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8/24/1962 - Prejudices & Impressions by Anatole Shub

NOT FOR PUBLICATION INSTITUTE OF CURRENT rORLD AFFAIRS AS I Villa Dubrovnik Prejudices Impressions Dubrovnik Yugoslavia August Richard H Nolte Institute Current World Affairs Nadison Avenue New York N Y Dear Nr Nolte You going Yugoslavia interesting evejone after weeks wandering along Adriatic coast begins sense should To breathtakingly beautiful tragic history would fascinating almost Yet complex problems Yugoslavia damental orientation economic development nationalities question political succession either already their testing relatively It useful start journey survey these problems broad adding where impressions observations I should however follows repres Yugoslav reality recapitulation other current prejudices about Yugoslavia Fundamental Orientation Is Yugoslavia Western Eastern country EVen Diocl etian greatest eleven Empe ancient lllyria Rome whose retirement palace Aspalathos still forms nucleus modern could decide In dividing powers between Western Eastern Empires right through lllyria It consequences Roman Byzntine Christianity later became frontier between Hapsburg Turk If clear Yugoslavia historically should The question bedeviled rulers interwar postwar Yugoslavia those Serbia various times attempted orient their kingdom Vienna St Petersburg Paris If tension between West ernism Slavophilism perhaps remains painful dilemma Nother Russia imagine force holds country whose Dalmatian coastal cities still tinct pride marks Venetisn empire while kilometers beyond perhaps Nontenegrin hills above Budva still feels presence Turk It customary novadays problem Yugo slavia basic orientation terms President Tito visit Nr Khrushchev Sochi should U S extend dollar In these rather narrow dimensions seems clear Yugoslav policy avert irrevocable choice between global juggernauts principal feature policy courtship other aligned natious beginning Ljub Zagreb Belgra Dubr Egypt across Viewed broadest terms policy represents clear attempt escape country classic Eas West dilamma imposed history geography Cultu rally almost everywhere West A popular illustrated magazines reveals familiar interna tional elements Hollywood Cinecitta films Paris fashions candinavian design Latin American dance rhythms Fiats Volkswagens ometimes Yugoslavs rather dated 0patija dance played Nio Hold That Tiger On other young Croats thronged where Watching I heard whistle Saints Go arching In On anothe level Dubrovnik Summer Festival offered L Ecole Femmes The Tempest amlet Romeo Vic itself Dresden Philharmonic couple Eastern balance Yet cultural taste decisive politics Eichmann ozart would prove strakh Noiseyev ballet already international melange For Yugoslavia attractions Western culture I speak cient institutions Catholic Church limited important geographical historical factors I shall mentior First course Balkan Danubian country Adriatic Alpine The important rivers without exception south rather A majority people ontenegrins acedonians Dinaric Alps Orthodox faith Cyrillic alphabet closely related ethnically Bulgarians In heart country Bosnia million oslems And important national minorities agyars Vojvodina Albanians Kosmet located sitive frontiers Second innediate West Yugoslavs means Italy Austria Germany powers which Yugoslavs fighting another centuries This prevented Fiat Opel establishing assembly plants Tugoslavi perhaps thousands better Yugoslavs their products Nor prevented flooding Istria orthern Dalmatia Italian Austrian especially West German tourists example habit overcoming politics habit dates Hapsburg times French tourists armont Vialla ommieres nineteenth century French Irmy further south ontenegro Nevertheless historical slate altogether clean A young Croatian still blames barreness Dalmatian coast islands despoliations Doges They trees build Venice although those formidable signiori business I recall correctly since Treaty Campo Formio And houses Istrian towns between Pula Rijeka erased painted slogans Want Yugoslavia Istria Is Croatia We Are With Tito Con versel2 Italian signs still direct Fiume Abbazia rather since Rijeka Opa Thus there reasons Yugoslavia quite apart Communist origins present government The question whether dynamism European Com particularly opened include Britain socialist candinvia neutral Austria affect Yugoslav economy compel fateful dcisions country fundamental orientation I report after visits Belrade Zareb Economic Development This country fifty years behind times f0rmeWes correspondent warned I inclined think exaggeration considerable Even coming lutionary which northern Italy I found Yugoslavia I expect To summer unshine always enhances I seeing whole prosperous areas Yet desultory scenes urban rural reminded America 1930s rather mythical Europa The Nontenegrin peasants along Budva mountain Cetinje again Kotor seemed almost timeless sheep goats cattle forgotten I drive along U S through rural Naine seven years If general impression Thirties newer New installations Rijeka Zadar Split sections apartment houses Pula Rijeka Split stucco poured concrete construction dressed brightly colored balconies window frames curtains hotels villas international modern Pula Dubrovnik Budva roads stations motels hutocamps coast Split particular Diocletian palace hydroelectr station under development almost recalled richer Florence blending Yet there signs everywhere Black smoke funnels which I New York harbor since before horse drawn wagons heloing unload ships wells pumps water midst szesble tovIs houses suffering woefully fresh paint plaster shops promising windows offering sizes inside And there villages stark karst Dalmatian coast churches turies where could wonder How The answer apparently fishing subsistence farming vegetables hardly answer The extraordinary range levels development extends people A shipping director Rijeka hotel manager Dubrovnik commercial counselor London Em bassy could Rockefeller Center perfect confidence would speedily There others petent modern world including waiter recent hotel school graduate knowingly poured first drops glass before serving party All recognized Government which committed economic development above almost There unusually rapid growth since Fifties regime scrapped vestiges Soviet planification decentralized industrial management created theoreticians socfalist market economy Yugoslavia agricultural before industrial The great determination despite handicaps A Dutch friend admiration crews building Adriatic highway without bulldozers matic tools complained stretch meters north Split veteran French traveler objected But years there nothin_g coast AS I Actually growth gross product creased The slowed When balance payments began wrong direc President Tito aside international preoc cupations major economic speech Split series Communist party Government ferences hammered OUt program controls medial measures I position evalu program veral aspects deserve Iost obvious energeti manner which foreign touris being promoted means earning exchange A great ingenuity being pended building camps around favorable swimming sites charging dinars cents parking street One wonders strain tourism places dinary Yugoslav Apparently hotels larger taurants priority other sometimes there seasonal fruit vegetables market Buying quality peaches dinars other I heard local complain Are these prices tourists The salesman launched everyone buyers enough OLD AND NV IN SPLIT ON THE ROAD IN MONTENEGRO ROAN RUINS IN ZADAR AS I significant probably question wages Yugoslav The trouble Yugoslavs foreign observer acquired Western tastes before achieved Western productivity Eighteen months profit distribution reform general raising wages which could generally popular which unfort effects According President others increases always equitably apportioned little lower workers while directors managers plant officials their share money other imports It appears whenever doors Yugoslav opened admit foreign competition there imports The Goverrnnent least share American cigarettes dinars cents people circumventing controls Where Rijeka Bikini In Trieste uncle visited business winter The lines Yugoslav industry cannot compete domestic market German nical skill Italian style I watched Yugoslav fashion 0patija everything summer dresses imitation coats The styles quite Chic ingeniously practical I clothes their rather prices stores Obviously imagination talent present lacking productivity efficiency distribution necessary produce price volUme consumption Yet compete Yugoslavia President Tito world markets balance trade stabilized difficult competition cludes U S Vestern Europe Japan tries Czechoslovakia Hungary Rumania which produce better things Yugoslavia might readily export The premium productivity resident Tito called concentration investments around already developed efficient enterprises regions Ve building factories simply political Since artisan movement large measure protest backard areas particularly Bosnia Nontenegro against neglect Belgrade pretensions Zagreb since cardinal feature Communist policy development these underdeveloped regions would tangled relations among various regions peoples Yugoslavia about enter phase The Nationalities Question The issue Slovenes Sws adapted themselves interwar postwar governments Nacedonians whose language culture nationality greatly encouraged since Bosnian oslems Yugoslav offers greatest security Nagyar Albanian minorities present poentia problems foreign rather domestic policy The issue quite simply Serbs Croats people language alphabets ditions importantly faiths The fought sides War wrecked interwar Yugoslavia their quarreling slaughtered other mercilessly Vorld War II An Italian worker Yugoslavia early Forties observed It country people other nothing One should rather Croat Serb extremists Ustae Cetnici racial killing course Partisans great appeal their promise national tagonisms federalism national socialist And federal structure delivered nation republics autonomous regions reaffirmed constitution Economic decentralization further enhanced republican local authorities There little doubt Government every thing ameliorate national antagonisms particularly Croat suspicions lishing Borba Zagreb Latin script Belgrade Cyrilli edition balancing dance progrns Dalmatian Slavonian dances equal status energetic Serbian kolos The Communist secularization education would presumablyt erode ligious ardour which traditionally heart Serb Croat conflict And President Tito himself Croat would enough dispel fears Serb hegemony Yet amazing national consciousness often transcends purely political beliefs A Croatian friend dedic Communist telling Serbs passionate better fighters while Croats legalistic better fitted statecraft To prove point Look Tito unquestionably greatest statesman Yugoslavia duced Has seventeen years Communist supra nationalism enough eradicate memory hosti The evidence gathered conversations across estern Eur brief seems mixed For fellow insisted lsuuae Croatian rather called Serbo Croatian another dozen freely referred Yugoslavian For Parisian expert hatred great The entire Croats provoction versa there Oxford enough central authority existed suppress outbreaks Race social level exists everywhere Apart natches conversation there jective evidence problem sensitive still delay framing constitution intellectual debates issues federalism Yugoslav integralism recurrent ports rivalry among various republics resources vestments In persistence national tensions local university student problems disturb Yuoslavs today The other follow Narshal Tito The olitical uccession Now Narshal Tito Yugoslavia leade since leader Communist party longer since His experience peace makes Lenin Yugoslav Communism Gaulle Yugo national unity authority unchallenged Since Yugo slavia dvised constitutional procedures orderly transfer power contrasted office bitter struggle succession The heirs apparent course Edvard Kardelj Slovene Aleksander Rankovic Serb history knows successful diarchies political bookmakers argunents against either making In event succession problem appears inescapable important personalities which pundit New York speculate I question interregnum regime Yugoslavia fundamental orientation economic development nationalities There ready answers perhaps there Belgrade ordially Anatole Shub FIRST DAY COVER CO ORATING NKRSHAL TITO S SEVENTIETH BIRTHDAY SAY PRfDJEDNII F6Dd RATIVAI A MRODIVd RPUBLIK7UGOJLAVI7