Yugoslav Cominform Refugees in Eastern European Countries 1948–1964 Cover Image

Jugoslovenska informbiroovska emigracija u istočnoevropskim zemljama, 1948-1964
Yugoslav Cominform Refugees in Eastern European Countries 1948–1964

Author(s): Momčilo Mitrović, Slobodan Selinić
Subject(s): History
Published by: Institut za noviju istoriju Srbije
Keywords: Yugoslavia; Eastern Europe; emigrants; Cominform; propaganda; press

Summary/Abstract: One of the consequences of Yugoslavia’s conflict with the Inform-Bureau (IB) in 1948 was the emergence of the Yugoslav émigrés who adhered to the IB and who where organized in émigré organizations in all East-European countries. According to the Police data from 1964, there were 4.928 supporters of the IB. Among the emigres there were former Yugoslav diplomats, pupils, boarding school pupils and students who happened to be at schools in the countries which had embraced the Resolution of the IB, as well as those supporters of the IB who ” ed the country. The émigré organizations enjoyed unhidden support of the governments and Communist Parties in the countries adhering to the IB and the basic form of their activity was propaganda against the Yugoslav government and the Communist Party. According to the Yugoslav data, their work was channeled through 98 propaganda centers. The most numerous were in USSR – 35, followed by Bulgaria – 17, Romania – 13, Hungary – 12, Czechoslovakia 12 and Albania – 9. Wit the aid from their hosts, the émigrés started publishing journals and various publications already in 1949. They also had 12 radio stations at their disposal. The total print-run of 9 émigré journals was 50.000. Part of these printed materials was smuggled into Yugoslavia. Due to the normalization of the relations between Yugoslavia and East-European countries after Stalin’s death, émigré organizations were disbanded and their organized anti-Yugoslav activity ceased. The Yugoslav authorities strove hard to bring back to the country as many émigrés as possible. This was facilitated by the improving relations with the IB countries after 1957 and 1962, the Law on Amnesty of 1962 as well as the decisions of the Yugoslav government to recognize diplomas of schools the émigrés had ? nished abroad, to work, in keeping with its possibilities, to provide material conditions for their life in Yugoslavia (? nding jobs and apartments), to punish only those who had committed the severest crimes but with the possibility of amnesty soon after trial etc. Thus 1.336 émigrés returned to the country until 1964, most of them (1.026) until 1957.

  • Issue Year: 2009
  • Issue No: 1-2
  • Page Range: 31-54
  • Page Count: 24
  • Language: Serbian