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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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>>
- 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.↩
- Assistant Secretary Stoessel met with Yugoslav Ambassador Granfil to express concerns about recent Yugoslav statements and actions damaging to U.S. interests.↩