860h.00/5–1845: Telegram
The Ambassador in Yugoslavia (Patterson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8:15 p.m.]
92. Oral information reaching us daily confirms Dr. Grol’s statements on internal conditions as reported in my 21 of April 9 and 55 of April 26. Partisans are still executing former followers of Mihailovic, persecuting their families, confiscating their goods and requisitioning their homes for the army or minor government offices.
Ijbn Liraddche82 Ozna secret police keeping Partisans terrified by making sudden arrests without explanation or on flimsy charges. Visitors tell us they are often questioned after leaving the Embassy; two Embassy employees were arrested during the past week; we asked [Page 1230] for an explanation which has not yet been given. Partisans told a third employee that he should not work for US and warned him against further “collaboration” with Americans or British. So many Yugoslavs were arrested after being seen in the company of British soldiers that my British colleague protested to Marshal Tito 2 weeks ago. Nevertheless dozens of Yugoslavs have since been arrested after attending parties where American and British soldiers were present. Some were told quite frankly that their arrest was due to their association with British and Americans.
Yugoslav civilians have informed us that Chetniks83 who surrender after [are?] being imprisoned by Ozna while preparations are made to send them to their home villages where they are taken before special Partisan tribunals and that while an organized mob demands their heads with cries of “enemy of the people, collaborationists, ustashi” they are summarily tried and sentenced to death. Several anti-Partisans one of whom sent evidence that he had protected American aviators have appealed to us to help them escape from Yugoslavia.
Sent Department as 92, Caserta as 36, Moscow as 6.