HALT TO FOREIGN INTERVENTION BUT THEY TALK ONLY

ABOUT INTERVENTION ON SIDE OF THE LON NOL GOVERNMENT.

ONLY FOREIGN FORCES INVOLVED IN CAMBODIA ARE NORTH

VIETNAMESE. THIS FACT HAS TO BE RECOGNIZED.

2. KOREA - RECENT SPEECHES BY RANKING

YUGOSLAV OFFICIALS HAVE ALLEGED THAT US IS ATTEMPTING TO

PERPETUATE THE DIVISION OF KOREA. THIS IS NOT AN EVEN-

HANDED APPROACH. US, WHICH HAS LONG SUPPORTED EFFORTS TO

RESOLVE KOREAN QUESTION, BELIEVES THAT JUNE 23 INITIATIVES

OF ROK PRESIDENT ARE CONSTRUCTIVE STEPS TOWARD THAT END

AND TOWARD FUTURE REUNIFICATION OF KOREA.

US NOTES GOY PAST SUPPORT OF PRINCIPLE OF UNIVERSALITY

IN UN. THEREFORE, IT IS DIFFICULT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND

GOY’S OPPOSITION TO ENTRY OF THE TWO KOREAS.

3. CHILE (UNSC MEETING) - THERE WAS RUMOR

CIRCULATED BY MEMBERS OF YUGOSLAV UN DELEGATION LAST

MONTH THAT US WOULD REFUSE TO PARTICIPATE IN A UNSC MEETING

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 03 STATE 200523

ON CHILE. THIS SIMPLY NOT TRUE. US HAS NEVER BOYCOTTED

A UNSC MEETING. YUGOSLAV UN MISSION SHOULD HAVE

CHECKED WITH USUN BEFORE CIRCULATING RUMOR.

4. PANAMA - DURING RECENT VISIT TO YUGOSLAVIA,

GENERAL TORRIJOS, PRIME MINISTER OF PANAMA, WAS INTER-

VIEWED BY YUGOSLAV PRESS AGENCY. INTERVIEWER ASKED

TORRIJOS WHETHER “CERTAIN CIRCLES IN WASHINGTON” WISHED

TO QUIET HIM. US FEELS THIS WAS A TENDENTIOUS QUESTION,

ESPECIALLY FROM THE SEMI-OFFICIAL TANJUG. US AND PANAMA

ARE ENGAGED IN NEGOTIATIONS CONCERNING FUTURE OF THE

PANAMA CANAL. QUESTION OF CANAL IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US

INTERESTS. US WANTS YUGOSLAVIA TO UNDERSTAND THIS.

5. GIVEN PARTICULAR PROBLEM AREAS OUTLINED ABOVE, US DID

NOT FEEL ATMOSPHERE OR TIMING WAS FAVORABLE FOR MEETING

BETWEEN FOREIGN SECRETARY MINIC AND SECRETARY KISSINGER.

6. GRANFIL THANKED STOESSEL FOR HIS FRANKNESS, WHICH

HE TERMED A NECESSARY INGREDIENT FOR MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING.

POINTING TO HIS RECENT MEETINGS WITH DEPUTY SECRETARY RUSH

AND UNDER SECRETARY PORTER, GRANFIL SAID HE BELIEVED IT

WAS WELL UNDERSTOOD THAT BASIS OF US-YUGOSLAV RELATIONS,

AS INDICATED IN TWO PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNIQUES, SHOULD BE

FULL APPRECIATION OF EACH OTHER’S POINT OF VIEW AND

DIFFERENT POLITICAL STRUCTURES. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN US

AND YUGOSLAVIA ARE INEVITABLE AND MANY OF PRESENT

DIFFERENCES ARE NOT NEW ONES. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME

UNNECESSARY SHADOWS IN US-YUGOSLAV RELATIONS, THESE

RELATIONS ARE BASICALLY GOOD. THE CONCERNS AND COMMENTS

VOICED BY STOESSEL WOULD BE CONVEYED TO GOY.

7. CHILE. GRANFIL SAID HE TOLD AMBASSADOR SCALI DURING

RECENT CONVERSATION IN NEW YORK HE HAD IMPRESSION THAT

ACTIONS AND STATEMENTS OF YUGOSLAV REPRESENTATIVES TO UN

HAD BEEN EXAGGERATED BY US. MINIC SPEECH AT UNGA WAS

GOOD EXAMPLE. GRANFIL AND MINIC DISCUSSED AND RE-READ

MINIC’S UNGA SPEECH. IT CONTAINED NO REFERENCE TO ANY

USG ROLE IN CHILE. SOME US CORPORATIONS HAD BEEN

INVOLVED IN CHILE “FROM BEGINNING.” IF YUGOSLAV OFFICIALS

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 04 STATE 200523

SPEAK OF AMERICAN INVOLVEMENT, THEY DO NOT MEAN USG

INVOLVEMENT. RATHER, THEY ARE REFERRING TO CERTAIN

ELEMENTS IN AMERICAN SOCIETY WHICH INFLUENCED EVENTS IN

CHILE. YUGOSLAVS WERE QUITE SHOCKED ABOUT KILLING OF

ALLENDE AND CONTINUED “KILLINGS” IN CHILE. YUGOSLAV

SENTIMENTS REGARDING CHILE AND ALLENDE WERE NOT ANTI-US.

STOESSEL INTERRUPTED TO OBSERVE US HAD QUITE DIFFERENT

IMPRESSION OF MINIC’S SPEECH.

8. INDO-CHINA. US AND YUGOSLAVIA HAVE HAD

DIFFERENT OPINIONS ABOUT VIET-NAM AND CAMBODIA. YUGOSLAVS

HAVE GREAT SYMPATHY FOR “CAMBODIAN FREEDOM FIGHTERS”

WHOSE STRUGGLE RESEMBLES YUGOSLAVIA’S OWN EXPERIENCE.

YUGOSLAVIA FEELS SIHANOUK’S GOVERNMENT IS LEGAL GOVERNMENT

WHICH WAS OVERTHROWN BY MILITARY COUP. YUGOSLAVIA

STILL BELIEVES RETURN TO POWER OF SIHANOUK IS BEST

SOLUTION. YUGOSLAVS ARE CONVINCED SIHANOUK IS AND WILL

REMAIN NON-ALIGNED.

9. PRGSVN. YUGOSLAVIA, GRANFIL NOTED, RECOGNIZES

PRGSVN. IN GOY’S VIEW, THO STRICTLY AFFIRMED FULL APPLI-

CATION OF PARIS AGREEMENTS DURING HIS RECENT VISIT TO

YUGOSLAVIA. THO FEELS THIEU GOVERNMENT IS UNWILLING TO

SEE FORMATION OF A COALITION GOVERNMENT IN SOUTH

VIET-NAM. YUGOSLAV POLICY ON THIS ISSUE IS NOT ANTI-

AMERICAN, GRANFIL MAINTAINED.

10. YUGOSLAVIA’S NON-ALIGNED POLICY AND US. YUGOSLAVIA

IS A REAL NON-ALIGNED COUNTRY, SAID GRANFIL. YUGOSLAVIA

PAYS VERY GREAT ATTENTION TO ITS RELATIONS WITH US AND TO

ROLE THESE RELATIONS PLAY WITH REGARD TO YUGOSLAVIA’S

SITUATION IN WORLD. YUGOSLAVIA FEELS US-YUGOSLAV RELATIONS

ARE BASED ON NOTION OF INDEPENDENT APPROACHES TO ISSUED BY

SOVEREIGN COUNTRIES. WHEN GRANFIL SUGGESTED US MIGHT NOT

BE USED TO A SMALL COUNTRY PLAYING SUCH A ROLE, STOESSEL

DEMURRED.

11. MINIC-KISSINGER MEETING. YUGOSLAVIA, SAID GRANFIL,

WAS VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN SEEING A MINIC-KISSINGER

MEETING. SUCH A MEETING COULD HAVE BEEN USEFUL DESPITE

CERTAIN DIFFERENCES AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS BETWEEN THE

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 05 STATE 200523

TWO COUNTRIES. YUGOSLAVIA IS NOT VERY HAPPY THAT THIS

MEETING COULD NOT BE ARRANGED. STILL, YUGOSLAVIA HOPES

TO SEE SUCH MEETINGS TAKE PLACE IN FUTURE.

12. KISSINGER VISIT TO YUGOSLAVIA. GRANFIL EXPRESSED

HOPE THAT SECRETARY KISSINGER COULD PUT A VISIT TO

YUGOSLAVIA ON HIS CALENDAR FOR 1974.

13. THE SECRETARY’S SPEECH TO UNGA. YUGOSLAVS WERE

UNHAPPY WITH THE SECRETARY’S REMARKS ABOUT NON-

ALIGNMENT IN HIS UNGA ADDRESS, GRANFIL DECLARED. THE

NON-ALIGNED COUNTRIES ARE NOT GOING TO CREATE A BLOC. IN

US VIEW, INTERJECTED STOESSEL, NON-ALIGNED COUNTRIES SEEM

MORE AND MORE TO BEHAVE AS A BLOC. GRANFIL DISAGREED.

WHAT NON-ALIGNED COUNTRIES HAVE IN COMMON, HE SAID, ARE

DESIRE FOR SOVEREIGNTY AND INDEPENDENCE PLUS CERTAIN

“ELEMENTS” IN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SPHERES. NON-ALIGNED

COUNTRIES ARE NOT NEUTRAL; THEY ARE VERY ACTIVE IN

INTERNATIONAL FORUMS.

14. YUGOSLAV ACTIVITIES IN UN. YUGOSLAVIA ALWAYS WORKS

TO PROMOTE REALISTIC SOLUTIONS AND ACTIONS IN UN, GRANFIL

CLAIMED. YUGOSLAVIA IS NOT ORIGINATING ANTI-US ACTIONS.

PERHAPS US HAS NOTED YUGOSLAVIA DID NOT SPONSOR PROPOSAL RE

PUERTO RICO (FOR A HEARING FOR PUERTO RICAN INDEPEN-

DENCE LEADERS AT AUGUST 23 MEETING OF COMMITTEE OF 24) AT

UN.

15. SCHLESINGER VISIT. WHEN GRANFIL INDICATED YUGOSLAVS

LOOK FORWARD TO VISIT OF SECRETARY OF DEFENSE SCHLESINGER

“SOON”, STOESSEL SAID THIS MATTER IS STILL OPEN AND IS

UNDER REVIEW.

16. STOESSEL CONCLUDED BY OBSERVING THAT US VALUES ITS

RELATIONS WITH YUGOSLAVIA AND SUPPORTS YUGOSLAVIA’S NON-

ALIGNMENT. US HOPES THAT, PARTICULARLY IN AREAS WHERE

THERE IS A QUITE OBVIOUS US INTEREST, YUGOSLAVS WILL

CONSIDER THIS INTEREST AND WEIGH THEIR WORDS AND ACTIONS

CAREFULLY.

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 06 STATE 200523

17. SEPTEL ON MIDDLE EAST.

18. COMMENT: EMBASSY SHOULD FIND EARLY OCCASION AT

SENIOR LEVEL OF FSFA TO REITERATE POINTS MADE BY ASSISTANT

SECRETARY STOESSEL. THERE IS NO DESIRE TO SEE DAMAGE TO

US-YUGOSLAV RELATIONS, WHICH ARE DEVELOPING WELL AS

EVIDENCED BY SUBSTANCE AND TONE OF SHULTZ/DENT VISIT.

NEVERTHELESS, US SENSITIVITIES ON ABOVE-DESCRIBED ISSUES

ARE REAL AND YUGOSLAVS SHOULD BE LEFT IN NO DOUBT THAT

THEIR POSITIONS ON THESE ISSUES ARE NOT IGNORED BY US. KISSINGER

CONFIDENTIAL

<< END OF DOCUMENT>>

  1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files. Confidential; Priority. Drafted by Gilmore and Baker; and approved by Stoessel and Armitage. Repeated to Zagreb and USUN.
  2. Assistant Secretary Stoessel met with Yugoslav Ambassador Granfil to express concerns about recent Yugoslav statements and actions damaging to U.S. interests.