APPOINTMENT OF FORMER ROYAL YUGOSLAV ARMY OFFICERS TO POSITIONS TO COMMAND IN THE YUGOSLAV ARMY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R005800360006-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 28, 2000
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: September 25, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

INTEttOFAX 21 CLASSIFICATIO I $LCR i1aCiL `TR0L=UT. 5, OF IGL L _? '" ': y CANIFIDENTIAIL"
Approved For ReWM6 ' I q]A 1 82-0045it8903 25X1 A
MFORMATION REPORT CD NO,
COUNTRY Yugoslavia
SUBJECT Appointment of Former Royal Yugoslav Army Officers
25X1 A to Positions of Command in the Yugoslav Amy
25X1A
25X1X
25X1X
DATE DISTR. 25 SEP 50
NO. OF PAGES 2
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
1. Recently in Yugoslavia great importance has been given to air raid precautions
and to attempts to form new air defense units. In this, the government has
been faced with the problem of finding officers acceptable to the regi e.
The government must either call former Royal Yugoslav officers into service
or assign to ir.1,crtant posts officers who have passed through the ranks of
the Partisans and who have for the most part been trained in the Soviet
Union. Since the government believes that officers who were Partisans are
in sympathy with the Cominform, and believes the former Royal Iu,^oslav
officers to be more reliable, they have assigned the latter to positions
of commando
2. At present the following men, former officers of the Royal Yugoslav Army,
hold important posts in the Yugoslav Army-
a. Brigadier General Zarko Vidovic is Commander in Chief of Air Defense in
the Yugoslav Army. In 10,46 he was a Captain; in 1948 he became a
lieutenant colonel and in 1950 he was advanced to the rank of Brigadier
General.
b. Colonel Sridjan has been appointed Inspector General of anti-aircraft
units. He was Comr_ander of Air Defense in Belgrade during lYorld War II.
Lt. Colonel Boskovic has been appointed Commander of Air Defense in Belgrade.
d. Lieutenants ilxstafic and Lakic and Najor HIodzic are holding positions of
authority in the Anti-.Aircraft Air Defense units in Zagreb, His and Novi
Sad, respectively.
e. Lieutenants Si:ic, Grujc and Andrejic are employed as teachers at the
Protiv Avijonska Odbrana (PAO) (Anti-Aircraft Defense School). They
were first lieutenants in 1941; they were promoted from the rank of
captain to that of lieutenant colonel in three years.
3. While the Tito re_fime favors and places in high posts anti-Cominformists and
efficient former Royal Yugoslav officers, it is also pitilessly imprisoning
those who oppose the regime and those who are under suspicion. In Belgrade
three hundred persons who were sponsored by the Soviets and who demonstrated
against the regime were i*.prisoned. Major Obrat Djokovic, who took part in
ARMY 1
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This document is hArahv ram-4--a
CLASSIFICATIONN TROT-TI
wr.rIuely I,AL In accordance with the
letter of 16 October 1978
Document No.
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to GO
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Archivist of the United St
Approved ~6rR 1 ase W.95/18 : CIA- D Ast
from the
Director of Central tntelli e
 Approved For Release 20010457R005800360006-7
SEC ' T/CO 'TROL_U. S. OFFICIALS C14-1 Y
CENTRAL fITELI,IG;:VCE AGENCY
25X1A
partisan activities during;;orld War II and was decorated seven times for
bravery, was amonY those imprisoned. Leposava Knezevic (Lepa), who was
known as a Communist before the war and was ii,.I,risoned for two years during
the war for being a Communist, was also imprisoned for makin-r statements
against the Tito re^ime. She is being kept in solitary confinement since
she is considered to be very danr~erous. The others who were imprisoned
consist of State officials and officials of other unspecified groups.
SE ET~CC`T?:TROL..TJ, S. OFFICIALS ONLY
AmAwLanipswameavIAL
Approved For Release 2050705/18 : CIA-RDP82-00457R005800360006-7