YUGOSLAV EMIGRE EXTREMISTS
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Publication Date:
May 29, 1980
Content Type:
MEMO
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
NATIONAL FOREIGN ASSESSMENT CENTER
29 May 1980
MEMORANDUM
Summary
Terrorists espousing nationalist causes have been
endemic to the' Balkans for most of the twentieth century.
Since the end of World War II, Croatian and Serbian emigre
groups have been particularly active in terrorist attacks
against Yugoslav installations abroad. Most of their activity
has been conducted in Australia, West Europe, the United
States, and Canada. They have not been able to operate with
any great degree'of success within Yugoslavia itself but
have sworn to increase their efforts on Yugoslav territory
and against Yugoslav missions abroad in the post-Tito
era. F_~
The main emigre groups are made up of Croatian separatists
who want to establish an independent Croatian state and
Serbian nationals who want to overthrow the Communist system
and restore Serbian dominance over Yugoslavia. These con-
flicting goals underscore the bitter ethnic rivalry between
the two groups--and their many subgroups--who often disagree
on tactics.
The one feature they all share has been an intense
animosity for Tito and the Communist Yugoslavia he built.
Croatian separatists are the most numerous and the best
organized, but the Zack of unity among the various exile
organizations has reduced their effectiveness.
This paper was prepared byl I USSR-EE Division,
Office of Pol.iticaZ Analysis, and was coordinated with the Office
of Central Reference, the International Issues Division/OPA, and
with several offices within the Directorate of Operations. It was
requested by
Department of State. Research was completed on 9 May 1980.
Questions and comments may be addressed to Chief, East Europe Branch
OPA, PA M80-10256CX
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This memorandum consolidates available information
on the leading individuals and groups that make up the
Yugoslav emigre movement. It also reviews their past
activities to provide a better understanding of the
extremes to which they may be prepared to go in the future.
The paper does not address emigre groups or individuals in
the United States. 77
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I. The Croatian Emigres
The various Croatian extremist groups scattered worldwide
have one unifying goal--the destruction of the present Yugoslav
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state and establishment of an independent and sovereign state of
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Croatia. F
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Croatia, one of the six republics of the Socialist Federated
Republic of Yugoslavia, has a population of approximately 4.5
million--second to that of the Serbian Republic (8 million).
Since the formation of Yugoslavia in 1918, the Croats have been
working to expand their rights and influence against what they
view as Serbian dominance. After 10 years of a rocky coexistence,
the 1930s witnessed a sharp deterioration in Serbo-Croatian
relations. F__1
Ig
Organized Croatian opposition derived its original leadership
from Ante Pavelic, who established a rightwing Croatian nationalist
organization called "Ustasha" (meaning rebel) in Italy in 1929.
Its most spectacular act of terrorism was the assassination of
Yugoslav King Alexander in 1934.
When the Germans swept into Yugoslavia in April 1941, they
installed Pavelic as head of a puppet Croatian state. He and
his Ustasha killed between 100,000 and 600,000 Serbs and Muslims
living in Croatia (the latter is a Yugoslav Government figure).
Id When the Nazi position began to crumble in late 1944, Pavelic
and his top lieutenants scattered to Italy, Austria, Germany,
Spain, and Argentina. In 1945 Tito and his Communist partisans
entered Croatia and eventually executed an estimated 100,000 to
150,000 Croats. F7
The Ustasha leaders who fled Yugoslavia formed the nucleus
of the Croatian extremist groups established in exile after the
war.. In the-1950s and early 1960s Pavelic's followers branched
off into four major groups:
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Croatian National Committee (HNO-J)
Established in 1950 in Munich and headed
by Branko Jelic
Croatian National Resistance (HNO-L)
Established in-.1955 in Spain by
General Vjekoslav Luburic
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Croatian Liberation Movement (HOP)
Established in 1957 in Spain by
Pavelic himself
Croatian Revolutionary Brotherhood (HRB)
Established in 1961 in Australia by
Miroslav Varos and Geza Pasti
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Ig
These groups, along with other minor Croatian organizations,
engaged in periodic terrorism against Yugoslav,officials and
installations abroad. Most of their energies, however, were
spent feuding with each other. Until the late 1960s the
Croatian emigre movement appeared to be diminishing in
significance. It seemed that advancing age, factionalism,
and increasing evidence that the Yugoslav Federation was
durable would ultimately cause the movement to die out along
with the original Ustasha leaders. 0
By the late 1960s, however, younger Croatians were re-
sponsible for a resurgence in terrorism and a revitalized
emigre movement. This new generation came largely from the
increasing number of emigres and "gastarbeiter" (guest
workers) who have been allowed to leave Yugoslavia since
the early 1960s. (The Yugoslav Government is aware of the
fact that most of the.terrorist acts committed. in. the. last
decade have been conducted by the Croatian g ra ion born
and raised in Yugoslavia since World War II.
Events within Yugoslavia in 1971 served to intensify anti-
Yugoslav feelings among Croats abroad. Tito accused the
Croatian Communist leadership of excessive. nationalism and
liberalism and replaced it with Communists whose loyalty to
the Yugoslav League of Communists and to the federal idea
were beyond reproach. These purges came at the height of a
liberalizing trend in Croatia that was characterized by its
supporters'as a "Croatian Spring." 0
While Tito's purges neutralized what he perceived as
the immediate threat, nationalistic feelings inside Croatia
were suppressed but by no means eliminated. The effect of
the purge on the older generation of Croatian emigres was a
renaissance of anti-Yugoslav sentiment and hatred for Tito.
Among the younger Croats who previously had lacked any
strong impulse to identify with extreme Croatian nationalism,
the 1971 repression of Croats by the Tito regime provided
an incentive. F_~
The renewed fervor among emigre activists resulted in
the formation in 1974 of the Croatian National Council (HNV)
at a World Congress in Toronto, Canada. The purpose of this
"umbrella organization" was to achieve unity among Croatian
groups by minimizing factional differences and emphasizing
the common drive for an independent Croatia.
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Today there are an estimated 2.2 million Yugoslavs living
abroad; the largest contingents are in West Germany, Australia,
Canada, and Sweden. There are also large Croatian communities
in Spain and Argentina and smaller groups in Great Britian,
France, Austria, and Paraguay.
While most of these'emigres have nothing to do with anti-
Yugoslav terrorism, an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 Croatian
extremists advocate violence as a means of achieving their goals.
It is difficult to obtain accurate or even approximate figures
identifying the number of emigres associated with each of
the Croatian Groups. In addition, it is difficult even to
determine all of the existing Croatian groups because smaller
splinter groups often break off from the more prominent organi-
zations when differences of opinions among the leaders occur. In
addition, what appears to be two separate groups may, in fact, be
only one. Translations of the Serbo-Croatian names may have
differed slightly from time to time, and thus one group may
have two synonymous titles. For example, the Croatian National
Council has been referred to as the Croatian National Congress,
yet the leadership is the same for both. The emigre groups
may also use-several titles to make their following appear larger
than it actually is and-to make it as difficult as possible for
authorities to connect them with their illegal activities.
.With all these obstacles in mind, the following is a
breakdown of the major organizations within the emigre
movement.
CROATIAN NATIONAL COUNCIL (HNV)
In the past three decades Croatian exiles have made several
attempts to unify the various political groups from all over the
world to form a single, cohesive, and thus more powerful political
body . The emigres realized that a major coalition would be the
.most efficient vehicle through which to represent the Croatian
struggle for national self-determination and to achieve a sovereign,
independent Croatian state. In February 1974 a "Pan Croatian
Congress" was held in Toronto in an attempt to create a world-
wide united body recognized by all Croatians as the central voice
for expression of opposition to the Yugoslav Government. At
this meeting the Croatian National Council (HNV) was formed.
The Croatian National Council is now viewed by most
Croatian emigres as a government in exile. It is an umbrella
body in which representatives from approximately 20 separate
organizations are affiliated. Active membership is estimated at
10,000, with branches in approximately 10 countries. The Council
claims to speak for about 90 percent of the Croats in Yugoslavia.
~$ The constitution states the Council's purpose is "to actively
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assist the Croatian people with all appropriate means and methods
in their struggle to establish a free and independent Croatia."
members agreed unanimously on the need to maintain a secret fund
While the Council claims it is not a terrorist group, many
of its members have conducted and/or condoned terrorist acts
under the auspices of their individual groups.' The organiza-
tion's executive congress met in September 1978 and established
two types of funds that would allow for financial support of
terrorist activities. The "Character Fund" was established to
defend Croatians charged with criminal offenses as a result of
their revolutionary activities. In addition, the Finance Committee
to support revolutionary and illegal activity.
The Council probably used these funds to support convicted
Croatian terrorists on at least two occasions. A subcommittee
was formed to collect money for the Croats who hijacked an airliner
in September 1976. In addition, the HNV hired lawyers and trans-
lators for the hijackers' trials and even provided financial
II assistance to their families. Financial aid also was given to
the Croatian terrorist Dane Sarac* in 1976-after he was wounded
in an assassination attempt. Nevertheless, the HNV contends that
it does not condone violence as a means of achieving its goals.
The Croatian National Council relies rimaril on private
contributions. the HVN now
controls approximately $1 million in funds. Membership fees
1J vary and are scaled to an individual's income. Finances are
further supplemented by HNV-sponsored events, such as banquets
.usually featuring prominent Croatians as speakers.
The Yugoslav regime clearly views the Croatian National
Council as a threat to the survival of Yugoslavia, and Belgrade's
propaganda has sought to discredit the HNV.
Yugoslav Government has also sought to prevent the HNV from
holding congresses in various countries and, as a result, has
sometimes had diplomatic problems with countries that have permitted
the Council to hold meetings. The Yugoslavs, for example, roundly
criticized the UK for allowing the Council to hold its Third
International Congress in London.in January 1980. -
There are reports that the Council is entering a new era
characterized by a "soft-sell" approach designed to attract
Western assistance for its goal of a "free and independent Croatia."
To this end the HNV has prevented its more radical members from
*See Leading Yugoslav Emigres, Annex B.
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to the increasing concern among HNV members about the
future of Croatia in the post-Tito era. The moderates of the
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will be taken over by the USSR, necessitating an alliance with
major Western powers to rescue Croatia from Soviet domination;
others believe Yugoslavia will break up, with Serbia aligning
itself with the Soviet bloc and Croatia aligning with the West.
Both groups, however, believe that a sovereign Croatia will only
be possible if major.countries (especially the US) offer assis-
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A major problem for the Croatian National Council is that it
is an umbrella organization with a membership that has vast
differences of opinion and philosophy. Thus, i?t has not always
been able to speak with a united voice for the Croatian emigre
community.
CROATIAN.REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL* (HRV)
The Croatian Revolutionary Council was founded on 17 March
1980 in Lund, Sweden. The group, also known as the Coordination
conference on 20 March in Frankfurt, West Germany.
*This group may also be referred to as the Coordination Center for
Croats Residing Abroad (KOAK), the "Proljecari", or the Croatian
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According to Tomi;slav Micic, the group spokesman, their
primary objective is to ensure that "Tito has been the last
Yugoslav." It advocates an intensification of efforts to create
an autonomous Croatian state in post-Tito Yugoslavia. The
group claims to have established contacts with Soviet repre-
sentatives to secure support for arr independent, socialist Croatian
state in return for free Soviet access to Yugoslav seaports.
Mladen Schwartz; identified as the organization's chief
ideologist, is a radical and wants nothing to do with fellow
countrymen willing to compromise. He stated that "we want an
independent state of Croatia, no matter how" and added "the end
justifies the means." Schwartz claimed that Croatian nationalists
would make gradual. preparations for civil war by fomenting strikes
and violence. He predicted that one year from now at the latest,
the time would be ripe for his fellow countrymen "to take up the
arms in the decisive moment."
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The group claims that it has smuggled small arms and
ammunition into Yugoslavia and that it receives massive financial
support from "an interested side." This smuggling was supposedly
made easier by the relatively casual controls on tourist travel,
and the group's members boast of having access to Yugoslav
,arsenals. These latter claims almost .certainly are fraudulent.
create a sovereign Croatia.
According to trie Executive Committee of the Coordination
Center, it expects to gain approximately 70,000 sympathizers
among Yugoslav guest workers in West Germany. West German security
authorities, however, estimate the number of activists willing to
participate in criminal activities:at a maximum of 1,000. u
The Croatian emigres are now presented with two clear alter-
natives: accepting the moderate, pro-Western approach of the
Croatian National Council or following the Croatian Revolutionary
Council, which advocates the violent overthrow of the Yugoslav
Government. The Revolutionary Council and other more radical
groups may well attract the younger Croatian activists who
will want to move quickly in the post-Tito era in attempt to
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CROATIAN LIBERATION MOVEMENT (HOP)
The Croatian Liberation Movement (HOP) is the most direct
descendant of the Ustasha and claims to be its successor. This
group was established by Anton Pavelic (founder of the Ustasha)
in 1957 in Madrid. After the independent state of Croatia
collapsed in 1945, Pavelic fled to Italy. Later he went to
Austria, Argentina, and finally Spain where he enjoyed the active
cooperation of the Franco regime and the Spanish Catholic prelates
until he died in 1959. Thereafter the Spanish,Government allowed
the HOP to operate in Spain but provided no assistance. Following
Franco's death in 1976, the Spanish Government terminated its
ties with this group.
After Pavelic's death, the Croatian Liberation Movement
broke up into feuding factions. Dr. Stjepan Hefer succeeded
Pavelic and moved the organization's,headquarters to Buenos
Aires. In 1966, Vjekoslav Vrancic led a splinter group entitled
"The Provisional Committee for the Reorganization of HOP" away
from the main- wing: Eventually the "Provisional Committee"
drew away a large number of the Movement's members and emerged. as
more radical in natirre.than Hefer's wing. Today there are still
two branches that claim the-HOP name.. Hefer died in 1973, and
his branch has become much more moderate over the years. The
larger branch led by Vrancic -is closer to - the radical tradition
of Pavelic's Ustasha.` Its headquarters-is-in-Buenos-Aires, where
there are 600 to 700 members.
The Croatian Liberation Movement has one of the largest
followings of any Croatian emigre extremist group--probably due
to the attraction Pavelic's name has to many Croatian emigres.
There are branches throughout the world, the major ones of which
are located in Spain, West" Germany, Sweden, Australia, Canada,
Great Britain and Argentina. In most cases it is unclear
whether these branches are associated with the Hefer or the
Vrancic factions.,.: __ . .
Leading members of the HOP include: Professor No Poric
(Argentina), Stjepan Buconjic (West Germany), Josip Biosic
(Spain), Mirko Deskar (West Germany), Franjo Jurisic (West
Germany), Stjepan Kostric (West Germany), Dr. Andrija Ilic
(Britain), Fabian Lovokovic (Australia), Anton Butkovic (Au-
stralia), Josip Asancic (Argentina).* 0 .
? The Yugoslav Government has accused the Croatian Liberation
Movement of responsibility for many terrorist acts. While the
wing led by Vrancic publicly advocates terrorism, only one
incident can be positively traced to the HOP. In December 1975
*For more detailed background on some of these individuals
see Annex B.
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Stjepan Buconjic was arrested in West Germany for preparing three
booby-trapped packages addressed to the Yugoslav Consulate in
Munich. Buconjic's supplier for the explosives was the then
1W Secretary General of the HOP, Ivan' Tuksor. In 1977 a West
German court sentenced Buconjic to 18 years in prison.
CROATIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE (HNO-J)
The Croatian National Committee (HNO-J) was established
in Munich in 1950 and is the oldest of the post-World War II
Croatian emigre separatist organizations. Prior to 1972 it had
the largest membership and was generally regarded as the primary
representative of the Croatian emigre movement. Since the death
of its founder, Dr. Branko Jelic, in 1972 the HNO-J has lost
much of the prestige and membership it once enjoyed.
Dr. Ivan Jelic, the current President of the HNO-J, was
elected in September 1972, shortly after his brother Branko
died. Although its leaders and newspaper have condoned terrorism
against the Yugoslav state, the HNO-J members have committed few
terrorist acts. The new leadership-, attempted to give the HNO-J
a more moderate, pro-Western image= but did not immediately
refute Branko's earlier claim-that his organization was in
contact with--the Soviets
Ivan Jelic and other top leaders-of the HNO-J have
taken an active role in the activities of the Croatian
~$ National Council since its establishment in 1974. Ivan
Jelic was elected to the Executive Committee of the Council
in 1975 and became its Vice President in October 1977. He
was re-elected to another, term at the, Congress held in
London in January 1980.
The main headquarters_of,the-HNO-J-was in West Berlin,
but was moved .-to Munich after Branko -Jelic`s- death in 1972. 'It
Ig has major branches in Sweden, Argentina, Australia, and Canada,
The HNO-J does not appear to receive support from any
government, despite rumors of Soviet support in the early 1970s.
It acquires financial support from the large Croatian emigre
community around the world as well as some profit from its
newspaper, Hrvatska Drzava, which is published in Munich and
had a circulation o approximately 10,000 as of .1973.
CROATIAN NATIONAL RESISTANCE' (HNO-L)
The Croatian National Resistance (HNO-L) is a quasimilitary
organization and one of the most active of the extremist groups.
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The HNO-L was established in Spain in 1955 by former Ustasha
General Maks Luburic. Its main headquarters is still in Spain,
but it has major branches in Australia, West Germany, (where it
has been banned but apparently still operates illegally), Argentina,
Sweden, France, and Canada. Luburic was assassinated on 19
April 1969 in Spain--presumably in an emigre feud. His son-in-
law', Dinko Sakic, took command of the HNO-L, but three other
leaders--including Srecko Rover of the Australian branch and
Stjepan Bilandzic of the West German branch--soon assumed equal
status with Sakic. The open rivalry among the leaders has not
prevented them from collaborating in numerous operations against
the Yugoslav Government. It is not clear which, if any, of
these men is recognized as the HNO-L "strongman." Each of the
four major branches seems to enjoy much autonomy, and they do not
see eye to eye on many issues.*
The HNO-L does little to hide its violent methods. Its most
spectacular terrorist activities of the 1970s include:
-- The assassination of the Yugoslav Ambassador to Sweden
in 1971.
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-- The hijacking of an SAS flight in 1972 to free the
assassins.
-- The attempted assassination of a Yugoslav diplomat
in Cologne in November 1975.
-- The assassination of the Uruguayan Ambassador to
Paraguay in'June 1976. He was mistaken for the
Yugoslav Ambassador to Paraguay.
-- The attempted assassination of the Yugoslav Vice Consul
in Duesseldorf in June 1976.**
Only the Paraguayan Government seems to support the-HNO-L,
although the extent of its support it not clear. Spain, under
Franco, provided a haven for HNO-L extremists, but post-Franco
Spain has discontinued this policy.
*Part of the Croatian National Resistance, the Luburic Faction
is a quasimilitary organization whose members frequently parti-
cipate in violent attacks against Yugoslav communities and
representatives abroad. Two Luburic Faction members, Baresic
and Brajkovic, were convicted of killing the Yugoslav Ambassador
to Sweden in 1971. F__1
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CROATIAN REVOLUTIONARY BROTHERHOOD (HRB)
The Croatian Revolutionary Brotherhood (HRB) is-one of the
most radical and dangerous of the Croatian extremist groups.
It was founded in Australia in 1961 by Geza'Pasti and Miroslav
Varos and has branches in West Germany, Austria,- Spain, France,
and Sweden. Its missions are to infiltrate terrorist groups into
Yugoslavia and to attack Yugoslav diplomatic officials abroad. A
number of splinter groups have emerged--including the "Croatian
Illegal Revolutionary -Organization"andthe-"Croatian Liberation
Revolutionary Army." The HRB is known to collaborate with the
Croatian National. Resistance and the Croatian Youth in Australia.
Like the CroatianNational -Resistance, the HRB is banned in West
Germany.
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Little is known about the functional structure-of the
Brotherhood, and it is not clear who its current leaders are and
what the membership is..-Some of its-more active members include
Srecko Rover, Jure Maric,-Ivica Simunovic, Franjo Percic, Dane
Saric, Josip Senic, and Franjo Goreta.*- 0
The Croatian Revolutionary Brotherhood has been responsible
since 1963 for at-least-four armed infiltrations-into Yugoslavia.
It seemed to be_ planning- another before .19 of _ its-.members -..were
arrested in 1978 at a guerrilla training camp near Eden, Au-
stralia. In addition, the group has assassinated two Yugoslav
consular officials--one in Munich %in 1966 and another in Frank-
furt in 1976--and wounded another in an assassination attempt in
1965 in West Germany. .It has also planned other assassinations
which, for various reasons, have been unsuccessful.
CROATIAN PEASANT PARTY (HSS)
The Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) is a well-established
organization which,. like most of the other emigre groups,
' seeks the re-establishment of an independent Croatian state.
It does not advocate the-use of violent means, but plays a major
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role in Croatian affairs and maintains contact with the major
groups of the emigre movement. F-1
The HSS was the foremost Croatian political party of the
Yugoslav state during the. inter-war years. Stjepan Radic, its
leader, was shot in the parliament by an enraged Serbian rep-
I6 resentative in 1928. The attack virtually destroyed the 10
years' effort to reconcile Croatian and Serbian differences.
When the Germans invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941, the party
leader, Dr. Vladimir Macek, fled with the royal government to
London, where he established the party's headquarters. Upon his
death Macek was replaced b Dr. Juraj Krnjevic, who is still
President of the Party.
. The party's branch-in Canada currently is as important as
that in London. Established in Winnipeg in 1933, it has
approximately 600 members and is the largest Croatian political
I* 5 organization in Canada. Its leader, Dr. Mladen Zorkin, was
elected President of the Supreme Council of the HSS in 1973.
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UNITED CROATS OF WEST GERMANY (UHNj)
The United Croats of Germany (UHNj), an offshoot of the
Croatian Liberation Movement established by followers of
Anton Pavelic, is reputed to be more radical than the Croatian
Liberation Movement. The West German Government nonetheless
refused to extradite two top members of the UHNj (Ante Vukic
and Franjo Nikolic) to Yugoslavia in 1978 on the grounds
that the organization is not terrorist. Two previous UHNj
leaders have been assassinated--probably by the Yugoslav
security service--and an unsuccessful attempt was made on
the life of present leader Ante Vukic and his wife and
daughter in April 1969.
The UHNj also has branches in Australia and France.
The Australian branch., founded In Sydney:. in 1973, is estimated
to have 50 members and reportedly has plotted.. attacks on
Yugoslav diplomats in Australia. The "United Croats of
Canada" may also be connected with UHNj. -n
FOREIGN BUREAU.OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CROATIA
This group, a Communist organization,-is probably the most
peculiar in the Croatian emigre movement. Tom-Sedlo, its co-
founder and`current'head, is reputed to be one-of the most
eccentric of the Croatian.-emigre leaders. In 1971. he and Velmir
Tomulic founded. the Union of Croatian Communists Abroad in
Frankfurt, West Germany. In 1972, the organization assumed its
current name--Shortly. thereafter, Tomulic.-protested that the
Foreign Bureau was drawing closer to the Ustasha groups in the
Croatian emigre movements and was becoming more nationalistic and
chauvinistic. He and.Sedlo could not resolve their differences,
and Tomulic resigned.
Tomulic's assertions were based on the Foreign Bureau's
fuzzy association with Branko Jelic's Croatian National Committee
in the early 1.970s. Sedlo approached Jelic in 1970 and again in
1972 and claimed that he had Soviet support for the formation of
a "United Croatian Front" that would establish an independent
state of Croatia. It is not entirely clear whether Sedlo's
claims of Soviet support were factual--he apparently has a
reputation for tall tales and-dubious schemes. Jelic, who at
the time claimed-that he-was negotiating with-the Soviets, believed
that Sedlo had connections in Moscow.
Since his approaches to the Croatian National Committee in
1970-1973, not much has been heard from Sedlo or-his organization.
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His last known address (as of 1976), was in Frankfurt. The
Foreign Bureau is not known to have engaged in any terrorist acts
against Yugoslavia; the Yugoslav Government, however, has branded
Sedlo as an enemy of the state. F7
IV
SOCIALIST PARTY OF CROATIA (SSH)
The Socialist Party of Croatia (SSH) was founded by Ivan
Matic in Geneva in 1974. While the Soviet links with the Foreign
Bureau of the Communist Party are uncertain, the SSH is openly
pro-Soviet and could be a creature of Moscow. On a trip to the
Soviet Union in 1974 Matic claims to have spoken with "medium
level" Soviet officials who pledged their assistance to the
party.
. The Socialist Party of Croatia advocates the creation of an
independent Croatian socialist state probably allied with Moscow.
The group is trying to attract the non-Ustasha and non-rightist
Croatian emigres. In addition, the party hopes to solicit the
support of Croatian Communists inside Yugoslavia who were followers
of Croatian Communist leaders Mika Tripalo and Savka Dabcevic-
Kucar, who were ousted by Tito during the "Croatian Spring"
crackdown in 1971-1972. F__1
.25X1
Tom Sedlo (of the Foreign Bureau) wanted to associate his
group with Matic's in.1974, but Matic declined. Matic now resides
iinStuttgart and publishes a party journal, Hrvatska pravda. ? 25X1
CROATIAN REPUBLICAN PARTY (HRS)
The Croatian Republican Party is one of the smaller Croatian
emigre organizations, although its leaders have played an influential
role in attempts to unify the emigre movement. Its President,
Dr. No Korsky of. Buenos Aires, was one of the founders of the
Croatian National*Council in 1974. Professor Kazimir Katalanic,
apparently Korsky's deputy in Buenos Aires, was elected Secretary
of the Presidium of the Croatian National Council at the Brussels
Congress in October 1977. (He was not reelected at the January
1980 Congress.) 0
The Croatian Republican Party has its headquarters in Buenos
Aires and branches in West Germany (headed by Stefan Vrancic of
Nuremberg) and Australia along with a smaller branch in Canada.
While the organization as a whole is not noted for its militancy,
the Australian branch has played a significant part in organizing
violent demonstrations against Yugoslav installations in Au-
stralia in recent years. F__]
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II. The Serbian Emigres
The Serbs have been the dominant national group in Yugo-
slavia since the creation of'the state in 1918. Serbs began
emigrating from Yugoslavia later than Croats did, mainly because
25 the prevailing political climate assured that the Serbs would
dominate the new South Slav nation. As a result, most Serbs were
satisfied during the inter-war years.
The majority of Serbs abroad fought against Tito during
World War II and remained loyal to the royalist government
in London. Their political sympathies tend to be monarchist,
2,5 and they favor the reimposition of Serbian dominance in Yugo-
slavia.
Owing to their relatively recent emigration, the Serbs tend
to be even less well organized than the Croats. Moreover, since
their countrymen enjoy a relatively favorable position in Yugo-
slavia, Serbs abroad lack a constituency at home with which they
can identify.
a5
? Serbian-emigre groups tend to be small and loosely organized,
thus representing a less serious threat to Yugoslavia than
Croatian organizations. In general, the Serb emigres rarely
resort to terrorism--with the exception of a group called the
Serbian Youth Liberation Movement. The Serbian organizations,
however, do have individual members willing to commit violent
acts against Yugoslav installations abroad. In general, little
background information is available on the Serbian groups.
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Z5
ab
was to create negative publicity for anti-Yugoslav Serbs.
The bombings, in fact, caused little damage--their main impact
SERBIAN YOUTH MOVEMENT FOR FREEDOM (SOPO)
The movement was formed in Canada in 1966 .by extremists for
the purpose of perpetuating subversive terrorist acts. Its stated
program is to "sabotage Yugoslavia and kill Ti" it is undoubtedly
the most violent of all the Serbian groups.
SOPO is believed to be responsible for the'bombings in 1967
of six Yugoslav official installations in Nortk America. Some
Serbian emigres believe that two principal members of SOPO
supposedly involved in the bombings were in fact working for the
Yugoslav security service in order to discredit Serbian groups.
SERBIAN WESTERN GUARD
Little is known about this group, but evidence indicates
that some of its.members are among the most likely of all the
Serbs to become involved in terrorist activities. The group was
formed to-encourage a more aggressive fight toward establishing
ab Serbian domminance in a noncommunist Yugoslavia. It is anti-
Communist, anti-Croatian, and Serbian nationalist by nature.
Thus far, its activities seem to have been confined to sending
low-grade propaganda into Yugoslavia.
RAVNA GORA (ORGANIZATION OF SERBIAN CHETNIKS)
This group, along with SOPO, wants to overthrow the Titoist
regime and restore Serbian. dominance in Yugoslavia. Although
it publicly promotes violence, no extremism can actually be
attributed to this group.
III. Miscellaneous Emigre Groups
Yugoslav officials have in the past expressed some concern
over Slovenian and Macedonian emigres, but there is little
active
rou
s are ver
ce that these
ide
?
y
.
g
p
ev
n
Historical Macedonia is now divided among Yugoslavia,
Bulgaria, and Greece. Political activities among those emigre
Macedonians who support independence for Macedonia is also
divided. Macedonian emigres have always lacked leadership and _
consequently have never presented a unified threat. For the most
part, any political activity that does exist has been confined to
peaceful demonstrations.
Q-5 of their activities are confined to cultural and humanitarian
affairs.
The emigre Slovenians have merged with their new found
homelands more quickly than any other Yugoslav nationality--
largely as a result of their high degree of Westernization. Most
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IV. Modus Operandi*
30
616
Dip
IS
Ig
Croatian rorist groups basically share the same modus ope-
randi.
Weapons
Croatian extremists have primarily used light weapons
(pistols, rifles, machineguns, hand grenades). They also
seem to have a fondness for bombs, including letter bombs.
In 1974 a group of Croatians that entered Yugoslavia was
equipped with two bazooka-type missiles stolen from a US
Army base in Kaiserslautern, West Germany, earlier that
year. There are a number of Yugoslav nationals employed by
the US Armed Forces in Germany in various capacities, including
that of security guards. Their possible access to arms and
explosives could make them a prime target for a recruitment
approach by Croatian extremists. --
Bombings and Assassinations
In the past`Croatian extremists have most frequently brought
attention to their cause by bombing Yugoslav installations.
In most cases, the bombs were placed in or mailed to a Yugoslav
installation abroad.. Less frequently, emigre. bombing incidents.
have occurred inside Yugoslavia-the last-known incident on a
train in 1977. In-'most cases it is -difficult to determine whether-.-
Croatian or'Serbian groups were-responsible; the Croatian'attacks,
however, are undoubtedly the most numerous. F-1
emigre-instigated assassination.attempts,_six.of.which were
Assassination attempts have not been as frequent as bombings.
The victims have been either Yugoslav diplomatic officials or
pro-Yugoslav supporters. Since 1965 there have been at least 14
successful.- A11_-.the victims were pro-Yugoslav with the exception
of the Uruguayan-Ambassador to:Paraguay who._was killed when-- '--
mistaken for the Yugoslav Ambassador. (This does not take into
account those deaths related to bombings, or the assassinations
of prominent emigre leaders.) 0
Hostages
Croatians have taken hostages in two plane hijackings and in
their seizure of the Yugoslav Consulate in Sweden (1971), but no
hostages were-harmed in these incidents.
Demands
Most demands have been designed to obtain the release of
fellow extremists imprisoned in Yugoslavia or in other countries.
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Jg
On each occasion they also took the opportunity to promote their
struggle for an independent Croatia. During the hijacking in
September 1976, the terrorists demanded that leaflets be dropped
over London and Paris and that communiques be published calling
for a free Croatia. Demands have almost always been made at the
beginning of the operation--usually via telephone or letters to
the press or the host government. 0 .
Negotiations
In most cases where they have taken hostages the extremists
have been willing to negotiate, and no hostage has been killed.
When the terrorists have set deadlines for their demands, they
have passed without incident, and the extremists have been
willing to make concessions. In situations where hostages have
been taken they have been released within a day. The extremists 25X1
have, in most cases, surrendered peacefully after either their
demands are met or they realize that the authorities will not
budge. 0 25X1
The outright assassination attempts have resulted in numerous
deaths over'the years. :'The extremists seem interested in harming
only Yugoslavs, although some of their bombings have killed or
injured innocent bystanders. In a situation. where. they hold.non-
Yugoslav hostages the extremists are-likely to' give--in to firm
pressure rather than harm those people who have, nothing to do
with their "war" against. Yugoslavia. They do, however, take the-
opportunity to gain maximum notoriety for their cause. ~
Host Government Response
..25X1
25X1
18
As a result of growing international animosity toward terrorism, ;
Yugoslav extremists have been unwelcome in these and other Western
countries and have met with increasing difficulty in carrying out
I~ their operations. There have been occasional reports suggesting that
emigre organizational activities may have shifted to such Latin
American countries as Paraguay and Argentina.
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3.1
Outside Assistance
The only country that is known to give support to Croatian
extremists Paraguay, but the extent of Paraguayan aid is
Ig . unknown.
Despite numerous reports in the early 1970s that the Soviet
government was flirting with Croatian terrorist groups in
order to destabilize the Tito regime, there is no hard proof
to support this. The possibility that Soviet aid to Croatian
terrorists has been given in the past or will be in the future
cannot.be ignored. Many Croatian leaders have been very disappointed
with the negative reaction from the Western world to their activities.
In light of this, it is entirely possible that Croatian repre-
sentatives may try to persuade the USSR to support their cause.
is
V. Yugoslav. Government Response
Belgrade pursues an intensive anti-terrorist program at
home and abroad that has included diplomatic pressure, propaganda
to?discredi t emigre organizations
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X6 25X1
The recent attempts of emigre organizations to settle their
differences and present a united, and thus more effective, front
has been of major concern to the Yugoslavs. This trend combined
with the passing of President Tito can be expected to accelerate
anti-emigre efforts Should
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ob
3a
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emigre organizations initiate terrorist activities it is likely
they will be met with equally harsh countermeasures.
In the past, Belgrade has tried to cooperate with Western
governments in curbing emigre extremist acts. The result, however,
has often produced a definite strain on Yugoslav relations with
the countries involved. Yugoslav officials have repeatedly said
that they are unable to understand the Western distinction
between legitimate ethnic political activities ' on one hand and
anti-Yugoslav violence and terror on the other. The question of
how much freedom anti-Yugoslav groups have to operate in Western
societies is a major yardstick by which Yugoslavia measures
relations with these countries. Consequently, peaceful expres-
sion of emigre political views--that is, demonstrations and
meetings--have met with great dissatisfaction by the Yugoslavs.
The challenge posed by Croatian emigre activists stems not
entirely from their terrorist activities. While the violence
creates very serious problems, the real threat is that the
anticipated increase in Croatian terrorist activity after Tito's
death, coupled with pent up Croatian nationalism within Yugoslavia,
could present a formidable challenge to the durability of the
Yugoslav federal system. Faced with this threat the Yugoslav
intelligence services can be expected to resort to extreme measures
to counter the emigre challenge.
25X1
25X1
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ANNEX A
CHRONOLOGY OF ACTIVITIES SINCE 1962
The following is a chronological list of ,ignificant
Yugoslav terrorist-related activities that have occurred
outside the United States since 1962. Although not complete,
it provides some indication of the nature and geographic
scope of emigre extremist activities. In addition, the
incidents illustrate some of the retaliatory measures employed
by the Yugoslav security service to neutralize the emigre
challenge. F-1
~k November 1962
May 1963
)$
terrorist Stanko Kardum--a member of
the Croatian Revolutionary Brotherhood.
25X1 ,
25X1
Yugoslav trade mission in Mehlam,
West Germany, bombed by Croatian
terrorists. 25X1
Nine members of the Croatian Revo-
lutionary Brotherhood' from Australia
infiltrated into Yugoslavia. The
attack was staged from West Germany.
The nine were arrested by Yu oslav
officials in June 1963. 25X1
Yugoslav Consul in Meersburg, West
Germany, was wounded by Croatian.
3C)
30 August 1966
Q!5 December 1966
1967
1g
13 September 1967
worker" in Germany.
Yugoslav Vice Consul in Munich, Sava
Milovanovic, was killed by Franjo
Goreta, a member of the Croatian
Revolutionary Brotherhood and "guest
Yugoslav Consulate in Sydney, Australia,
bombed.
apprehended--by-Yugoslav police. -
commit acts of sabotage. They were
Three members of the Croatian-Revo-
lutionary Brotherhood' infiltrated' -into
Yugoslavia with weapons, planning to
Marijan Simundie, a witness in the trial
of Franjo Goreta, was shot near Stuttgart.
Goreta was convicted for the assassination.
of fa Yugoslav Vice Consul in August 1966.
25X1
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311
18 February 1968
A bomb exploded in the basement of
the Yugoslav Ambassador's residence
in Paris. One person was killed, and
14 people were injured. Both Croatian
and Serbian emigres were suspected.
24 March 1968
18
I $ 13 May. 19 6 8
23 May 1968
3q,35 June 1968
l,~ 13 July 1968
were suspected.
The Yugoslav Consulate General in Graz,
Austria, was bombed. Croatian emigres
The Yugoslav Consulate General in
Klagenfurt, Austria, was bombed.
Croatian emigres were suspected.
emigres were suspected.
The Belgrade railway station was bombed;
six people were injured. Croatian
Chief of Yugoslav military mission in
West Berlin was severely wounded by
gunfire, signaling beginning
of more violent emigre activity. C
One person was killed and 77 people
injured in a bomb explosion in a
Belgrade movie theater. Croatian
extremist Miljenko Hrkac was given a
death sentence for this crime by a
Yugoslav court in December 1975.
25X1
34 28 July 1968
Ig 25 September-1968
26 October 1968
I~ 35 19 April 1969
~$ 9 June 1969
The Yugoslav Embassy in Oslo was
bombed., No one claimed responsibility.
Belgrade theater.
A bomb exploded at the main railway
station in Belgrade, injuring 13 people.
A Yugoslav court sentenced-Croatian
extremist Miljenko Hrkac to death in
December 1975 for this crime and for
the 13 July 1968 explosion in a
Three prominent anti-Communist Croatian
emigre leaders found murdered in a
Munich apartment-.
General Maks Luburic_(founder of
Croatian National Resistance and
former Ustasha General) assassinated
--presumably killed in an emigre
feud.
emigres were suspected.
A bomb exploded at the.Yugoslav Con-
sulate in Sydney, Australia. Croatian
25X6
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\aa
with was not known.
Drago Dolo, a Croatian emigre, shot
and seriously wounded Anton Kolendic,
head of the Yugoslav military mission
in West Berlin. Which Croatian
extremist group Dolo was affiliated
29 November 1969 The Yugoslav Embassy in Canberra,
is Australia, was bombed by Croatian
I"-25X1
emigres. There were no injuries. 25X1
,~ 7 May 1970 The Yugoslav Ambassador's residence
in Brussels was bombed. No one
claimed responsibility. 25X1
3'1
1 August 1970
Two Molotov cocktails were thrown .
at the Yugoslav Embassy in Brussels.
jq 10 September 1970
18
10 February 1971
jy~ 1g 7 April 1971
IG 26 December 1971
3M 135
26 January 1972
No one claimed responsibility.
of Croatian National Committee.
An unsuccessful attempt was made on the
life of Dr. Branko Jelic, a prominent
Croatian exile leader and co-founder
A bomb exploded at the Yugoslav
Consulate in Melbourne, Australia.
Croatian emigres were suspected.
National Resistance.
Two Croatians seized the Yugoslav
Consulate in Goteborg, Sweden, and
demanded that a number of Croatian
terrorists be-released from Yugoslav
jails. The two, Ante Stojanov and-
Blago Mikulic, along with two others
may have been members of the Croatian
Miro Baresic and Andjelko Brajkovic,
Vladimir Rolovic, in Stockholm.
alleged members of the Croatian
National Resistance, assassinated
the Yugoslav Ambassador to Sweden,
A bomb exploded in the Zagreb office of
Borba, the League of Communists of Yugo-
sla a.(LCY) newspaper, killing one.
Croatian emigres. were suspected of
mailing the package containing the
A bomb exploded on a JAT plane en route
from Stockholm to Belgrade, killing 26
of the 27 people on board. Croatian
emigres claimed responsibility. They
thought that Yugoslav Premier Bijedic
would be on board, but he was not. F
25X1
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26 January 1972
3`} 30 March 1972
It 20 June 1972
I~ September 1972
emigres were suspected.
A bomb exploded in a Vienna-to-Zagreb
passenger train, injuring six. Croatian
A Yugoslav tourist office in Stockholm
was bombed. No group claimed respon-
sibility. 25X1
Nineteen members of the Croatian Revo-
lutionary Brotherhood infiltrated into
Yugoslavia near the town of Bugoinov
in western Bosnia-Hercegovina in an
effort to incite armed rebellion. Before
being overwhelmed., they killed 13 Yugo-
slav security officers. Of the 19, 15
were killed during the raid, three were
later executed, and one was given a
20-year prison term. The group had
been trained by the Croatian Revolutionary
Brotherhood in Australia. 25X1
The Chief-of Police in Karlobag,
Yugoslavia, was assassinated. Yugo-
slavia later accused two Croatian
National Committee members--Mate
Prpic and Ivan Matecevic--of the
murder.
I~ 15 September 1972
Three members of the Croatian National
Resistance hijacked a SAS airliner at
Malmo, Sweden (the flight originated
out of Copenhagen) and ransomed its
passengers for the six Croatians in
Swedish jails for the 10 February and
7 April incidents in Sweden. They
were allowed to land in Madrid. After
being held by Spanish authorities, they
were-eventually released and allowed
to go to Paraguay. Dinko Sakic played
a major role in their release and re-
location to Paraguay.
17 September 1972
A bomb exploded in a Yugoslav tourist
agency office in Sydney, Australia.
Croatian emigres claimed responsibility. 25X1
A member of the Croatian National Resis-
tance was later convicted for the crime.-
11
An American businessman, vacationing in
Australia, was killed in a bomb blast in
an automobile outside a Serbian Orthodox
church in Brisbane. Croatian emigres
were suspected.
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r J$
15
Early 1973
February 1974
4 August 1974
Srecko Rover and Dinko Sakac planned to
infiltrate 109 Croatian guerrillas to
Yugoslavia, but the plan was foiled when
Australian police arrested Rover and
many of the guerrillas before they
left Australia.
Croatian National Council was formed
in Toronto in an effort to create a
world-wide united body to voice
Croatian opposition to the Yugoslav
government.
One person was killed and seven injured
in a bomb explosion at a Belgrade rail-
way station. Croatian extremists were
suspected. F-1
August 1974 Stjepan and Ivan Bilandjic, Franjo
~$ Goreta, and Ivica Simunovic paid an
American soldier and a German to steal
weapons from a US Army depot at
Kaiserslauten, West Germany.
29 October 1974 Two Croatian extremists, Mate Prpic
and Ivan Matecivic of the Croatian
National Committee, were killed in
a shootout with Yugoslav-police in
Velebit, Yugoslavia. One policeman
was killed.
1$ 1974
Sixteen Croatians in Zadar, Croatia,
were arrested and accused of belonging
to the Croatian Revolutionary Brother-
hood and planning numerous assassinations
and acts of sabotage against the Yugo-
slav state. F__1
25X1
25X1
Ig 15 November 1974 A letter bomb exploded in a Zagreb post
office, killing one and injuring two.
The package was sent from West Germany
and addressed to a high-ranking Yugoslav
official. Yugoslav police arrested Antun
Fillcic of the Croatian National Committee
during the same month and sentenced him
to 10 years for this and other acts of
terrorism against the Yugoslav state.
I~ 30 March 1975
The Yugoslav Vice Consul in Lyon, France,
was shot and severely wounded as he got
out of his car in a garage near his
home. Belgrade newspapers attributed
the shooting to a rightwing Croatian
separatist group.
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13 May 1975
June 1975
17 September 1975
19 1 November 1975
17 December 1975
Ig 19 December 1975
December 1973-..
1~ 24 December 1975
ltd 1 January 1976
Petar Valic, editor of a Chetnik
newspaper in Belgium, was shot in
Brussels. Evidence suggests Yugoslav
security service was responsible.
Ilija Vicic, a leader of Croatian
National Resistance, was shot in
Stuttgart. Police suspected
a terrorist team was dispatched from
Yugoslavia for the purpose of killing
him, but they had no proof.
25X1
A bomb exploded at the Kreditna Bank
in Zagreb. Six Croatians were convicted
of this crime b a Yugoslav court in
June 1976. 25X1
Pavle Perovic and Josip Ledic of the
Croatian National Resistance attempted
to assassinate a Yugoslav diplomat in a
restaurant in Colo ne, West Germany. The
attempt failed. 25X1
Prominent emigre leader Stipe Mikulic
was killed in Sweden.
emigres were suspected.
A bomb exploded at the JAT branch in
Duesseldorf, West Germany. Croatian
1977.
Stjepan Buconjic was arrested by West
German police for preparing three
bobby-trapped packages addressed to the
Yugoslav Consulate in Munich. Buconjic's
source for the explosives was the then
Secretary General of the Croatian
Liberation Movement, Ivan Tuksor.
Buconjic received 18 years for this
crime from a West German court in
emigres were suspected.
A bomb exploded at the JAT branch in
Stuttgart, West Germany. Croatian
suspected.
A bomb exploded in front of the garage
of the Yugoslav Consulate General in
Stuttgart, causing minor property
damage. Croatian emigres were
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12 January 1976
7 February 1976
A bomb thrown into the terrace of the
Yugoslav Consulate in Dortmund exploded
and caused minor property damage.
Croatian emigres were suspected.
murder or prominent Croatian emigre
leader Stipe Mikulic in Sweden.
The Yugoslav Vice Consul in Frankfurt,
Edvin Zdovc, was assassinated by two'
assailants. The-Yugoslav Government
claimed that two members of the Croatian
Revolutionary Brotherhood--Josip Kavac 25X1
and Nikola Milicevic--killed Zdovc in
retaliation for the 17 December 1975"
25X6
I
IS
15 May 1976--
1g
6 June 1976
ig 28 June 1976
15 3 December 1976
3 O 15 June 1977
August 1977
A bomb exploded outside. the Yugoslav
cultural institute in Cologne, West
Germany.- Croatian emigres were
suspected.
target of the assassination.
Joso Damjanovic of the Croatian National
Resistance assassinated the Uruguayan
Ambassador to Paraguay in Asuncion.
Damjanovic mistook him for the Yugoslav
Ambassador to Paraguay, who was the real
German court.
Pavele Perovic and Marko Krpan of the
Croatian National Resistance attempted
to assassinate-.Yugoslav Consul-Vladimir-
Topic in Duesseldorf. Krpan was arrested.
Perovic escaped but was later arrested
in Canada and extradited to West Germany.
On 9 November 1977, they both received
ten years for this crime from a West
were suspected.
A bomb exploded at the JAT branch in
Melbourne, Australia. Croatian emigres
Emigres placed a bomb on an inter-
person and injuring eight.
national train; it exploded in
Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, killing one
Three Serbs killed in Toronto garage
when bomb they were handling went off.
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28 November 1977 A bomb was discovered outside the
Yugoslav Consulate in Lyon, France.
Croatian emigres claimed respon-
sibility.
I~ 4 December 1977
A bomb exploded in a Hamburg-to-Belgrade-
to-Bar train near Sentilj, Yugoslavia,
causing extensive damage but no injuries.
Croatian emigres-were suspected.
2 September 1978
Nineteen members of the Croatian Revo-
lutionary Brotherhood dressed in army
uniforms and carrying light weapons
were arrested near Eden, Australia, and
charged with illegal possession of
weapons and conspiracy to overthrow
the Yugoslav Government. Among those
arrested were: Jure Maric, Ante Seric,
Ante Mujic, and Ivan Tomic.
II October 1978
Bruno Busic,-an extremely active
emigre and executive member of the
Croatian National Council, murdered
13 January 1980 Nikola Milicevic, a prominent Croat
3a emigre, shot and killed in Frankfurt,
West Germany. F7
3.
18-19 January 1980
16 April 1980
Croatian National--Council (HNV) held
third annual International Congress in
London. Appears-.HNV is entering-a new
era which will be marked:. by -.a,. "soft
sell" approach in hopes of gaining
Western policy support in achieving
a free and independent Croatia. It
adopted a major policy revision based
on principles of moderation and nego-
tiation.
Dusan Sedlar, leader of Serbian
emigres in West Europe, fatally
shot in Duesseldorf.- His friends
claimed he had been organizing
a large gathering of Serbian exiles
to be held in that city in May. F-1
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ANNEX B
LEADING YUGOSLAV EMIGRES
1$ ASANCIC, Josip
Head of a faction of Croatian Liberation
Movement (HOP) in Buerros Aires Argentina,
which has 100-500 members.
25X1
AVDIC, Ragib Vice President of Croatian National Council
Iq,~~ Presidium (HNV)--elected to his second IN,
term in January 198
0. He is
re
sident of
Sydney, Australia,
Australian branch o
and Secre
f the HNO
tar
(C
y of the
roatian
National Committee)
.
[
25X6
25X6
0
BARESIC, Miro
He was serving a li
1971 murder_of_Yugo
Sweden. In:1972--he
fe prison
slav--Amba
was amon
te
ssa
g t
rm for the
dor to
he Croatian
3(0
prisoners exchanged
for pass
eng
ers of a
39
hijacked jet. Late
was arrested for vi
r he ente
sa fraud.
red
U
US and
S District
Court issued an ord
er on 2 A
pri
l 1980 to
extradite Baresic t
o Sweden
to
complete
a life sentence. :Recent Croatian terrorist
1g 11 BAUER, Ernest
VI BEDEKOVIC, Stjepan
18,Itlal
extradition proceedings against Croatian
communiques have carried specific threats
against any._country..involving_itself.in
and Canada have already occured in support
of Baresic.
Formerly chief of the Military-Political
Affairs Committee of the HNV Executive
Committee. At the January 1980 elections
he was.elected head of the European. Relations
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activists. --Demonstrations in-Australia-?
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I$ BIOSIC, Josip
Head of the Spanish branch of Croatian Lib-
eration Movement in Valencia.
BUCONJIC, Stjepan Member of the West German branch of Croatian
Liberation Movement. In 1977 he received
18 years in prison from a?German court,for.
attempted assassination.-. He.had prepared
three booby-trapped packages addressed for
the Yugoslav Consulate in Munich in
December 1975. 1
`I (d BUSIC., Bruno
d BUTKOVIC, Anton (Josip) Alleged.top member of the Australian branch:
of the Croatian Liberation Movement. He -
is also connected with other emigre
extremist organizations in Australia.
d DAMJANOVIC, Joso Killed the Uruguayan Ambassador in 1976 in
10 Paraguay, while thinking that he was
assassinating the Yugoslav Ambassador to
Paraguay.
f~ DESKAR, Mirko
DOLO, Drago
as
Had played a key role in the Croatian National
Council as head of the propaganda and publi-
cation section. He was shot and killed in
Paris in October 1978.
Head of Croatian Liberation Movement branch
in Stuttgart.
Sentenced to 10 years in prison in West
Berlin on 17 April 1970.on two charges of
attempted manslaughter--one victim was
Anton Kolendic, chief of the Yugoslav Military
missionlin West Berlin. He was released from
prison on 30 September 1977 on condition
of good behavior. Currently the Croatian
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Ig
?GORETA, Franjo
assassinate Goreta. He is now living
in West Germany. 25X1
HEFER, Stjepan
Member of the West German branch of the
Croatian Revolutionary Brotherhood. He
was given a 10 year sentence for the
assassination of a Yugoslav Consular
Official in August 1966. Yugoslavia
requested his extradition in 1977, but
it was denied. West German police arrested
a Yugoslav citizen in 1977 who proved to be 25X1
a member of a Yugoslav "hit team" sent to
Succeeded Anton Pavelic as head of the
original wing of the Croatian Liberation
Movement (HOP) and moved the headquarters
to Buenos Aires.' He led the HOP on a more-
moderate path after.Pavelic's death in 1959.
Hefer died in 1973. 7-1
ILIC, Andrija Head of the British branch,of the Croatian.:
Liberation Movement. n 25X1
JELIC, Branko
One of Pavelic's former deputies from the
1930s. He was a founding member and, head
of Croatian National Committee.:
Jelic died in -May 1972.
I. 19,a9
Vice President of the Executive Committee of
Croatian National Council and the President 25X1
of Croatian National Committee. He resides
in Munich and may also be a leader of the
Croatian Peasants Party. He reportedly
declared that there will be a world wide
increase in emigre activity following Tito's
death. He is the brother of Branko Jelic.
25X1
19
IIK
JURISIC, Franjo Secretary of the Stuttgart branch of the
Croatian Liberation Movement. 25X1
Head ofethe Croatian Republican Party. One
of the founders of the Croatian National
Council in 1974. He lives in Buenos
Aire %--3 =
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KOSTRIC, Stjepan
5,1q
Ig
KRVIC, Joseph
LASIC, Vjekoslav Catholic priest residing in Sweden. 25X1
, d t-
h
b
Former treasurer and secretary) of the
Croatian National Committee.
'' 25X1
Ig
"Military Planner" of the Stuttgart branch
of the Croatian Liberation Movement (HOP).
een invo ve in an i
ave
Reported to
Yugoslav activities. 25X1
25X1
~oA]
LOVOKOVIC, Fabian A leader of the Australian branch of the
LUBURIC, Maks
Croatian Liberation Movement. 25X1
to be an inter-emigre feud.
murdered in Spain in 1969 in what appeared
Former Ustasha General, reputed to have been
.a war criminal, chief of death camps during
the war, and himself an actual executioner.
He founded the Croatian National Resistance
in 1960--a terrorist group-advocating the:---
armed overthrow of Yugoslavia. Luburic was
One of the leading members of the Croatian
Revolutionary Brotherhood. He resides in
Seaforth, Australia, and is reported to have
been a co-leader along with Srecko Rover of
the HRB faction "Croatian Illegal Revolutionary
Army" established in 1972. In September 1978
he was arrested along with 18 other HRB members
at a guerrilla. training camp near Eden,
Australia.
Heads "United Croats of Canada." I 25X1
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I
MATIC, Ivan
visited the USSR in 1974 and gained promises
for assistance from Soviet officials.
ID
MICIC, Tomislav A chief spokesman for new Croatian group
called the Coordination Center for Croats
Residing Abroad. He organized a recent
press conference in Frankfurt; the group
advocates violence as means of obtaining
a free Croatia.
MILICEVIC, Nikola
Founder of the Socialist Party of Croatia:
Claims to have
A prominent Croat emigre shot and killed in
Frankfurt on 13 January 1980. He was a
member of the United Croats in Germany until.
October 1975,.when he left the organization,-
after an apparent disagreement with the leader-
ship and formed the United Croats of Europe.
He was suspected in connection with the 1977
bombing attack on Yugoslav train and the 1976
assassination of Yugoslav Consulate in Frankfurt
among other activities. 25X1
NIKOLIC, Franjo" Leader of "United Croats of-West Germany."
PASTI, Geza
Co-founder of the Croatian Revolutionary
Brotherhood .(HRB).in 1961..-Little is known
about his background or, -his;- present _ status.
Arrested in 1963 by West German police for
weapons possession and conspiracy in connection
with infiltration of nine guerrillas into
Yugoslavia. He received a short sentence.
S
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PAVELIC, Ante Established a radical, right wing Croatian
nationalist organization called "Ustasha"
in Italy in 1929. The Ustasha is a fore-
runner of most of today's Croatian extremist
groups. He died in 1959 in Spain.
PERCIC, Franjo Alleged leader'of the.HRB in Australia.
19
181 19
18'
(AKA: PERICIC)
PORIC, No
PRPIC, Nikola
ROJNICA, No
ROVER, Srecko_--
Leading member of the Croatian Liberation
Movement in Argentina which he represented
at the September 1975 Congress of the
Croatian National Council in Toronto
and was elected to the Honorary Council
Court. F I 25X1
Treasurer of the-Croatian National Council.
He resides in Munich and was administrative
assistant to Branko Jelic in 1970-1972. -25X1
and for the Croatian National Council.
Well-known emigre from Argentina. . He- is a .
very successful-businessman and has. been
financially supporting anti-Yugoslav terrorist
activities. He is reportedly too old to be
involved in some of the preparations. In 1974
he sent large sums of money ($20,000-$30,000)
to Canada and London for Bilandzic's defense
Active member.-of the Croatian Revolutionary-_
Brotherhood. -He was student and member.of the:
Ustasha during the war. Persistently
advocates kidnaping-o? Yugoslav diplomatic
representatives in order to bargain for
release of political prisoners and terrorists.
Well known as a terrorist organizer. He Lives
in Melbourne, Australia, but pursues activities
.in Europe. He is reported to be head of
the Croatian National Resistance branch in -
Australia.
SAKIC, Dinko Head of the main branch of the Croatian
(AKA: Ljubomir .:National Resistance -.(HNO-L) located . in -
Sakic-Bilanovic) :,. nrValencia, Spain.. .Be _served in. Pav.elic'-s_
Ustasha during World War II. He is the
son-in-law of HNO-L founder Maks Luburic
and claims to be the head of the HNO-L
in Europe and South America.
has been actively involved in some of the more
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If
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SARIC, Dane
in Australia.
spectacular Croatian terrorist acts of
the 1910s, though his role in them has
not always been clear. He was involved in
and possibly planned.the 1972 SAS hijacking.
He later became the hijackers' legal
representative and solicited contributions
for their expenses. In 1974 he brought
the six terrorists freed in the 1972
hijacking to Asuncion, Paraguay, and
sent them to the "Janko Puzta" camp for
guerrilla training. In 1973 he collaborated'
with Srecko Rover of Australia to take
109 Croatian terrorists to Spain and
eventually stage a raid into Yugoslavia.
They had been trained in guerrilla
warfare in the Australian bush. This plan
was foiled when the Croatians were arrested
Head of the Karlsruhe, West Germany,
branch of the-Croatian Revolutionary
Brotherhood. -He.is known as one of the
.most active and influential representatives
of extremist emigre circles in West Europe.
He was a member of the "Lake Constance-
Group" of HRB members who were sentenced
to prison terms of 5-12 years for bombings
.of Yugoslav installations in Germany between
1965 and 1968. 0 25X1
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SARIC, Nediljko In March 1980 he-was sentenced in Yugoslavia
to six years in prison for membership in
Croatian Revolutionary Brotherhood (HRB)
based in Germany. :..A- Zagreb. newspaper -
report claimed Saric joined HRB in Frankfurt
in-197.8 while a guest worker in Germany
and that he was trained in preparation and
handling of "diversionist means" for
terrorist activity in Yugoslavia. Apparently
his only crime was membership in the organi-
zation. F-1 25X1
SCHWARTZ, Mladen
Chief ideological spokesman for the new
organization called the Coordination
Center for Croats Residing Abroad.
Serbian emigre leader.. Fatally shot in
Duesseldorf, on 16 April 1980. His friends
claimed he had been organizing a large
gathering of Serbian exiles to meet
in Duesseldorf in May.
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Ig
Ig
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SEDLO, Tomo
SIMUNDIC, Nikola Ivan
(AKA: Nedjelko)
Co-founder and current head of the
Foreign Bureau of the Communist Party.
.of -Croatia along with Velimir Tomulic.
Ig
SIMUNOVIC, Ivica_. One of the leading members of the German
branch of the HRB. His last known address
was West Germany.(1974). He has 25X1.
played an active role in obtaining explosives
for extremist activities. 25X1
SVJESIC, Velimir . .Current Secretary General-of the Croatian
National Committee (HNO-J) .-
25X1
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9,1
Ig
11
VAROS, Miroslav
VIDOVIC, Mirko
Co-founder of the Croatian Revolutionary
Brotherhood in 1961 in Australia. He was
a leading member of the Croatian National
Committee but quarelled with B. Jeli~_]
and broke from that group in 1958.
New Assembly President of the-Croatian
National Council elected in January 1980.
He is an emigre writer who has lived in
France since 1965._-He- returned-to Yugo-
slavia in 1971 to visit-his sick mother
and after a few weeks was arrested on five
charges including the spread of hostile pro-
paganda, insulting the head of state, and
importijg foreign literature and newspapers.
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He was found guilty and sentenced to four
years in prison; after he appealed, sentence
was increased.to seven years. Amnesty Inter-
national declared him a "Prisoner of
Conscience" in'1976. He was released later
that year and returned to France.
VRANCIC, Vjekoslav As of 1972, he was the head of the
Croatian Revolutionary Youth--an openly
terrorist group. He is now a member of the
Court of Honor of the Croatian National
Council. He is also reported to head the
1011 larger and more radical splinter group
of the Croatian Liberation Movement
based in Buenos Aires. The splinter
group is known as "The Provisional
Committee for the reorganization of the
HOP" and was established-in 1966.
VUJICEVIC, Ivan --_ - -.Jailed in Sweden for holding four people
hostage in Yugoslav Consulate in Sweden
in 1971. In 1972 he was released as a result
of hijackers' demands
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This by no means includes all emigre activists.
B-9 0
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SUBJECT: Yugoslav Emigre Extremists
NFAC/OPA/USSR-EE/EE/
Distribution:
Copy 1
2, & 3
29May80)
Carl Schmidt, State Dept.
Richard Miles, State Dept.
Elisabeth Renwick, State Dept.
Paul Costalanski, State/INR
Stephen Larabee,.NSC
Alfred Ennulat, FBI
NSA
NSA
DDO
I DDO
D/NFAC
DD/NFAC
NFAC Registry
NFAC/Senior Review Panel
Ex. Secretary/NFAC Production Board
NIO/Warning
NIO/USSR-EE
NIO/PE
C/NIC
NFAC/PME/Liaison
NSC Pres. Brief. Coord.
PPG
PPG
PPG
PDB Staff
D/OPA
OPA/PS
OPA/PS
OPA/IID
OCR/EE
OPA/USSR-EE Chrono
C/OPA/USSR-EE/EE
OPA/USSR-EE/EE Chrono
OPA/USSR-EE/EE Prod. Book
OPA/USSR-EE/EE
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