OSS File: Croatian Fraternal Union Affairs
As a means to build up pro-Allied sentiment among America's various Eastern European immigrant communities, a "Slav Congress" was held, with delegations arriving from the most prominent groups. Office of Strategic Services informant "SK" attended and reported on internal dissension behind the scenes. It should be noted that the administration at the time wanted all groups attending the congress to form a united front, aimed at the Axis powers, and to put their disagreements aside for the duration of the war. They were aware, however, of similar efforts being made in Moscow (culminating in Stalin's absurdly anachronistic "Pan-Slavic Institute") and sought to protect the delegates from possible Soviet agents. The following report indicates some internal dissension in the ranks of the Croatian Fraternal Union, one of the most venerable Croatian-American organizations. Many decades later, the CFU would itself become a target of Ustase extremists in America who saw the CFU as unwelcome competition.

 

S.K.
Yugo.

April 23, 1942
Detroit, Mich.

Re: Croatian Frat. Un. Affairs

It is reported, that the 2 Lodges of the C.F.U. in Detroit, are against the proposed referendum to oust J.D. Butkovich, Pres. of the C.F.U. They agree, that Butkovich has been detrimental as a whole to the organization, but maintain that the time is not ripe to force the issue and that Butkovich should be dispensed with in the regular manner at the coming election in 1943. Concerning Milan Petrak, ed. of the "Zajednicar", they do not place him in the same category with Butkovich. Petrak is coming as a delegate to the Slav congress and the Croat leaders here intend to put him on the carpet and demand that he come out more in a Yugoslav spirit in future. They consider Petrak as an ablest [sic] Croatian editor and are loath to dispose of him. They are under the impression that they will manage to show him the right way towards the Serbo-Croatian unity.

However, if Petrak fails to reciprocate, then they will proceed to displace him. Since the F.B.I. raids on the Cratian [sic] Homedefenders, these Croats have been fully impressed and are now thoroughly cowed and rendered hors de combat.

The agents have also questioned the local leaders of the Serb. Natl. Def. Council as to their activities and since then this crowd has laid low publicly but conducts its propaganda on the sly.

The Macedonian Bulgarians have not shown any open activity, but for that matter they never did as their actions were always conducted with underground perfect methods for years. The only way to find out their activities is to get to one of their numbers, which is a hard task as the culprit literally pays with his head if found out. Its an old custom of the IMRO.

A large part of the Ukrainians are still showing a sympathy to the Nazi cause by their hatred of the Russians regardless of communists, but defend their stand by a claim of being good Americans. Majority of them are from the former Austrian Galicia and equally hate the Poles. One part, from Ukraine proper, are strongly pro-Soviet and a schism exists between the two extremes.

SK/Y

 

:: filing information ::
Title: OSS File: Croatian Fraternal Union Affairs
Source: NARA
Date: April 23, 1942 Added: December 2002