Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Ambassador of Yugoslavia Vladimir Popovic, Dr. Mirko Bruno, and Walworth Barbour

- SHOURITI INFORMATION 4397 DEPARTMENT OF STATE s/s Memorandum of Conversation M. Halgormon 931 DATE: March 18, 1952 9. SUBJECT: Call of Yugoslav Ambassador 88 PARTICIPANTS: The Secretary; Mr. Vladimir Popovic, Yugoslav Ambassador; Dr. Mirko Bruner, First Secretary, Yugoslav Embassy; Mr. Walworth Barbour, Director, Office of Eastern European Affairs. COPIES TO: s/s (2) EUR WE EE American Embassy, Belgrade American Embassy, Rome u. s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 16-61120-1 The Yugoslav Ambassador called by appointment made at his request on Tuesday, March 18. After referring to his previous call of March 6, 1952, in which I had raised with him the question of Trieste, the Ambassador said that he had received a message from Foreign Minister Kardelj in response to the representations on this subject made by our Charge in Belgrade, also on March 6, and that he wished to present the text of that message as received by him. He presented the attached and requested that it be treated as confidential. I read Mr. Kardelj's message and told the Ambassador that we would consider it carefully. I noted my agreement with the last paragraph to the effect that the question of Trieste cannot be settled by public polemics and, in welcoming this Yugoslav sentiment, I said that it seems desirable in present circumstances that there be a rest period. The Ambassador went on to stress the importance of the concession the Yugo- slavs feel they are making in agreeing to cede the City of Trieste to Italy in view of the history of Trieste, particularly the traditional Yugoslav character of the city and the ethnic nature of the city's original inhabitants prior to Italian acquisition. He further stated that in the Yugoslav view it is important to settle the Trieste issue definitively but the Yugoslavs have no confidence, in the light of Italian actions in World War I and II, that once a line is drawn Italy will in fact abandon irredentism. With DECLASSIFIED O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 1(3) 5-12-21 Dop of lettes, Augular CONFIDINTIAL - SECURITY INPOITAL TTON Es, ALY HC RAES Dula 7-14-26