86        E.Epstein to the Jewish Agency Executive

COPY: CZA S25/6607

[Washington] 25 june 1947

Confidential

SUBJECT: CONVERSATION WITH DR.VLADIMIR VELEBIT, YUGOSLAV UNDER-SECRETARY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

I first met Dr.Velebit in Cairo during the war when he was a general in Tito’s army. It was he who headed the Partisans’ delegation to London to negotiate on military and political questions with Churchill. He came to the United States to attend the UN Special Session on Palestine and he remained here for negotiations with the US government on questions of reparations.

  I met him several times during the session and he tried to persuade me from the beginning about the friendly intentions of his and other governments of the Slav bloc. After Gromyko’s statement Dr.Velebit told me that he knew that it was forthcoming but could not tell me about the matter in advance, as he was pledged to secrecy.

  Dr.Velebit had dinner at our home where we had an opportunity to spend several hours in uninterrupted conversation. I found him very well informed about the Jewish situation in Europe. He described, in a most vivid and colourfu’ manner, the prevailing misery and socio-economic insecurity of the Jewish DPs, whose numbers are much larger than is officially admitted. In his opinion, only a small proportion of the Jews in Hungary, Romania or Bulgaria will be able to adjust themselves to the changing conditions in these countries. Very few Jews have shown, as yet, the desire to integrate themselves into the new social and economic patterns taking shap in the above-mentioned countries. The government, while they are anxious to avoid any coercion against them, would be extremely relieved, especially in Romania and Hungary, if at least a large part of the Jews were to emigrates else while. This would also resolve the problem of antisemitism, which facilitates and breeds all kinds of conspiracies against the new regimes among reactionary and counter-revolutionary elements. In Dr.Veilbit’s opinion under these circumstances, no fewer than a million or a million and a half Jews would have to leave central Europe--- a unique and historic opportunity for the Zionist movement to achieve its ends on an unprecedented scale, as he remarked.

  The Soviet approach to this entire question was guided by realistic but farsighted considerations. The Russians and their allies have come to the conclusion that only in Palestine can central European Jewry be absorbed successfully, especially in view of the fact that no country ibn the world is willing to admit large numbers of Jews. The Polish, Czechoslovak and Yugoslav governments, which knew more about Zionism and the success of

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Jewish colonization in Palestine than do the Russians, (…) 1 [Several words are missing in the original.] both before and during the Special Session, with proper data on this subject.

  In reply to my question as to how far Gromyko’s statement represented the fixed and determined policy of the Soviet government on the Palestine question, Dr.Velebit stressed that the statement was the result of a very thorough and careful analysis of the problem, and distored interpretation if we were to construe it simply as a temporary manoeuvre on the part of the Soviet government. The soviet government would not risk engaging itself in a conflict with the Arabs for the sake of same temporary advantage. We should not, however, read things into the statement which were not said or meant, and thus avoid unnecessary misunderstandings in the future between ourselves and the Soviet government.

  When I asked him for further elaboration on this point, he told me that we have to take Mr.Gromyko’s statement as it stands, without highlighting the Slav bloc will consider it a factor for peace in the Middle East and not a centre of international intrigue. In the event of another war, Dr.Velebit said emphatically, the Jews, who were saved from extinction in the last war, will again be the first to suffer. Palestine Jewry, sandwiched between Russia and the Western powers might easily be wiped out, as might the remnant of European Jewry, living in those countries where reactionary elements are just waiting for revenge and restoration of the old regimes. Jews in America will be exposed to a violent wave of antisemitism. So it is of vital interest for the Jews, more than for any other people in the world, to do everything in their power to fight for peace.

  Dr.Velebit expressed the hope that if a Jewish state is established in Palestine, it will have every opportunity to develop favourable trade relations with Yugoslavia, our economies being complementary. He was satisfied with the results already achieved in this respect by the Yugoslav trade delegation, which recently visited Palestine.

  He aoso expressed the hope that the Yugoslav member of the UN Special Committee of Enquiry would be of help to us. 2[Yugoslavia was represented on UNSCOP by Joza Brilej, director of the Political Department in the Yugoslav Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His alternate was V.Simic. Both representatives expressed sympathy for the Zionist cause but in the end supported the federative, pro-Arab, solution.] The Yugoslav government, after receiving the report from its committee member, will study it on its own merits, but we may be confident that the general policy on the Palestine

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question, as already stated by the Slav bloc, will remain essentially the same as the conclusion of the Special Session of the UN General Assembly.

  Dr. Velebit went on to say that he would be very glad to help us in whatever respect possible when our delegate or delegates visit Beograd [Belgrade] before the September session. He assured me that his assistance will not be limited to the formalities alone, but he would be ready to really help us where he can. He is returning to his country some next week.