Telegram from President Harry S. Truman to Prime Minister Winston Churchill

CR 9565 NLT-204 DIT 202111 OPERATIONAL PRIORITY TOP SECRET AND PERSONAL DECLASSIFIED by authority of NUMBER 44 F.R. 1945 s. TROHAN TO: THE PRIME MINISTER ARCHIVES NATIONAL AND Date ALCORDE is SERVICE" FROM: THE PRESIDENT YOUR NUMBER 52, I AGREE THAT WE CANNOT LEAVE MATTERS IN THEIR PRESENT STATE. IT SEEMS OUR IMMEDIATE ACTION SHOULD BE TO REJECT TITO'S ANSWER AS UNSATISFACTORY AND URGE HIM TO RECONSIDER HIS DECISION. AT THE SAME TIME, I SUGGEST WE HAVE FIELD MARSHAL ALEXANDER, WITH ASSISTANCE FROM GENERAL EISENHOWER, IMMEDIATELY REINFORCE HIS FRONT LINE TROOPS TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT OUR PREPONDERANCE OF FORCE IN THE DISPUTED AREAS AND THE FIRMNESS OF OUR INTEN- TIONS WILL BE CLEARLY APPARENT TO THE YUGOSLAVS. GE NERAL E SENHOWER HAS ALREADY COMMUNICATED WITH FIELD MARSHAL ALEXANDER CONCERNING PREPARATIONS FOR SOME SUCH ACTION. I SUGGEST THAT WE NOW DIRECT GENERAL EISEN- HOWER AND FIELD MARSHAL ALEXANDER TO PROCEED WITH THE IMPLE- MENTATION OF A SHOW OF FORCE, BOTH AIR AND GROUND, AND THAT THE PRESENTATION IN BELGRADE OF OUR REJECTION OF TITO'S STAND BE TIMED, IF PRACTICABLE, SO THAT OUR COMMANDERS' TROOP MOVEMENTS WILL ALREADY BE EVIDENT TO TITO. THERE SHOULD BE NO QUESTION ABOUT OUR COMMANDERS TAKING ESSENTIAL PRECAUTIONS TO PREVENT THEIR FORCES FROM (PAGE 1 OF 2 )