Two interesting documents have emerged in the recent batch of United States diplomatic cables to be released by international whistleblower organisation, Wikileaks:

The first is a 1973 US State Department cable detailing the Yugoslav government’s fears of “extremist” Croatian, Serbian and Macedonian activities on American soil. We hear of the Macedonian Patriotic Organisation (MPO).

Link: wikileaks

CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 01 STATE 167086 DRAFTED BY EUR/EE:HGILMORE:GB 8/22/73 X22140 APPROVED BY EUR/EE:JABAKER, JR. S/CCT – AMBASSADOR HOFFACKER ——————— 026189 P R 222157Z AUG 73 FM SECSTATE WASHDC TO AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PRIORITY INFO USINT ALGIERS AMEMBASSY BONN AMEMBASSY PARIS AMEMBASSY OTTAWA AMEMBASSY MADRID AMEMBASSY CANBERRA C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 167086 E.O. 11652: GDS TAGS: PFOR, PINS, YO SUBJECT: YUGOSLAV EMIGRE ACTIVITIES IN THE US 1. IN CALL ON DIRECTOR FOR EASTERN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS BAKER ON AUGUST 21, YUGOSLAV ACTING DCM STRBAC STATED THAT GOY IS CONCERNED THAT CERTAIN YUGOSLAV EMIGRE EXTREMISTS WHO MIGHT TRAVEL TO ALGIERS AT TIME OF NON-ALIGNED SUMMIT MEETING (SEPTEMBER 5-8) MIGHT ENGAGE IN HOSTILE ACTIVITIES AGAINST PRESIDENT TITO DURING HIS VISIT THERE. STRBAC CONVEYED REQUEST OF GOY THAT USG INFORM YUGOSLAV EMBASSY IN EVENT CERTAIN SERB, CROAT, AND CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 STATE 167086 MACEDONIAN EMIGRE EXTREMISTS RESIDING IN US, WHOSE NAMES WERE CONTAINED IN LIST HE GAVE TO BAKER, SHOULD TRAVEL ABROAD SHORTLY BEFORE ALGIERS SUMMIT. STRBAC INDICATED GOY HAD MADE SIMILAR REQUEST OF CANADA, FRG, FRANCE, AND OTHER GOVERNMENTS INCLUDING THE GOA ITSELF. 2. STRBAC STATED THAT YUGOSLAV EMBASSY HAS COME TO CON- CLUSION THAT YUGOSLAV EMIGRE EXTREMISTS ORGANIZATIONS IN US ARE NOT GIVING UP THEIR ANTI-YUGOSLAVIA STRUGGLE. HE POINTED TO FOLLOWING EXAMPLES OF EMIGRE ACTIVITIES WHICH LED EMBASSY TO THIS CONCLUSION: A. AUGUST 15 ISSUE OF CROATIAN EMIGRE NEWSPAPER DANICA (THE MORNING STAR), PUBLISHED IN CHICAGO, WHICH CARRIES ARTICLE CALLING FOR CROATS IN US TO SEND MONEY TO VALENCIA, SPAIN TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THOSE CROAT EMIGRES WHO ARE PREPARING FOR “X-DAY”, WHICH STRBAC INTERPRETED AS DAY OF TITO’S DEATH. (ARTICLE, AS WE READ IT, SUGGESTS MONEY MIGHT BE USED ALSO FOR ASSISTANCE TO DEPENDENTS OF CROAT HIJACKERS OF SAS PLANE WHO ARE UNDER DETENTION IN SPAIN.); B. FOUR MEETINGS OF EMIGRE ORGANIZATIONS WHICH WILL BE HELD IN US IN NEAR FUTURE: (1) MEETING OF NORTH AMERICAN COUNCIL FOR THE CROATIAN STATE (NACCS) IN CLEVELAND, AUGUST 24-26/ (2) MEETING IN CHICAGO, NOVEMBER 24, OF UNITED AMERICAN CROATIANS (UAC); (3) CONGRESS IN JACKSON, CALIFORNIA, SEPTEM- BER 1, 1973, OF BRANCHES OF SERBIAN NATIONAL DEFENSE (SND) ORGANIZATION, LOCATED IN WESTERN STATES; (4) CONVENTION OF MACEDONIAN PATRIOTIC ORGANI- ZATION (MPO) IN CHICAGO, SEPTEMBER 1-3. 3. STRBAC INDICATED THAT EMBASSY CONSIDERS IT POSSIBLE THAT INDIVIDUAL US CONGRESSMEN AND POLITICAL FIGURES MIGHT ATTEND ONE OR MORE OF THESE MEETINGS. HE ASKED THAT USG GIVE NO OFFICIAL RECOGNITION TO THESE MEETINGS AND THAT IT ADVISE CONGRESSMEN AND OTHER POLITICAL FIGURES AS WELL AS GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ON STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS OF US POLICY OF SUPPORTING THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF YUGOSLAVIA. CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 STATE 167086 4. AFTER NOTING THAT EMIGRE ORGANIZATIONS ARE FREE TO HOLD MEETINGS AND THAT WE CANNOT ASSUME THAT ALL THOSE WHO WILL ATTEND THESE MEETINGS WOULD USE VIOLENCE TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS, BAKER ASKED STRBAC TO OUTLINE PLATFORMS OF THESE FOUR GROUPS WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THEIR POSITION ON USE OF VIOLENCE. IN REPLY, STRBAC SAID EACH OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS IS BENT ON DISMEMBERING YUGOSLAVIA AND ADVOCATES THE USE OF VIOLENT METHODS TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL. STRBAC DESCRIBED ORIENTATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL GROUPS AS FOLLOWS: NACCS AND UAC – DESTRUCTION OF YUGO- SLAVIA AND CREATION OF SEPARATIST, INDEPENDENT CROATIAN STATE; SND – DESTRUCTION AND DISMEMBERMENT OF YUGOSLAVIA AND CREATION OF A GREATER SERBIA; MPO – PULLING MACE- DONIA SR OUT OF YUGOSLAVIA AND INCORPORATING IT INTO A GREATER BULGARIA. 5. BAKER OBSERVED THAT SEVERAL OF THESE MEETINGS ARE SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE VERY SOON. IT IS POSSIBLE, THEREFORE, THAT CERTAIN POLITICAL FIGURES HAVE ALREADY ACCEPTED INVITATIONS TO THEM AND THAT IF THERE WERE ATTENDANCE BY ANY CONGRESSMEN OR LOCAL OFFICIALS THIS WOULD IN NO WAY REFLECT USG VIEWS. HE STATED THAT WE HAVE IN THE PAST AND WILL CONTINUE IN THE FUTURE TO MAKE KNOWN THE USG POSITION TO STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS AND CONGRESS- MEN WHO MIGHT NOT BE AWARE OF IT OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD YUGOSLAVIA AND TOWARD ANY ATTACKS ON ITS INTEGRITY. WE COULD NOT, HOWEVER, TELL THESE OFFICIALS WHAT TO DO. BAKER STRESSED THAT US POLICY TOWARD YUGOSLAVIA REMAINS AS OUTLINED BY PRESIDENT NIXON: WE SUPPORT THE UNITY AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF YUGOSLAVIA. 6. MEMORANDA REPORTING OTHER MATTERS DISCUSSED BY BAKER AND STRBAC BEING POUCHED. DEPARTMENT GIVING TO FBI COPY OF LIST MENTIONED IN PARA ONE TOGETHER WITH STRBAC’S ADDI- TIONAL COMMENTS ABOUT PLACES OF RESIDENCE AND AFFILIATIONS OF PERSONS ON IT, REQUESTING THAT FBI ADVISE DEPARTMENT SOONEST OF ANY INFORMATION IT MIGHT DEVELOP WHICH SUGGESTS THAT EMIGRES ON GOY LIST PLAN TO TRAVEL TO ALGERIA. ROGERS CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 STATE 167086 CONFIDENTIAL NNN
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The second document is another US diplomatic cable explaining the domestic politicking going on in Australia in 1973 after the execution of Australian-Croats involved in the 1972 incursion into Communist Yugoslavia. For our non-Australian readers, there was a push by the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), a splinter group from the orginal Australian Labor Party (ALP), for a Senate Committee:

link: wikileaks
extract:
DLP LEADER SENATOR GAIR HAS SOUGHT TO INTRODUCE MOTION TO ESTABLISH A SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE INTO WHETHER CIVIL RIGHTS OF AUSTRALIAN CROATS HAVE BEEN VIOLATED, EITHER BY OPERATIONS OF THE AUSTRALIAN POLICE OR BY AGENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF YUGOSLAVIA.
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Full cable:

LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 01 CANBER 02682 140351 Z ——————— 051542 R 140327 Z MAY 73 FM AMEMBASSY CANBERRA TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0921 INFO AMEMBASSY BELGRADE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE CANBERRA 2682 E. O. 11652: N/ A TAGS: PINT, PINS, PFOR, YO, AS SUBJ: YUGOSLAV EXECUTIONS OF AUSTRALIAN NATIONALS REF: CANBERRA 2462 1. BEGIN SUMMARY: POLITICKING IN AUSTRALIAN SENATE CONTINUES ON PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH SENATE COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE INTO WHETHER THERE HAVE BEEN VIOLATIONS OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF AUSTRALIANS OF CROAT ANCESTRY. DEBATES IN SENATE HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY BITTER, AND RESULTING ATMOSPHERE IS SETTING STAGE FOR DOUBLE DIS- SOLUTION AND EARLY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS. END SUMMARY. 2. CONTRARY TO PREDICTION IN REFTEL, SUBJECT OF YUGO- SLAV EXECUTIONS OF AUSTRALIAN NATIONALS AND, MORE BROADLY, LABOR GOVERNMENT POLICY TOWARDS AUSTRALIAN CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS OF CROAT ANCESTRY, HAS HAD NEW LEASE ON LIFE AND IS SIGNIFICANT ISSUE BEFORE PARLIAMENT. 3. SCENE OF ACTION HAS SHIFTED FROM HOUSE OF REPRESENTA- TIVES TO SENATE, WHERE DLP LEADER SENATOR GAIR HAS SOUGHT TO INTRODUCE MOTION TO ESTABLISH A SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE INTO WHETHER CIVIL RIGHTS OF LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 02 CANBER 02682 140351 Z AUSTRALIAN CROATS HAVE BEEN VIOLATED, EITHER BY OPERATIONS OF THE AUSTRALIAN POLICE OR BY AGENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF YUGOSLAVIA. COMMITTEE IS TO HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS, THREE OF WHOM TO BE NOMINATED BY GOVERN- MENT LEADER IN SEANTE ( I. E., SENATOR MURPHY); ONE EACH BY LIBERAL, COUNTRY PARTY, AND DLP LEADERS; AND ONE INDEPENDENT SENATOR TO BE CHOSEN BY THREE INDEPENDENT SENATORS. GAIR’ S MOTION IS LONG, DETAILED, AND CLEARLY POINTED AT CONDUCT OF SENATOR MURPHY IN HIS ATTACKS ON ALLEGED CROAT TERRORISM AND ON ALLEGED ACTIVITY BY YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT IN AUSTRALIA. 4. ISSUE CAME TO VOTE MAY 10, AND MOTION WAS DEFEATED 28 TO 27 WHEN THREE ALP SENATORS, WHO WERE ” PAIRED” WITH THREE LIBERAL SENATORS WHO WERE ABSENT, BROKE THE ” PAIRS” AND VOTED AGAINST MOTION. IF ” PAIRS” HAD BEEN RESPECTED, MOTION WOULD HAVE PASSED BY VOTE OF 27 TO 25. LIBERAL, COUNTRY PARTY, AND DLP LEADERR IN SENATE HAVE DENOUNCED ALP TACTICS AS VIOLATION OF GENTELMEN’ S AGREE- MENT, AND SENATOR WITHERS, LIBERAL LEADER IN SENATE, HAS ANNOUNCED THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER ” PAIRS” UNTIL SNEATOR MURPHY, WHO CLEARLY ARRANGED BREAKING OF ” PAIRS”, APOLOGIZES. MURPHY HAS MADE CLEAR THAT HE CONSIDERS OPPOSITION PARTIES SHOULD APOLOGIZE FOR DISGUISED ATTACKS ON HIM. 5. SENATOR GAIR HAS STATED HE WILL RE- INTRODUCE MEASURE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, ” PAIRS” WILL BE OFF, AND SENATOR MURPHY LEFT AUSTRALIA MAY 13 TO PRESENT THE AUSTRALIAN CASE AGAINST FRENCH NUCLEAR TESTS AT THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE. HE WILL NOT RETURN, ACCORDING TO PRESENT PLANS, UNTIL MAY 26. MOST OBSERVERS BELIEVE GAIR’ S MOTION WILL BE RE- INTRODUCED AND PASSED, EITHER THIS WEEK OR NEXT WEEK, AT LATEST. 6. COMMENT: EPISODE IS SYMPTOM OF STEADILY WORSENING RELATIONS BETWEEN LABOR AND OPPOSITION PARTIES IN SENATE. DEBATE IN HOUSE ON VARIETY OF ISSUES HAS BEEN COMPARATIVELY RESTRAINED, BUT DEBATES IN SENATE HAVE BEEN INCREASINGLY FOCUSED ON CONFLICTS OF PERSONALITIES. POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DEVELOPMENTS, BOTH ON STATUS OF CROAT COMMUNITY AS WELL AS OTHER MATTERS, IS LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 03 CANBER 02682 140351 Z THE SOLIDIFYING OF THE LINE BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION PARTIES IN THE SENATE. THE DIVISION SEEMS ALMOST CERTAIN TO PRODUCE DEFEAT OF MAJOR GOVERNMENT LEGISLATION IN NEXT FEW WEEKS WHICH WILL LEAD TO DOUBLE DISSOLUTION AND EARLY ELECTIONS, PROBABLY AROUND THE END OF 1973. RICE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE NMAFVVZCZ