• ' COMBINED ECONOMIC WARFARE AGENCIES

Y~coslav refueec camps in Egypt

21 May 1944 Cairo

(lrote: The in format ior. c oncaincd in this report was obtained by an Ar:lcrican Army Officer from (a.) various officials , on,.., British· nnd the rer-1.rj_nrl0r Partisan, at the headquarters camp a.t El Shatt , and (b) r,Iajor !,~axto Jaksic , member oi' the Military Mission of the National Lib8ration Committee of Yugoslavia , who is responsible to the NLC for the conduct of the cru1ps ).

1 . Background

\'lith the help of the Allies the Partisans have evacuated tens of thou::. "J:1<.1..: of homol es 3 r~fugees fro!"l the Dalmatian Coast area. Those ref'ucces are removed on Partisan ships - sailed by Partisan crews - to Southern Italy . They fire processed (disin­footed) at Carbonorn , near Bari , a c ~mr run by the sub - commission of the Allied Control Commission . 'I1hey remain there only 2 - 3 da.ys and arc then turned ovGr to HLC - run camps .where they await con­voys that vrill t.:=ike thcrn to Egypt . These canms are at Le c ce , Tu turo..na , Sant a T.iln.ri n e 1 Bagno , Tar a.n to . The Pttr tis ans say that the only crunp th~t is not run vii th r.1aximum care nnd efficiency ls the Co.rbonarn canp . At one tjme , about February 1944 , they com­plained that Chetnik sympathizers wore permitted to interfere in the camp and that many wor:ien vrnrc subjected to unnece 0 sary indig­nities v.rhilc being dj s:Lnfasted . The Partisans now h vo , commit­too which supcrvlso~ the d.Lsinfcsta~:ion . Also in February a large group of re:fugt~es rmci bro'J.Ght to Tar'- nto nnd put in a cnmp wlLh n0 roofs , no bedn , no sqnitary facilities . The refugees had to sleep on tlw cold , dF..tnp cr•otmd Dnd n large number suffered fro□ tho cold . The Partisans say that the Chetntks made capital of the situ~tion, tulling the rofusees th~t they were being treated thus because tl1E-:r wt.re Partisans , c:.nd warning then of · worse treatment in thJ Egypti,n des •rt .

Prom the cmnps in Itnly the refucees were shipped on convoys to Suez . The s ..:a voyage r1 s 5- 10 dr:ts . The refugees were pleased wi tr the trip , t 1.3 nccommoclations on shipbonrd , 'nd with the ships I personnel. On the last convoy the seamen collected 200 E yptian pounr 8 for the a-Ld of the refugees and severol hundred pou:1.ds of stat 1onr:>ry .for the cbildren . _Two of the sea captains spent tl~ir previous few days of leave with the refugees in the d sert .

2 . Locatl_gn of __ crun s ncrsonnel

1'herc "'l'O camps . ThGre at Kh,..,tatba . ca'"'t of Suez ,

now 2Ei , 0 1)') Yugoslav rcfugcos ir. EgyptiDn desert "J.·1; tV✓o group.., of crimp" : three at El Shatt and one Th~ El Shatt cnmps , \'1r1.ich arc situated just south­have n totn.J. of 20 , 000 ; Khatatba .has 5 , 300 . By the

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. nd of this month, it is expeeted that Khatatba will have 20,ooe . :J It j s ex ected that the refugee population vill becor.ie stabil-ized soon Ett about 40 , 000, although accommodations hcve been made fr 60 , 000 .

3 . Composition of personnel in_cr;:mps

Of the 5 , 36~S at Khr,tatba , there are 300 chi1dren 4-6 years of oce , abo-:1 t 1300 children 6-10 years of ace, nnd about 400 men . The remAinder are worien and young e;irls above 10 years of age . At El Shatt D.bout 40 percent of the population are children. At this writine- statistics are being compiled wh:i.ch will show a comnlctP. br..,akdo'.·n by age nnrl sex , and I have been p~om.isod a cop: •

It has been sa'cl that there are many able-bodied , healthy-1.0'JJ~inc spocim.ens in the.se cemr,s . On the surface it does appear so but v1hen on0 boc;ins to quest:J.fn1 young men, the following ap­pears: (a) there [lre many young men ·who hove been throu/'.h 3 - 4 Ger'mq:~i. cDmpaigns , recuperatin£; fr·om wounds rind illnesses , (b) ther·c ar·e many v1ho ore just coming of milita.r·y age (18) , (c) there are also some \tho arc rblo and w:Ul1ng to i'ie;ht . A crmpaign is under way now for recruitment of those v1ho vd.sh to go back to Yugoslavia to f' igh t . \lome11 v, ill be accepted only for nursing jobs and non- comb&.t duticr_; . It i.s e:;~i:>ected that some 400 will be recruited in t..,h ts via:· c--nd that the crunps wi 11 be virtually cleaned out of 1.;.vcry n who is crp able of fichting.

MER1 ,/\. (Hio,ll e Ea~ t Refur,ee Hel.i.cf Ad.miriistrati on) was pre-parcd ··Lth :x stni'f to run th~ C"'.1";1p;' . 'l1he Partisans , throuch thd.r lht,1onal Liberation Cor'lnittee represenbutlves , asked for self'- gove rn."1Cl L. After· some nee;ot 1.G.ti on , the~-r v,ere gi vcn al.most complete soJ:1 - governmont . J,rERRA still }ws a contr,..1 staff .for the contra] a&'1L istration of tho four camps (headquarters are at El Shatt), and '.i s to.ff for euch crnnp . Thr:: cm. tra.l staff con­s1s ts of u major in cher~:c , r,bout 10-12 officers , &nrl numerous 11 other r cn1rn 11 - - r 11 nri t i"h . Each cmn1) s t8f' f consist~. of a r.1ajor in charge , severi:,l 01'f'ice:es, f:nd 11 ot 1er ranLs" -- al 1 .1. r:i..tish . Theoretic .J ly , HEHR/\. controls ond supcrvise::s the camps th.rouc;h the self-c;oveI'ned c·mp comnijttoes . Practically all the work :::cems to be done by thJ Partis:ms . For examJlc , the stores m·o brourht in b, r.1E:1RA n1d turned over to the ca."'lp committees . The food lr prG~).'.'H'cd , served , han 1led , etc . , hy the ?artisDns . A British sc:r'('"ear t \'RS s ocn har ,,· ir.r e.round the kitchen , appar ­~ntly looking things over .

Tllo.se of us v1ho talked to thrJ c:;rnp of ficcrs and the s orge ant at tlJ0 l itchun of Camp fo . J ~ot the impression that the 1,IEHHA st f'f is t 1ern fr formrlity 1 s s':lb~) and that the Partisan camp co!n.!1ittoes have the situ,.tlon well in hand . 'l1he Partisans nppear to understand this "nd beni G1Y tolerate thu presence of t."le officers and o thcr - rGn1rn . T 1e r11EI RA people neemed very proud of the w~.- the ca.-nps ·,•,ere being r•1 n and hrve s 5 re t r0spect for tho camp cormnitteo::i .

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, In addition to the crJnp s tnff , M.1::,RRA hes a Yut:;oslav section

in Cairo which handlGs supplies shipping , nclministration, etc .

5 . Orgr>niz.'3.tion of the c crnp s

The camps are self - governed . At the head of tbe four ca"Tl.ps is n Central Commi ttce of Refugees , ·which consists of seven mem­bers , r~ll of whom were 1;1.enbers of local or regionnl National Li beret ion Commi tt0es , elected in Yugoslavia . This central com-mi tt,Jo is the hir,hest e.nthority in the cpnp and is responsible to the National Liberation Committee of Yugoslavia , of which Major Maxto Jaksic is the accredited representative . In addition to tbo CentrrJ. Cornni ttee , each cc-mp hps a commi ttoe which is modelled alons the same lines . And within each ca.mp there are Section Committees . Finally , at the bottom of the scale in author ­ity , are tent representatives . There is much emphasis on decen­trali.za tion , delegation of e uthor ity , and development of ini t_ia-ti vein the lower echelons . For example , th6 Central Committee does not handle dir·cctly any problems that can be handled ade ­quately by the Camp Committee or the Section Committee .

6 . The Centr:_9_~ Committee of R~f~[;GSE_

The Centr'"Ll Com1~1i ttee is composed of the following seven members (in par'ent.heses following the nanes is shown the area in which each one "{'"IS a le cted) :

a . Ivo Markie , President (Matkovic area !LC)

b . Mate Ba~blc , Secretary (Scc 1y of NLC for Central Dalmatl1;,n Islands )

c . Zvenko Bosker (NLC of Split )

d . Mntc Pl0sni c (?)

e . Milive j Viskovic (~TLC of Split )

f . Ivan Ju rlina (NLC of Mokarska )

g . Manu Franicevic U'JLC of Dalmatia) he j s replacinc; Ruzicz Markotic , n woman , who has remuinod ir:. Italy .

7 . Departmen~E__Y,;_Dder the Centrol Conmi ttee

There nre s i - working departments or s cctions which are headed up ro:1pect.Lv0ly by members of the Central Committee . Those se c tions rre dup]icnted in tho Camp Committees and Section Committees . '11hc sections nd their subdivisions are as follows (the nene of the r,c member in charge i. s shorm in parenthesis) :

a , Ad>:1:tr ... istrative Section (Barbie )

i , Administration ii . Justice

iii . Post office iv . Military police

v . Reg.tstrar vi. St at is ti c s

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Econo~ics Section (Plasnic)

i. Food ii. Accounts

iii . Stores iv. Canteens

c, ~ochnicnl Section (Besker)

i . Planning ii. Exccuti ve

iJi . Work 8ervice iv . Wor-:shops

v . Li1J.ison vi. C mmunications

d . Health Section (Viskovlc)

L Sanitation ii. I1Iedic 1

c . Culture (Mar1dc)

i. 8chools ii . Extra- curricular activities

iii . HcliGion iv . Sports

f . Info r nti on Sec ti on (F'ranicevic )

i . Oral Jnformatjon (meetings , conferences , etc .) ii. Press

iii . Arts (music , dramatics , handicrafts , etc . )

8 . Camp Connnittces

The Camp Committees are ore-unizod in tho same way as the Central Cor.1111.i. tte<.:, . 'I'he fo1lowing arc the respective presidents of the camps :

a . C a.'11:i:) No . 1 Dus£.n Arneri ( ;1c of Korcula)

f

b . Camp No . 2 ,fate Aljinovic (Pres . of Omis District NLC )

c. Camp No . 3 Ivo Cvi tanE: vie (NLC of Island of Vis )

d . Camp No . ,1 Ivo Pelajic (!TLC of Vodece)

9 . Pood , su12_plles , rations , etc .

rrhe rof'ugees re ceive L-ie re ular British ar:~y ration or its equivru.ent . · On the day of our visit the noon meal consisted of noodle soup , m,at , r..ashed potatoes , breod , tea , orange . There appeared to be plent! for all . Clothing is strictly a welfare proposition; it is obtained from the Red Crosa , refugee relief organizations in Cairo and Alexandrie_. Once in a whi l e MERRA

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' . ' obtains small quantities of clothes for them. Each smoker gets 50 V- c i g are t te s a week from !.'IERRA , There is n.n Arab s tnre in tho area wher e canteen supplies are obtainable at reasonable prices . The only difficulty is that the refugees have lire in their pos ­sess ion which the Arab exchanges at about 1200 to tho Egyptian pound (the official rate is £bout 410 and at some cemps MERP.A apparently provides this service -- but not at El Shatt or K.hatatba) , MERH.A promised r1 c 8Xltrien to tho refugees 3 months ago but it has not yet been lnstnlleq. . However , it is expected to be opened soon . It will be operatud on a ration of camp money ·;hich will be supplied by MERRA . Up to now the c2mp committees have boen helpinG the poorer families . The soap ration appears to be inudcqu,,te , according to one kitchen vrnrker whom we talked to . He susgestod that they would be plensed to get necessary chemicals to make their own sonp ; they have large quantities of collected fat which can be u sod for sonp -mr..king .

10 . Ho!2.Pit2 ls _and medical f cilities

This is apparently the touchiest problem in the c~mp . The Part ls ans told us fre!lkly that there re insufficient hospital facilities , especially trained doctors rnd nurses , to care for the sick . There is o cEmtral hospit 1 at El Shatt vlith a capacity of 120 beds . 1l1l10ro ls a reserve cap~city of 2bout ~-500 beds in tho military hospital at Suez vrhich is used for the more difficult cases . The hos pi tnl at Khatatba hes SOO beds .

a . Doctors ~nd nurses . There a~e a total of 15 doctors for the four camps , 10 it el -Shatt c nd 5 =..t Khatatba. Of the ·e , 3 nrc Yugoslav refuf~ees ; tho rem indcr• arc Bri tlsh and American . There ::re approximately 60 - 70 nurses in tho various comps . At El Shatt there arc 36 Partisan nurses who \·ere trained by Dn Anericen he· d nuro,,; t1.vo AmGricrn nurses ; several British nurses and 10 Yugoslnv Rod Cross nurses (all Slovenes) who are headed b71 Mrs . Smiljenic , the wife of the 1{07;·al Gov 1 t rcpresentatj_ve on ACC . Atternpts hnvc bocn mado to obt.uin competent Pa l estinian doctors , who arc anxious to wor{ in the cp111ps , but there cippe"r to be 11 tochniccil dlfficul ties II regarding bringing them into tho country , otc .

The leading Partisans consider the lack of proper medical fncilitics their number one problem. They say that 15 doctors for 25 , 000 refugees is wholly inadequate , p rticularly since m. ny of them are in need of modical core when they ar•rivo , especially children.

b . Ivkdical fncil.tties . Each ce.mp has one tent ~·,hich is used as a-child1'or1 1 s clinic :.1 nd for the c 211 e of mothers . There is a. Partisan st::iff' in each tent which job it is to bathe 'lXld v:eigh the children , give thi~:-m their r.1ilk , and rdvisc mothers on proper care , c tc . Med:lcal suppl i~ s re avail 0bl0 but it sor:1e ­tir.ie::; t rl:cs :1 long while to get the:r.i . The Amer icon nurse told us that the only corob.l avail ble for the children vras Pabulum and that only doctors I samples could be had . On several occ ::dons me dic 21 supplies :1, vc beon brought pri v tely in Alexandria , Cairo , oncl in Palei:;tlne . Oranges hnve not always

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been available for the children , except through charity and by cuttiDG the adult ration (which the adults did voluntarily after disc~ssion in tho various meetings) .

c . Illnesses - particularly children : There have been 19 · mental cases , aggravated by the desert clima to . There has been dysentery and some pneumonia cases . I:ost of the illnesses have been children ' s illnesses . At Khatatba there was a mild epidemic of measles , which is now under control . There were ten deaths of children . These are attributed to the climate and the lack of doctors .

d . Royal Yugoslav nurses : As stated above , there are 10 nurses in El Shatt who v:erc supplied by the Royal Government, he· ded by the wife of a pror1inent Royal Yugoslav. At one time Hoyal Yugosln.v Propaganda was being circulated in the camp . It was violently anti - Partisan and it promised the refugees better treat­ment if they left the Partisan fold . In any event , it is to the credit of everyone concerned that the ten nurses and the Partisans get along well . The Partisans are well sa tis fie d with them and they appear to be happy in their work and associations . Mrs . Smiljenic was hurt in an automobile accident recently and is no longer at the camp .

11 . Schools and forums

a . enrolled children HecentJ.y

Elcmento.ry schools : At El Shatt 3 , 000 children are and there are 114 teachers . At Khatatba there were 600 enrolled and 15 teachers when the camp was 10 days old . COO more children of elementary school age have arrived.

b . Secondary schools: At El Shatt there are 280 students and 21 teachers . one at Khatatba .

c . Forums and l0cturcs : Lectures on non- political subjects arc glven , univer•sity style . Normally 500 attend lectures on such subjects as geology , chemistry, the otory of the planets , explana­tion of clim..1. te , etc .

4 . r:iscellaneous: Thousands arc enrolled in 1 anguage classes in English and Russian . Illiterates u..D.der 40 years of ae;e (they don ' t insisc on education above 40) attend spe,cial classes. Some 88 arc enrolled a.t El Shatt (this coMprises the total nl.JJ'.lber of illiterates under 40) for whom there Dre 4 teachers . At Kho.tatba there arc 350 illiterates; classes have not yet begun~ A school of agriculture ?nd home economics ere planned for Khatatba (which has a desert garden) . The bi[rncst problems are: no textbooks for classes , no material for work schools . They are mimeograpll1ng equipment . The clcmen tary schools 1.w e the sand for blackboards .

12 . _flelir;ion:

At El Shatt there are six Catholic priests Vlho hold regular services . There a re only 250 orthodox- faith refugees in tho three camps there . At Khatatba there is one Catholic priest; a church is bein- started with tho help of the apostolic delegate . Applic~­t on has been made to the Greek orthodox church for a priest; there

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arc 450 who profess the orthodox faith in Khatatba . During our visit to El Shatt we spoke to a young Catholic priest and witnessed a funeral procession in which anot:her priest participated. When asked why he joined the Partisans , the young priest said , "Because I am a priest and I thinlc like the people . "

13 . Recreation , camp life , etc .

The people live in the tents , by fa~ilies , ?Oto a tent . The tents nre sometimes eiven the names of cities from v1hich the in­habitants come . 'The interior of the tents that we looked into (about half - a - dozen where we were obviously unexpected to judge from the surprise of the occupants) was about as home - like as a tent can be , with pictures on the wall , artificial flowers , etc . At El Shatt there is a well-organized sports club with 900 members . Thero is a lacl-: of sports equipment but it is wny down on the camp priority list in terms of complaints . A Sports Pestival is beins planned . (I don 1 t know if it hn.s occurred to anyone in METIRA but Camp Huckstep is loaded down with a surplus of sports equipment , from footballs and basket-balls to entire gamP- boxes , and some could probably be had for tho asking) . Political meetings - in tents , in the Sections , and largo coJrip meetings va-d.ch are attended by several thousand - form an importo...."lt part of camp life . During· our visit we were present at a tent meeting of the Yugoslav equiva­lent of the boy- and- girl scouts . 'l'hey v1erc discus sing questions rnisod by the children, such as , 11Arc there any "neutral" countries ?" and similnr weichty questions . A young lady of o.bout 20 was load­ing tho discussion , and her audience ranged from eight to 17 years of age .

Music fon1s an import mt part of the extra- curricular acti ­vitic s of tho refugees . We listened to a concert in which throe separate cl1oirs took part ; a children ' s choir , a womon 1 s choir (in four voices ) and a men ' s choir . That latter two cor.ibined for scv­errtl son 0 s . Tho grovm - ups choruses wore of professional caliber , l'.bout 60 voices together , and the songs were very mucl of the quality of the struggle inside Yugoslavia . Most were stirring martial songs whi ch wore written in the country . Tjoy also sang several American and British songs (Yankee Doodle , It ' s o.. Long Way to Tipperary , God Save tho ring , the Star Spangled Banner , etc . ) .

Thero are also numerous dramatic classes, ballet class s , and associated activities (there were "overal rclcarsals going on during the af'tornoon) .

1 4 . Camp Tolumba t

Al though not one of the Po.rt is an car:1ps , thoro aro approxi ­mately 540 Yucoslavs at Toll..1.1Ylbat , on the nediterranean near AJ.oxandrla . Approximately 180 of tho so r,ere o. t El Shatt and opted for the Royal go vernmc:n t . Hence they were removed to Tolumba t . It is a c ar.1p for about 1 , 000 - only 694 arc there now. :ehose that arc not Yugoslavs arc mostly Grcolrn , a few Poles and French . Tho camp looks like a resort on the soa . The buildings arc spacious , and the re ls much greenery. All the cloaninc is don!') bJ Arab labor . The refugees receive a certain stipend , said to be abouy t 1 roc Egyptian pounds a month , for PX supplies , etc. . Their lire a.re

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cxchanc;rJrl by MERRA at the ra to of 410 to the Egyptian pound .

Tho Purtisun3 claim that the 180 who left El Shatt were lured by promlscs of better conditions at the sea- shore , extra pay , money c.xchungc , otc . They '"ls'o clain that the r0mn.ininc 360 woro largely recru.t ted in the same fashion in Italy . RfJcontly , six of' t·hc 180 asked to be returned to tho Partisans and such arranccments n re b0 inG mado •

'j_·,.,10 Partisan leaders arc quietly incensed at the discrimina­tlon 'Nhich npnoar·s to be shown in favor of the Royal Yugoslavs . A h.:qu0st has boon made to make Tolumbat c.vailablo to young child­ren and invalids at tho El Shatt and JQ1atatba camps . They feel that tho liv~is of the children can be saved in that manner . A re ­quest hn.s also been made with regard to money oxchun6o . Both pro­pos r.ls · re being taken under advisement by r.~EHRA .

15 . Person! 1 observations

The most obvious thing about the camps is the high pitch of enthun iasm which the refugees . 1aintain. This is reflected in their efficient self- government , in their multifarious activities , in the cond.ttlon of their tents , in their exuberance . Ifost of tllo re ­fugees come fr 1)m t.10 Dalmo. tian Coast nrea , where there are hills and forests o.nd mild climc..tc . The desert is debilitating . Vle questioned r.:overnl nbout the cliffi culty of living in tho heat of tho desert . Th0 :ceplj_es were consistently , 11 0ur brothers in Yugo ­sla vin. ha vc a muc ho.rcc1~ 1 ifc ." Probably the most startling fact nbout the rofu[;ce camps is that p1~a c tico.l l y tho entire 24 -hours a chy routine is regulat0d by day- to - day events in Yugoslavia , The :1ub iect of conversation , the song~s , the plays , the lectures and classes, th, postorc - all deal with the struggle within Yugoslavia. . 11huc, , boin in the do sort in Egypt is m0rcly a matte r of pure chance and has no hoarinc; whatsoever on their 1 ivcs (ex­cept irsofar as the heat and tho flies affect th~m) . They are a ploc0 of Yugoslavia transplanted in tho Ec;yptian don0rt until such a ti.Mo as they can go ba.ck to Yugoslavia . 'l'hoy aro :lcveloping their social and political organizations , teaching tho young , and preparing for that day .

One more thing that becomes obvious is the attitude of tho Partiauns to the Allies . On every occasion, at every possible opportunity , we were told how much they appreci~tcd Allied aid and assistance . Evon vrhon onG ·would admit tho juntice of harsh critic ism on their part - sur.h o.s regardin13 the 1'olumba t s i tuo. tion­thoy do not cri ticiso the Allies . 'J'hey even go so far as to justify cer tain situations on the c:rounds of "rod tape ", petty official s , transport difficulties , etc . I found this to be tru0 also during •'11 the time I was in BarL

441768 - 8 -

COMBIFED ECONOMIC WARFARE AGEi.rnIES

Yu0oslav refugee crur~s in Egypt

CONFIDENTIAL

21 May 1944 Cairo

(lrote : The inforr:iatio11 contained in• this report was ::ibtained by an A.r:10rican Army Officer from (a) various officials , one· British and the remain-:h.:r Partisan , at the headquarters camp at El Shat+ , and (b) Uajor I,1axto Jaksic , member o.f the Military Mission of tho National Liberati0n. Committee of Yugoslavia , who is responsible to the NLC for the conduct of tho cnnps ).

1 . Background

\'Ji th the help of the Allies , the Partisans have evacu ted tens of thous...,·1d;- of homeless refugees from the Dalmatian Coast area . Thuse rcfucees arc removed on Partisan ships - sailed by Partisan crows - to Southern Italy . The; are processed (disin­fei;ted ) at Co.rbonarn , near Bari , a C"IDP run by the sub- conunis<"'ion of the Alli0d Control Co;rir,1ission . 'I'hey remain there only 2- 3 days and arc then tuPncd over to NLC - run cronps where they awnl t con­voyEi that will t1ke them to Egypt . These camos are at Le c ce , Tuturana , Santn Mm·ia e 1 Ba6no , Taranto . The Pt rt is ans say that the only camp thrit is not run with maximum care and efficiency ls th0 Carbonurn. car~p . At one time , about Fcbru ry 1944 , thLsy com­pl~:i.ined that Chetnik sympathizers were permitted to interfere in the camp and that many womc11 vrnrc subjected to unnecessary indig­nities whilu bein,r disinfested . The Partisans now have a coMinit ­tc,o which supervises the dis:i.nfosto.:., ion . Also in February a lar~o group of refugees was broucht to Taranto r, nd put in a c Eunp \'lit,h no roofs , no bedn , no sun--itary facilities . The refugees had to sleep on tlll~ cold , damp crou:.-1c and n large number snffcrcd i'rom tho cold . The Partisn.ns say that the ChctnUcJ mo.de crpital of the situation, tcllinG the rcfu ces that they were being treated thus becnuse they wore Partinnns , and \'U:l.rni1c then of worse treatment in the Ei:;ypt.lan destJ 0 t .

From the camps in Itoly th0 rcfucees were shipped on convoys to Suez . 'rhe sea voya2,e was 5- 10 days . The refugees v:ere pleased with the trip , t e acconmoclctlons on shi.pbo, rd , nnd with the sltipn I personne 1. On tho last convoy the s ea"ll~,n col lee ted 200 E~;yptian pound:::; for the a ld of the refugees and scver:.11 hundred pounds of stat loner::,r .for the children. Tv,o of the sc captains spent their previous few days of leave with the refugees in the d sert .

2 , Locatlon of _ca.. .. ~_JH:::r:rnnnel

1rhcre nre cax:ms . '.I:1h3re at IQ1 n t r t b a . cast of Suez ,

nov 2fi , 000 Yugoslav refugee"' in E ,-ptian desert rr.; tv10 CQ."'oup' of cmnp"' : three t El Shatt and one

'Ih0 El Shatt c2mps , which arc situated· just south­have a tot::.-...1 of 20 , 000; Khatotba has 5 , 300 . By the

end of th.lo month, it is expected that Illiatatba will have 20,000 . It is expected that the refugee population vill becor.1e stahil..:. i::rnd soon Ett about 40 , 000, althouc;h accornmodations hnve been made for 60 , 000 .

3 . _9or:i_position of personnel in_can~

Of · the · .5 , 36'S at Khatatba , there are 300 children 4-6 years of ace , rbout 1300 children 6-10 years of ace, nnd about 400 men . The remainder are women and young Girls above 10 years of age . At El Shatt 8bout 40 percent of the population are children. At this v1riting statistics are being compiled which vlill shm1 a complete breA.kdo1.·n by 8ge and sex., and I have been promised a copy .

Jt has been said that there arc many able-bodied , heal thy­J.o-)1'"inc specimens .in these c21nps . On the surfnce it does appear so but when one be ins to qL1estion young men, the following ap­pears: (a) there ore mnny young men v1ho have been throu6h 3 - 4 German cm•.natgns , recuper:JGing fr-om wounds ,ind lllnc.sses , (b) ther·e are many vrho nre just com.ing of :r.dlitary a e (18) , (c) there arc also so.mo who arc , ble and willlnc to fic;ht . A CPmpaign is unde;r way now for recruitment of those v:ho wish to go back to Yugo::ilovia to f lg~t . \iomen will he ccepted only for nursing jobs anr.1 non-combat ri11tics . It is c;cpec ted th at some 400 vlill be recruited in this 1ua:r und that the cnmps will be virtually cles.n1:;d out of every 110n who is con able of fichting.

4 . Rel, tionG with r.mrmA . -

MERI{A ( 1ic1dle East Hefucec J elief Adminintrution) wa.'.:l pre­pn,rt;.;d vii.th a stRi'f to run the c,inpr' . The Partisun~ , throuch their Natioutl. Liberation Corunitteo represent,at.i.ves , asked for self- gove:r•nme .t . After· c•ome neGol;iation , the:r v,ere given alr.10st corriplet.: self- government . t:ERRA still hos a central staff f'or the cen tr::,J. aclni. 11s tra.t ion of the four c r::unps (he adquarter.s are ut t:l Shatt), und a c•t.;aff for each crnnn . Tho centrnl staff con­s.i.s ts of a mnjor in che..rt:c , a.bout 10 - 12 officers , and numerous 11 other rrmks 11 -- ,11 Br·1.ti~'h . Each cmnp stnff conslstEJ of . major :tn cJ.w.•gc, sever~l officers, t.ncl "other ranks" - - al 1 Br.i. tish . Theoretical 1, , ;-.TERRA controls ::ind s'.lpo l'Vises the csrnps through the self-eover1ed cu."1p com:njttocs . Practlcnlly all the wor·k soer.s to be done hy the Partir:·ms . For example , the stores

ro brou ht n b;~ HEHR.'\. :incl turned over to the camp committees . The food ls prensrc1 , sGrvod , handled , otc ., by the ?artisons . J British scrFBPnt ~as 38C~ han!inr around the ki~chen , appar ­~ntly looking things ov~r .

Those of us vrho talked to the cu.mp o fficcrs and the ser[.~e ant at tl1D kitchon of Camp .Jo . 1 i:;ot the impression that the I,:EERA st. ff is there for forrwl1ty 1 s S8b::J anJ tb.FJt the Partisan camp corru'littcefJ have tho ::'i.tu· tion v:ell in ho.nd . '11he Partisans appear to undorst· ncl th s nd beningly tolerate the presence of the officers '•'1d o thcr - rrnks . The K:.RPtA people seemed very proud of the wa7· the cn.,'i1ps wore bei.1c; r-·m nnd have D Great r0spect for tho c ar.1p c ormni ttoes .

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' "

ti ' .

In addition to the er.mp sto.ff , MERRA h s a Yugoslav section in Cairo which hnndles supplies shipping , aclministr tion, etc .

5 . Organization of the camps

Tho camps are self - governed . At the head of the four ca.-rn.ps is a Central Committee of Refugees , whlch consists of seven mem­bers , rll of whom vrnre 1;1er:1bers of local or regional National Liborction Committees , elected ln Yugoslavia. This centrnl com­mittee is the llJ r;hest authority in the ce.np and is re spon"iblc to the National Libern.tion Committee of Yugoslavia , of which Major Maxto Jaksic is the accredited representative . In addition to the Central Co1i1rni ttee , each c ar:1.p hns a c·ommi ttee which is modelled along the s rune lines . And within each camp there are Section Committees . Finally , at the bottom of the scale in autl or ­ity , are tent representatives . There is much emphasis on decen­tralization , delegation of authority , and development of initia­tive in the lower echelons . For exa.r1ple , the CentrR.l Committee does not handle directly nny problems that can be handled ade ­quately by the Camp Conu11ittee or the Section Committee .

G. The Centr~l Co1°rr:1i ttee of Rcfu ees

The Central Cammi ttee is composed of the following seven members ( in pnrenthe se s fallowing tli.e n8.I!le s is shown the area in whicr1 each one wo..s elected):

a . Ivo Markie , President (Matkovic area lJLC)

b . Mate Barbie , Secret ry (Sec ' y of NLC for Central Dal1:1atiu..YJ. Islands )

c . Zvenke Besker (HLC of Split)

d . Mate PlAsnic (?)

e . Milivej Viskovlc (!TLC of Split)

f . Ivan Jurlina (NLC of .lolrn.rska)

g . Manu Franicevic ( 'JLC of Dall'lat ta) he j s replacing Ruzicz Marlcotic , a v:cm,,n , who hes remained in Italy .

7 . Departments 1~ndcr the Centr< l __ Q_or..m~ ttee

There ore f' j_ - working departments or sections which are headed up r0r.:pectlvely b:r mumberE" of the Central Committee . These sections n1~e dup1 icn.ted in tho Camp Comm ttecs and Section Committees . 'l1l10 sections nd their subdivisions are as follows (the nm.e of the CC ,1cmbcr in charge j s shorm in parenthesis) :

a . AQ-rn.inistrativc Section (Bnrbic)

i . Administration ii. Justice

iii . Post office iv . Military police

v . Reg.ts trar vi . Stat iG t:i,cs

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b . Econor1ics Se ct ion (Plasnic)

i . Food ii . Accounts

iii . Stores iv. Canteens

c. '.l'ochnic0_~cctio~ (Beslcer)

i. Planning ii . Executive

i.Li. Nor service iv . Wor· -::shops

v . Liaison vi. Cor'.1!:'lunications

d . Health ~ection (Viskovlc)

i. Sanitation ii. Medical

i. Schools ii. ~xtra- curr·:.cular act.tvities

iii . RC'ligion iv . Sports

f . Infor, atioi1 Section (Fran.:ccvic)

i. Oral informatj_ on (meetings, conferences, etc.) ii. Press

iii. Arts (music, dretmatics , handicrafts , etc .)

8 . grunp Commlttoeo

The Camp Comrai ttees are ore:unizod in the same way as the Central Committee. 'rho following ar·e the respective prc::iidents of the camps:

a . Camp .To . 1 Dus&n Arneri (NLC of I"orcula)

b. Camp No . 2 I.1ate Aljinovic (Pre"" . of Omis District NLC)

c. Cronp No . 3 Ivo Cvi ta.nevic (NLC of Island of Vis)

d ., Camp No . 4 Ivo Pelajic (HLC of Vodoce)

9 . Food z suppliGS z _Fations..1._~t9 .

The re ugees receive the regular British arri1y 1•ation or its equivalent . · On tl c clay of our vi.it the noon meal consisted of noodle '"'oup , r'1,at , r,w.shcd potntoc:-, , bread , tea , orc..nge . '.i1hore appeared to be plent, for all . Clot~ing is strictly a welfare propo"ition; it j s obtained from the Red Cross , refugee relief org .nizo.tions in Cail·o and Alo:x.andrie.. Once in a while HERRA

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. ....

. . . obtains sm3lJ. qu~.ntities of clothes for them. Each smoker gets 50 V- cigarettes a week from. r.mHnA . There is nn Arab stpre in the area wherd canteen supplies arc obtainable at reasonable prices . The only difficulty is that the refugees have 1 i.re in their pos ­sess ion which the Arab exchanges at about 1200 to tho Egyptian pound (the official rnte 1 s about 410. and at sono CDI11})S IJBRRA apparently provides this service - - but not at El Shatt or Khatatba) . MERRA promised 11 c rmtoen to tho refugees 3 months ago but it hns not yet been inst::i.lled . However , it is expected to be opened soon . It will be operated on a ration of camp money which will be supplied by MERRA . Up to no 1 v- the C8IDP committees have been helping the poorer fa::1ilie s . The soap ration appears to be inadequ8tc , according to one ki tchcn worker 1hom we talked to . He suggested that tLey would be pleased to get necessary chemica.ls to make their own soap ; they have large quantities of collected fat which can be u sod for sonp - maldng .

10 . Hospitaln and nedical facili_!;ie§_

T _is is pparently the touchiest problem in the cnmp . The Part is ans told us frankly that there are in::rnfficient hospital facilities , cspcciB.lly trained doctors Md nurses , to care for the sick . '11here is a central hospital at El Shatt vlith o.. capacity of 120 beds . 'l'llE.lrc ls a reserve capacity of about ~500 beds in the military hospital at Suez which is used for the more difficult cases . The hospitnl at Khatatba ha3 200 beds .

a . Doctors •nd nurses . There are a total of 15 doctors for the four camps , 10---;-:r-e1 Shatt ncl 5 o.t Khat a tb a . Of these , 3 ore YuGoslav refucees ; tho remainder are British and American . 11here ore approxim toly 60 - 70 nurses in the various conms . At El Shatt there arc 36 Partisan nurses who were trained by en American he nd nurse; t 1.vo Americ rt nurses ; sover'-1 British nur"'es and 10 Yugoslav Red Cross nurses (all Slovenes) r:ho are headed by Mrs . Smjljenic , tho rd.fe of the l\O/D.l Go v 1 t represent· tive on ACC . Atter.:pt" l n.VtJ boon m..,clc to obtl\in competent Palestinisn doctors , who ere an.Ylous to v,ork in the cmnps , but there oppecr to be "technical dlfficul ties II regarding bringing then into the country , etc .

The loading Partisans consider tho lack of proper medical fncilities their number one problem. They say that 15 doctors for 25 , 000 rcfuge<Js is wholly inadequate , p o.rtlcularly since many of them are in need of medical core when the:r ar·r.ivtc; , (,spe c iel ly children.

b . Mudical fncillties . Each ca.mp has one t0nt vrhich is used as a children I s clinic :J nd for the care of :mothern . There is a Partisnn staff in each tonb ,,hich job it is to bathe rnd v:eigh the children , give them their nilk , and , dvisc mothers on proper care , etc . Jtedi c el suppl ies re available but lt some ­tir.:.eo t r~cs " long v1h ile to get them . The Amerlcnn nurse told us that the only cereal avaiL blo for the children v:as Pabulum and th t only doctors I samples could be had . On severnl occasions rwdic3l suppliGs have been brought privately in Alexandria , Cairo , .nd in Palesblne . Or anges h vc not always

- 5 -

been available for the children , except through charity and by cutting the adult ration (which the adults did voluntarily after discussion in the various meetings ).

c. Illnesses - particularly children : There have been 19 ·

. . ..

mental cases , aggravated by the desert climate . There has been dysentery and some pneumonia cases . Iiost of the illnesses have been childrrm 1 s illnesses . At Khatatba there was a mild epidemic of measles , which is now under control . There were ten deaths of children . These are attributed to tho climate and the lack of doctors .

d . Royal Yur.oslav nurse~ : As stated above , there are 10 nurnes in El Shatt who were supplied by the hoyal Government , houded by the wife of a prominent Royal Yugoslav . At one time Royal Yugoslav Propaganda was being circulated in tho camp . It was violently anti - Partisan and it promised the refugees better treat­ment if they left tho Partisan fold . In any event , it is to the credit of everyone concerned that the ten nurses and the Partisans got along well . 'rhe Partisans are well satisfied with them and thc7r appear to be happy in their work and associations . Mrs . Smiljonic was hurt in an automobile accident recently and is no longer at the camp .

11 . Schools and forums

a . enrolled children Hecently

El 03men tn.ry schools : At El Shatt 3 , 000 children are and there are 114 teachers . At Kh.atatba there were 600 enrolled and 15 teachers when the c001p was 10 days- old . 600 more children of elementary school ace have arrived .

b: Secondary schools: At El Shatt there are 280 students and 21 teacti.ors . on0 at Khatatba .

c . Porum.s and lectures : Lectures on non- political subjects arc given , uni ver•::;i ty style . Normally 500 attend lectures on such sc)jects ns geology , chc~istry, the story of the planets, explana­tion of climate , etc .

4 . r:iscellanoous: Thousands arc enrolled in language classes in English a ncl Hussian . Ill it Grates under 40 years of age (they don't insist on education above 40) attend special classes .. Some 88 arc enrolled at El Shatt (this conprises the total number of illiterates under 40) for whom there 11re 4 teachers . At Kho.tatba there arc 350 illiterates; classes h ,ve not yet begun. A school of agriculture and home economics 2rc planned for Khatatba (which has a desert garden) . The biggest problems ere: no textbooks for classes , no mate::.:Lal for work schools . They ~re mimeograplnng equipment . The elementary schools use the sand for blackboards .

12 . Religion:

At El Shatt there are six Catholic priests vbo hold regular services . There are Oi'lly 250 orthodox - faith refugees in tho three camps there . At Khatatba there is one Catholic priest; a church is being st rted with tho help of the apostolic delegate . Applic ~­tion has been made to tho Greek orthodox church for a priest ; there

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arc 450 who profess the orthodox faith in Khatatba . During our visit to El Shatt we spoke to a younc; Catholic priest and wit1essed a funeral procession in which another priest participated . When asked why he joined the Partisans , the young priest said , "Because I am a priest and I thiru{ lil-:e the pc ople . "

13 . Recreation , camp life , etc .

The people live :tn the tents , by families , 20 to a tent . The tents n.rc sometimes i:;iven the names of cities from v1hich the in­habj tant s come . The interior of the tents that we looked into (about half - n - dozon where we were obviously unexpected to judge from the surprise of the occupants) was about as home - like as a. tent can be , with pictures on the wall , artificial flowers , etc . At El Shatt there is a well-organized sports club with GOO members . '11here is a lack of sports equipment but it is way clown on the camp priority 1 ts t in terms of complaints . A Sports Festival is being planr:cd . (I don't know if it has occurred to anyone in l1TETIRA but Car.1p Huckstep is loaded down with a surplus of sports equipment , from footballs and basket- balls to entire gam0 boxes , and some could probably be hB.d for tho asking) . Political r:1eetings - in tents , in t:i.c Sections , and largG cru'1p mectiligs v.ihich are attended by several thousand - form an important part of camp life . During· our visit v,e VJ .re present at a tent neeting of tho Yugoslav equiva­lent of the boy- ancl - c;irl scouts . They ·were discus sing questions 1°aisod by the children, such as , "Are t' ere any "neutral " countries ? 11

and similar weig 1ty questions . A young lady of about 20 was load­ing the discussion, and hc1· audience ranged from oiGht to 17 ye ..... rs of age .

Music forr1s an impoJ>t,, t part of the cxtra- curricul r acti ­vitfo.s of tho refugees . V!c listened to a concert in which three separate choirs took part; a children I s choir, o. women ' s choir (in four voices) and a men ' s choir . That latter two combined for sev­eral songs . The grovm - ups choruses were of professional caliber , about 60 voices together , and the songs were very mucl of the quality of the strug13lo in8ldc Yu5oslnvia . fost were stirring me.rtial songs whi ch wore written in tl e country . T jey also sang several American and British songs (Yankee Doodle, It I s a Lont; Way to Tip,,orary , God Save the Eing, the Star Spann-led Banner , etc . ) .

Th0rc are also numerous dramatic classes , ballet classes , and o.ssociatcd activities (thcr·c were "'everal r·ehcarsals coing on during the afternoon) .

14 . Camp Tolw:1bo. t

Al though not one of thG Partisan cru:ips , there arc approxi ­mn.tel y 510 Yucosla vs at Tolumba t , on the ~:odi tcrranonn 110 ar Alexandria . Approximately 180 of these rJerc at El Shatt and opted for the Royal go vemmcn t . Hence they were removed to 'l'olumba t . It is a camp for about 1 , 000 - only 694 arc ther0 nov, . Those that arc not Yugoslavs arc mostly Greeks , a few Poles and French . The camp looks like a resort on the sea . Th0 buildings arc spacious , and the re ls much greenery . All t e clc aninc is done by Arab labor . T' c refucees receive a certain stjpend , srid to be abouy t rec •,g:1ptian pounds o. month , for PX supnlies , etc . 'I'hoir lire a.re

- 7 -

. A..

exchanc;cd by BERRA at the ro.te of 410 to tho Egyptian pound.

The Po.rtisans claim that tho 180 who left El Shatt wore lurod by promises of better conditions nt the sea-shore, extra pay, mon1Jy exchange , etc . They also claim thut the remn.ininc; 360 wcro largely recruited in the same fashion in Italy. Recently , six of the 180 asked to be returned to the Partisans and such arranccments n re bc-, ing mado •

'Pie P-1.rtis an leaders arc quietly incensed at the discrimina­tlon which appoarLl to be shown in favor of the Royal Yugoslavs. A r·oqu_,st has been made to mo.kc Tolumbat ::1.vailable to young child­ren and invalids at tho El Shatt and Illiatatbo. camps. They fool that the livE:,s of tho children can be saved in that manner. A re­quest hns also been mo.de with regard to money oxch[mge. Both pro­posn.ls are being tn.ken under advisement by T,'!EHRA.

15. Personal observn.tions

The most obvious thinG about the camps is tho high pitch of cntlmsio.sm which the refugees maintain. This is reflected in their officiant self-government, in thoir multifarious activities, in thE.: con .... .tt.Lon of their tents, in their exuberance. J,;ost of tho re­fugees come from t:1.O Dalmatian Coast area, where there arc hills a.nd for~ s ts and m:i.ld climfA to. The desert is dobil.t ta ting. Vie quost;.tonod s0vcP:1l bout the difficulty of living in tho heat of the de ser•t. Tho :repl io s VffJro consistently, "Our brothers in Yugo­slav:i.n. havG a r.mcli harder life." Probably the most startling fact nbout the refugee cr-unps is that practically the entire 24-hours n. day routine :is regulated by day-to-day evonts in Yugoslavia. The r-ubjcct of conversation, tho songs, tho plays, the lectures and classes, the posters - all deal with tho struggle within Yu50.-::;lavia. 1I11ius, being in the desert in Egy t is merely a matter of pure chance and has no bc~ring whatsoever on their lives (ex­cept insofnr as tho heat and the flies o.ffect them). They are a plc:ce of Yugoslavia trans 1 lantec1 in the Ec;yntian desert until such a tine as they can go back to ~1coslavia. They are Jcveloping thclr social and political organlzations, tonching tho young, and preparing for that day.

. One more thing that becrnnos obvious is the attitude of the Partisans to the Allies. On every occasion, nt every possible opportunity, we wore told how much they approciatod Allied aid and assistance. Evon when ono v1ould admit tho justice of harsh criticism on their part - such as re[;ardin13 the Tolumbat situation­they do not cri ticiso the Allius. 'fhoy even fI,O so far as to justify certain situations on the [;rounds of "rod tape", potty officials, transport difficulties, etc. I found this to be true also during all the t imo I was in BarL

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Refug~es - Yugoslav

See Cable Book for #1205 ~tate; Unrra #99, from Cairo, dated ay 9, 1944:

CINC Middle East has been pressed to relieve serious situation by taking from Italy 14,500 add. Yugoslavs bring total Yugoslavs Middle ~ast up to 40,0009 subject to willingness of Egyptian Govt.

e Cabl Book for ~113 to Ciro follo in 1 bstr ct:

Re acceptance of 14, 500 ad . Yu 1ddle nst. 111 nee. for

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Refugees - Yugoslav

18, 1944;

to b nt to contin to provid of dical id d 1r d.

C O P Y

TO:

FROM:

Mr. l. A. 1 enshikov

George Perazich

April 17, 1944

SUBJECT: Mr. R. J. Youdin's ,emorandum on the Yugoslav Refugees in Cairo

I am somewhat puzzled by the statement in Mr. Youdin's memorandum of April 4, to Mr. George Xanthaky, to the effect that the <oyal Yugoslav Government has declared the Yugoslav refugees in the Middle East and Southern Italy persona non grata and is apparently not interested in their welfare. This attitude does not seem consonant with the position

taken by the Yugoslav Government and other member governmenta at the Atlantic City Conference. Resolution Nos. 2 and 3 adopted there provide for the cooperation of all member governments in distribution of relief accordins to need without regard to political beliefs. In view of the fact that the Yugoslav budget for 1944-1945 provides for a con­siderable sum for refugee work, it should be expected that some of this money would be available for the refugee work in the Midti dle East thus relieving UNRRA, in part, of the obligations placed upon it.

If this situation is not clarified in the near future, it is difficult to plan the whole Yugoslav prograrn in view of the indications in Mr. Youdin's report that t e whole-hearted cooperation of the Yugoslav representatives will not be forthcoming. It should first be ascertained whether the Yugoslav Government will continue to consider these refugees persona non grata when UNRRA assumes full responsibility for the Middle East Camps.

Befbre other questions of similar character arise, it see~s necessary to re - examine the whole relationship between UNRRA and the Yugoslav Government at the earliest opportunity.

Perazich/mn

CC: 'ro Mr. Xanthaky Mr. nderson

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Refu~ccs - Yu oslav

See file: I "".mA, for Archer from ensh.:.kov and . c reachy t45, Ca::..ro, statin0 tnuporopriate for U1,:m11. to furn.:.sh money for activltles unt.:.l I LR A operntlons are forr ally t ransferred to UNR •

See file: • ERRA: for ans. to #99 from Cairo, 11:ay 9, by our 'Zll3 to Cairo of r,.ay 18, 1944, concernin addit:bn of 14,500 Yugoslavs to r:ER

See file:

Refugees - Yugoslavs

MERRA, for cable #6?1, Mar. 22, 1944, requesting authority for reimburseable transfer of certain testiles from Algiers stocks of FEA to UNRRA, Cairo.

RE1' UGEi!.S - Yugoslav

See file: MERRa, for copy of telegram 3-17-44, for Archer from .enshikov and cGeachy #26

Refueees - Yu oslav

See 1 ile : t 1'..I~RA , for co y o cable 2- 18-44 , rec '·d 3 - 13- 44 , A- 9 - for :.,ehman ror1 Archer , number eleven . Gives brcak'own of refugees bv ae,e an' sex , tells f'1--out .ea·ca1 nd sanitat:on er 1 .ur:; · n et - uo , on,.:i lists needs of refu ees - sho,s , clothin , b~oks , sports equ pment , etc .

Refugees - Yugoslavs

See file: ~IBRRA, for cable Greek #44, Feb. 11, 1944

Refiugees - Yugoslavs

See file: MERRA, for letter of 2-22-44 to J. G. Vail, AFSC, from Howard riggins, reporting on the Yugoslav refugee camp and need for i

1 books, games, mus c z instruments, etc.

see file:

Refugees - Yugoslav

MERRA - Personnel, for cable A-9, ~eb . 18, 1944, from Cairo, ivin~ totals of Yucoslav refugees at that time in E~ypt. Qtates also the person in charge of the medical and sanitation work, the nursing service, and also ives the needs of the refugees for books, rarn, cob'hler sets etc .

Refugees_ Yugoslav

e file: 1 ,

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Rpfugees - Yucoslav

See file : , ..,J,hA , for co '? of no . 22 :'rm, trcher to ...,alter for l.cnsh::kov Fn • cCeach7t , su lemontinr A- 5 of 2 - 18 - 44 - c:.: ving ( 22) nwibcr of refurees n01.1 .Ln Egypt

Secretary of state ,ia<'Jlington

J\IRGRA ~

A-5• J'anuary 11. l 44-, 12:30 p.m.

SEOR.J:,"'l' --For Latimer and Landis from ArOh r

U spr.tched: Jonu ry 12~ 1944

om:

ooted: an ry 11, 944

o1 d: Jnn 26, U .m.

"I have received ... o ,. ;,ntthows, ui ector General of .lli.llRA letter datod J'o.nuary tonth, conoemine the tll'eent 11eoa o pe sonnel on mo.tel'inls for Yugoslav rerugeos, and suggest 4 ng that a rapres~ntative of an A.mer1osn Yugoal v private acenay oome at once to Cn1ro.

".Preoumably this ~hould be comnJ.ll11 Elt d to the org niw.tion h Proteseor Jwneo 1'. S.clo well an /or '.Phomaa Shiettlin, also 811~' agoncY, :reµreDent d in Yugoslav prisoners or s.r, since re r prisoners.

sted in

"AnY reepo.nse 3h0ul · be a~bJoot rea11-eb1p de~erminad, l\Ild with f l conoideroti or Deceuber twenty-ninth ond m3more. dum or

hen Ul A a MEimA. relation­!3 • GOS tod our A 36

"N antime soma Amer1onn rapresentut to Y ·ego l v wor.·c se/3.19 desirable.

" . 111ng shortly ~ proposed ot;],e : t \1ork d out \'Tith the AII1arican Friends s rviao Committee nnd the J\.<nericrm : e:monito ~e oy t' . .L'o o "" Rel1et ror r;or~ with Yugoslav 1•efugeos, 1hiah p ovtdes for ual Hi th awal on thirty days notice, certain idontitr 'ind tr ad n r. p rror ~ oe Hllt?.n units ssure apeoitio responsibility l1ithin coordinat on, , nit : ds beiillJ r apons1blo for. d1ac1plin , otceter • ·rhose 11:rivete e pr ueuliat,i oa have shown us t e proposed agreement tnoy nre mailing thoir Pr1 o 1. Howard r1ggius, iu.ieri0tn Friends repreaentut1v ia join i'lQ; .. t mvorarily · unit o a1x rapr.oaent -t1vo 01' Br1t1ah privnta n~onaies p1•ooa d1 ,. to Italy to sur ey retugt>S evnouotion problem ond :..•tmde:;.> a1<. Please uc.v:is by oa le aot1on take.

tt!l:ha lettor from llattliews is as follows: ( uote)

"Uy dear Archer,

"The proposed vacuat1on or t anty thousand Yueoslav refugees trom the i lmation Cont throws pour probl min ery harp rol1af. In this c nnootion we have been mado a are that an o 13ani.:ation oxists in be U • .:3.A. ordinat D& 4 erican private gen 1e,a inter o •d in Yugo l viu, n 1nalined to think, t refoi:e, th it 10ulo. b helpful for a r pr o ntativ of this organization to 0100 at onaa to tl e :id e .eaa'i;. Io doubt this repr sentative w 11 be an .. 'U!Bric:m citi .. en in ereste in elief, nd thio in itselt would a uaatul asset. I .1ould lik ·,1 ·1t you think about thio. It y u thoug11t fuvourably of the up:-., "o ;rould let me know \1hat, in your point or vi w, would bo of upproaoh.

"There will, of ocurse, bell groat ne d !'ox books, and pupers. in Jor o-Croat, and for L10terie.ls.; rn a olot11, needlo, c,, for ooou tional lVork in the oam_pa. If yot 01 1 position to isco tr to liat extent these m1g.tit be obtnined t m r ourcu2 or illOOrio n 1Jr11.'nto genoies I I should be very grateful. Yours sincor Iy, (a gnad) ~ t~he ·a. (Unquote)"

Ul.:ll'i IBUrION L hman -,alter Uenahikov ll ndriokson J"o.okaon Allderson (aot1on) Graens$e1n I rren

Roseman

· 1 e: ' ·or

fee ·1e: Refu.c;ees - Ce'1tral Bureau of HeP:~+ratio_12, ..... e Frver, j/:i_l/43.

'1 +o