Yugo.
April 8, 1942
Pittsburgh, Pa.
RE: Serb Natl. Federation
Today, S.K. interviewed Branko Pekich, Gen. Sec. of the Serb Natl. Fed. Mr. Pekich informed S.K. that two F.B.I. agents visited him yesterday and asked him the reason for the Federation's anti-Croatian propaganda. (Mr. Kosto Unkovich, the local Yugoslav Consul requested the local F.B.I. Office to pay the Federation's secretary a visit and caution them on their destructive propaganda. Mr. Unkovich asks that this request remain confidential. For years, Mr. Unkovich has been combatting all anti-Yugoslav propaganda and has closely cooperated with U.S. authorities)Mr. Pekich went on to say, that he and his organization, did not attack the Croat-Americans, but directed their verbal attacks against those Croatians in Croatia who had murdered 300,000 Serbs. He cannot understand why he and the Serbs in this country should be prevented to inform the public of said Croatian atrocities perpetrated on Serbs and substantiated by Dean of Cantenburry and reporters of the American Press e.tc. Furthermore, Pekich claims that the Serbs have the right to choose their own form of post war State and government, in as much the majority of the Croats had already elected to proclaim their own with the Axis whom the Serbs are fighting with the aid of the Allies. Further, that the Croatian members of the Yugoslav Cabinet in London, had writen [sic] to the British goverment [sic] behind the back of the Yugoslav Premier and other Serb ministers, asking the British goverment for enlargement of the Croatian frontiers, at the expence of the Serbs in future Yugoslavia.
Mr. Pekich continues, that the Serbs are perturbed at the influence that Mr. Louis Adamic is exercising in our own State. Dept. in view of Mr. Adamic's past anti-Serbian attitude. It appears that Mr. Pekich honestly believes that all those alleged Croatian atrocities are true and therefor the Serbs should retaliate in kind and totally divorce themselves from the Croats. Pekich is unable to conceive, that Yovan Duchich and other instigators have deliberately played on his honesty and emotions to use him and his Natl. Federation, to promote their plan of action against the realm of Yugoslavia. Pekich maintains, that the so called Yugoslav Croats and Yugoslav Serbs, are scheming for a post war Yugoslav republic and abdication of King Peter, II. Mr. Pekich does not believe in this form of possible plebiscite. It was pointed out to Pekich that the Axis are taking advantage of this disunity to their interest and embarrassing the Allied war effort. S.K. asked Pekich to write and submit a text of their policy. He replied that they had expressed themselves sufficiently in the "Srbobran". S.K. told him that it was only for certain public consumption and a personal explanation is in order due to the dissention caused by the "Srbobran". Mr. Pekich said he will consult his associates on the subject.
SK/Y