ETHNIC ANTAGONISMS IN THE KARLOVAC AREA OF CROATIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A008200100006-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 6, 2009
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: October 12, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2009/01/06: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA008200100006-7
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Il spionage Laws, Title
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
COUNTRY Yugoslavia
REPORT
SUBJECT sthaie Antagonisms in the larlovae DATE DISTR. 12 Oetitiber 1955
Area at Croatia
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
DATE ACQUIRED
25X1
NO. OF PAGES 2
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
This is UNEVALUATED Information
1e The ethsis antagonism botwaen Croats and Sorbs is the rerlovsc area is in a 25X1
very seats stew. =arm vso is a Croatian tars Bear the $iovoae b.rder, 1st
in the nearby Lips area the Population is mixed a Several Serbs have moved
into aarlevae since the sad of the war and assrmsd important positions in
the Party and is various govorniiIsnt offices. Daring Tea'ld Mar II, at the
time of the iBiepsadsat Croatian stet,, Serbs in the Like area wore heavily
perseeuted by Creation Vstashi, and as a seat it reveals the Party and the
aoverarat appointed any Serbs to Important positions in purely Croatian
eras sash' as Simrlovse. These Serbs are 'looked upon by Croats as intruders
and "eolaia ors" and hated more tkan Serbs from Serbia. Blue 1945 several
Serbs wko ware Party and psopla's committees secretaries in the villains
nor Rarlovas have Was, killed by Okseun Croats.
2. The large majority of Croats is the Zarlovae area are anti-Cemweist sad
anti-YugaLv They blame the Serbs for the existence of Yugoslavia sad
for the existence. of the ComIm asst regime. The traditional Serbian-Croatian
antagonism, as seen from Barlovac, is just as strong now as it was during
and before World War II. The following Croatian nationalist underground
organisations were uncovered in arlevac in 1951-1952:
a. Crna links (Flack land) was discovered by U1131115 in 1952 and was allegedly
responsible for say of the killings of Serbian officials.
b. Toho (Tajna Or nisacija Ervatake ?sladine: Secret Organisation of
Croatian Youth) was discovered in Zagreb by U. Several arrests were
made in Zagreb and rarlovac?in 1951 and 1952, and the organisation was
presumably liquidated. he purpose of this organisation was to -set up
a machinery for the overthrow of the Cc^saunist regime in case of the
outbreak of war or of similar emergency situation; the. plans included
the establishment of resistance and sabotage nuclei, the thwarting of
S-s-C-R-Z T
STATE EV ARMY X NAVY X AIR FN AEC
(Not.: Washington distribution indicated by "X"; Field distribution by "#".)
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3?
the- Yugoslav mobilization prograa, and the setting up of a political
orgerntzatioa to take over frets the Cosssanists.
Serbiaw-Croatian antagonism is furthermore reflected in the following
factst
a. A Serb very often does not got a jab in an enterprise with Croatian
nmapwfi, and vlce versa.
b. ?iolest newrOaper polemics often take glace between Belgrade and
Zagreb = various fi]s, theater playsi and literary voiki produced
an& VOIL wd respsattwt' in Croatia and Serbia: The pole have
nationalist u dsrtonsa, and an outstanding example we an attack on
Miroslav Mrlesa by the Union of Serbian Writers.
a. Matiosal antagonism often flares up at sport encounters between Serbian
and Croatian teams and is expressed in verbal and physical incidents
with both spectators and teas ambers taking parts
d. The word "Serbo-Croatian" referring to the language has been almost
completely abolished. The terms "Croatian" and "Serbian", when re-
ferring to the laagrbgs, are used in pdblicatioss, as is the inter-
pretation that Croatian and Serbian are two separate langoapse
e. Cardinal Alojaije Stepinac is looked upon by the Croats as a sysbol
of Croatia ? s struggle against Cosmaniss, while the Croatian Catholic
priests accuse the Serbian Orthodox Church of collaboration with the
Tito regisa.
4. Any kind of open expression of ethnic antagonism is severely polished in
the armed forces, and the slogan of "fraternity and unity" is constantly
stressed at the Party and other aretinp . This policy, however, cannot
prevent ambers of various national groups from stinking together when
off duty and from forming their own separate internal social circles.
Slovenes especially are known for sticking together and for assisting each
other and for not venting to have much to do with their colleagues of 25X1
other nationalities belonging to the armed forces.
S. Croats in Warlovao complain that the Slovenian people do not make any
distinction between Croats and Sefts,
Is meim ea in the rest of lavia
to diseera'ap the people from other areas ugoslaav a from settling
in Slovenia.
Approved For Release 2009/01/06: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA008200100006-7