Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Ambassador of Yugoslavia Vladimir Popovic, General Koca Popovic, Mirko Bruner, George W. Perkins, and John C. Campbell

8040 DEPARTMENT OF STATE 420 sts Memorandum of Conversation 152 DATE: June 18, 1951 ARCHIVES AND SUBJECT: Courtesy call of General Koca Popovic. "NATIONAL SERVICET RECORDS corf (?) PARTICIPANTS: The Secretary Assistant Secretary Perkins Colonel General Koca Popovic, Chief of Staff of the Yugoslav Armed Forces Vladimir Popovic, Yugoslav Ambassador Mirko Bruner, First Secretary, Yugoslav Embassy, Interpreter COPIES TO: John C. Campbell, EE s/s S/ISA EUR - Mr. Perkins EE/Balkan Affairs Mr. Bonbright EE - Mr. Reinhardt Mr. Higgs 1-1493 General Popovic came in on a courtesy call before his return to Yugoslavia. I told him that I was very glad that he had come to this country and that I had been told by General Bradley and other US military officials of the conversa- tions the General had had with them. I asked him whether he was satisfied with the results. He said that he was reasonably satisfied and regarded the agree- ments reached here as initial steps toward further cooperation. I said that we regarded them in the same way. I then told General Popovic that I hoped he had been able to gain some impression of the attitude of the American Government and people in regard to his country. I said that the US had a great interest in that part of the world and admired the determination of the Yugoslav people and government to defend their independence. I said that we realized the existence of the threat of aggression against Yugoslavia and other free countries and trusted that the Yugoslav Government sew that all of us would have to work together to end that threat. General Popovic said that the Yugoslav Government saw the situation in the same light. I indicated that the talks which the General had had here should be useful to both sides and inquired what he considered the next steps would be. He said that there would follow detailed technical talks here to determine what equipment might be made available to Yugoslavia. I asked him about US officers going to Yugoslavia for technical talks. Mr. Perkins added that our military representatives regarded this as necessary as a means of becoming acquainted with types of Yugoslav equipment, training and other aspects of the problem. The General said that for political reasons the Yugoslav Government thought that it would be premature to have an American military mission go to Yugoslavia at this stage. He said that the technical talks should be begun here and that later we could see how things developed. DECLASSIFIED E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (b) Ambassador 5-12-76 Dept. of State letter, Aug." 9, 1973 Bar. NLT. HL i BARS Dase 6.25.76