Tito

Josip Broz Tito (1892–1980) was a Croat and the leader of Yugoslavia, which existed from 1943 until 1991. Tito spent much time in Russia and became a member of the Communist party there, returned to Yugoslavia during World War II and organized an anti-fascist resistance movement (the Yugoslav Partisans). After World War II he defied Soviet influence and founded the Non-Aligned Movement.

Betrayal of the London exiles

In the United States, Louis Adamic had access to Eleanor Roosevelt and was invited to dinner at the White House and pressed upon U.S. President Frnaklin Roosevelt for support of the Comintern representative Tito over Mikhailovitch, who was actively fighting the Germans on behalf of thelegitimatly recognized Yugoslav government - in - exile in London. The Yugoslav exile government was a signatory of the Atlantic Charter, fighting for the right of self determination of peoples.

OWI began spreading the lie that the leader of the anti-fascist resistance, Colonel Draja Mikhailovitch was an ineffectual interloper with so little backing that Hitler offered a reward of 100,000 marks for Tito's head but nothing for Mikhailovitch's. These libels on Mikhailovitch and these exaltations of Tito were repeated in other magazines. Frank Gervasi in Collier's wrote how Tito led 250,000 men while Mikhailovitch had no more than 10,000. The Yugoslav government - in - exile in London supported Mikhailovitch. This embarrassed the British Foreign Office in its dealings with theJosef Stalin. Hence the British Broadcasting Company was closed to the Yugoslav government - in - exile and a little later put at the disposal of Tito and his Partisans. President Franklin Roosevelt in 1942 had paid tribute to Mikhailovitch and his daring men. But at the Teheran conference, as part of the policy of appeasing Stalin, Roosevelt and Winston Churchill abandoned Mikhailovitch completely and yielded to Soviet’s choice of Tito. Shortly after Teheran, Churchill in a speech (February, 1944) indicated that the allies were no longer sending supplies to Mikhailovitch. Two months later King Peter was forced to dismiss Premier Purich, which meant his whole cabinet in which Mikhailovitch was Minister of War. The Communist Subasich was made Prime Minister. With the subsequent Russian invasion and the aid of American supplies Tito was victorious, and Mikhailovitch. was shot as a traitor by Tito.

Break with Moscow

"Stop sending people to kill me," Tito once wrote to Joseph Stalin. "If you don't stop sending killers, I'll send one to Moscow, and I won't have to send a second." Stalin expelled the Yugoslav Communist Party on June 28, 1948. Tito was perhaps the only person who stood up to Stalin and survived.

See also

• Kim Philby