SOURCE: MAJOR Svetozar BOGICEVICH - LONDON
SUB-SOURCE: GENERAL Miodrag DAMIJANOVICH - ITALY
DATE RECEIVED: 4 NOVEMBER, 1946.
DATE OF INFORMATION: OCTOBER, 1946
At the head of the organisation continues to be "Poglavnik" (Fuehrer) of the Independent State of Croatia, Dr. Ante PAVELICH - criminal of war.
Considering various informations PAVELICH after having left Yugoslavia was living in Austria in a villa near Celovec. In the Spring of 1946 he went to Italy to Rome accompanied by an unknown person (It could probably be the Ustashi Lieutenant DOSEN) and dressed in the clothes of a catholic priest and under the fals [sic] name of "Don Pedro Gonner" he lived in Rome in the catholic college in Via Giocomo Belli. He has a Spanish passport under the above mentioned name, which passport was given to him by the Spanish Consulat in Milan.
Considering the last informations, which have not been valid, PAVELICH has gone to America (Canada or South America) over Spain.
The Leaders of the Ustashi Movement. - In Italy at the head of the ustashi movement is Colonel PECNIKAR, former commander of the Police of the Independent State of Croatia. In Austria this function is performed by Lovro SUSICH, former minister in the Independent State of Croatia, and his helper for the British zone is a Bozidar KARAN.
All three of them dispose of great amounts of money, and they finance the whole ustashi activity.
The ideological leader of the ustashi movement in Italy is (Dr.) Krunoslav DRAGANOVICH, priest and professor of theology, who should represent at the Vatican the interests of the croatian emigration. This authorisation he received from all the catholic Bishops in Yugoslavia, but he has put himself to represent only the ustashies and their interests. A cruel and oncompromised [sic] ustasha, who upholds the "ustashi spirit" among the ustashi emigrants in Italy also in Austria.
A close collaborator and helper of DRAGANOVICH is (Dr.) Ivan MADJEREC.
Both of them live in the Society "St. Jeronimo" in Rome, Via Tomacelli no. 132.
The Committee of Croatian refugees in Rome. - For an instrument for PECNIKAR and DRAGANOVICH is the so called "COMMITTEE OF CROATIAN REFUGEES IN ROME", which has its seat in the "Society of St. Jeronimo" in Via Tomacelli 132, mezanin.
The official formation of this committee is the following:
- President: Ante BUDIMIROVICH, former delegate of the HSS, who on the proclaimation of the Independent State of Croatia withdrew and joined the ustashies.
Vice President: (Dr.) Josip REBERSKI, former member of Parlament for HSS. For him it is said that he is not an ustashi, but that he is a hesitator, who himself does not know what he wants, or where he will go;
Secretary: (Dr.) Josip RSPUDICH, Ustashi, criminal of war, former chief of the political section of the State Police in the Independent State of Croatia and chief of cabinet of the minister for the Interior.
Members of the Committee: (Dr.) Zvonko PINTEROVICH, Ustashi, a professor; (Dr.) Josip BUTURAC, Ustashi, former ustashi commessar [sic] for industry in the Independent State of Croatia; (Dr.) Salko BANJIC, [illegible], former consul of the Independent State of Croatia in Ljubljana; (Dr.) Marijan BANICH, Ustashi, former chief of the Sanitary Aacademy in the Independent State of Croatia; Fra KODRICH, priest, Ustashi; (Dr.) Rudo BARICEVICH, Ustashi; Mate VIDICH, Ustashi; Mira MALENICA (It seems that her real surname is BALICH), student, poisoned Ustashi and the Commander of the "Womens branche of the Ustashi Youths"; (Dr.) Ivan PEJICH, Ustashi, former employer of the Town Marie in Zagreb during the Independent State of Croatia; Pavo TIJAN, Ustashi, professor and head of the section of the Ministry of Education of the Independent State of Croatia; Franjo JOVICH, Ustashi, former commander of the camp in Banja Luka; Niko FILIPOVICH, Ustashi, former memeber [sic] of Parlament; Ilija SARAVANJA, former "procelnik" (Polit com.) in the ustashi chief political police.
Secret field organisation and service. - As the second instrument is the so called "SECRET FIELD ORGANISATION AND SERVICE".
The chief of this organisation is Veliko PECNIKAR personally.
Collaborators: Ivan DEVCICH, ustashi lieutenant, otherwise an old emigrant; Petar SIMICH, personal secretary of Lovro SUSICH; Zvonko BILAK, former employer of PAVELICH's legation in Rome. Now he serves for contact with the fascist organisations; Dr. Bozidar ANICH, priest from Kula near Metkovich. Bif [sic] Ustashi. Now serves for contact with the Italian monisteries in which are hiding Ustashies, named as criminals of war; Ivan PECI "Djovani", from Split, who a few months ago came from Yugoslavia (amoung [sic] us it is believed that he belongs to OZNA and that he has been put there with the task for Italy. He is employed in Rome as a printer in an Italian printing house in Via de Cesbria 51.
The contact of this organisation is on a wide basis and it seems that they are working without stopping.
The chief organisator of contact in Rome is Zvonko KOJADIN, who is hiding under the false name of Zajin MUFTICH, he lives in Via Piave 70. Othwerise he is in contact with the vaticat [sic] secret police and especially in the American information service.
For contact are:
- For Austria: Fra Stpe JELCICH, priest; Dr. Ivan COLICH, cannon [sic], Don Mate PAPAC; Zdravko Bjelo MARICH; Marko URMOVICH and Josip PINTER.
- For Germany and Belgium: Zlatko BARBARICH, Ilija JURICH and Petar JEKOVICH.
For Yugoslavia: One group of Ustashies in Trieste, that is to say in a village near Trieste, on Italian territory (Beluno). This group consists of Ivo BABICH, former High Governor of Travnik, Hasan TURICH professor and former High Governor, former agent of the military police in Sarajevo and Mate PUSICH, innkeeper in Zagreb.
- For France: Some people from the group of Dosen CIVIDINI. Every time another person, under fals [sic] names and with Allied Movement Orders. Contact in Paris goes over Dr. Andreje ARTUKOVICH, the organisator of the atentat on the late King Aleksadar [sic] I and Dr. Joze DUMANDZICH, former minister of transport in the Independent State of Croatia - (Ustashi Lieutenant Dosen, former teacher, at present interpretor [sic] to a Croatian group in Naples, working for the British; one of the most bloody Ustashies, from Gracanice. He presents himself as the member of Yugoslav Sokols and shows a legitimation of the sokols. But he was there the Ustashi information officer. It is said for him, that with his own hand he killed around 100 Serbs. He was in the personal service of PAVELICH and was with him when he escaped from Yugoslavia to Austria and from Austria to Italy. Captain CIVIDIN, was also an Ustashi slaughterer, and today he is the aide to Velko PECNIKAR. In his apartment in Rome he hid Vilko PECNIKAR, when the allied authorities were looking for him as a criminal of war.
For the Vatican: (Dr.) Krunoslav DRAGANOVICH (of whom was earlier written); (Dr.) Zvonko ZANKO, administrative chief of the ustashi camp in Fermo; (Dr.) Andreja JELICICH on service at the Vatican.
This contact goes through (Dr.) Fra Domenik MANDICH, living in Via Po 6 in Rome.
With the Italian Authorities: Professor Alija SULJAK (personal friend of De Gasperi). Alija SULJAK was the personal aide of PAVELICH. In July 1945 he personally gave a Memorandum to the Turkish Embassy, the Afghanistan and Iran Legations in Rome in which he said that the whole fault for the killing of the moselems [sic] in Bosnia was that of the Serbs; (Dr.) Franje KREZEVICH [?], lawyer from Banja Luka. (Dr.) Baldo DREKICH (personal friend of De Gaspieri [sic]) and (Dr.) Nikola BELEK (also a personal friend of De Gaspieri [sic]).
As contact with the Christian-democratic party are mentioned still: Niko FILIPOVICH, former member of Parlament, Dr. Josip RASPUDICH, General CANICH, Dr. Niko RPSANDICH and Dr. Ivo BOGDAN, former chief of ustashi propaganda in Zagreb.
- With Spanish consulat: Zvonko RASLAJICH-DOGONJICH.
- With Turkish Embassy: Hasan SULJAK, who has the legitimation of the Anadol agency.
- With American croats: (Dr.) Ivan VIDALE, professor of the Zagreb Univsersity; Dr. Marko COLAK, former secretary of some ministry in the Independent State of Croatia; Ing. Eduard MANCE, former Minister of Post in the Independent State of Croatia; Dr. SARICH Arch-Bishop of Sarajevo, at present in Klagenfurt in Austria.
In America the chief activity of the ustashies is lead and that in North America Croats that are living in Chicago (Illinois), and in South America thsoe living in Buenos Aires (Argentina).
The propaganda is performed over the Croatian newspapers in Chicago "Hrvatska Gruda", and in Canada in the "Hrvatska Danica".
The files, of the "Secret Field organisation" exists in Naples, Taranto, Redoj-Emilija, Venice and Trieste.
The representatives of the Ustashi organisation in the mentioned places are the following:
Naples: till a short time ago ustashi colonel VRKLJAN, whoin the beginning of September 1946 was arrested by the allied authorities and managed to escpae [sic], and at present by the ustashi Lieutenant DOSEN, of whom was mentioned above;
Taranto: Ivan PERAS, former director of the newspaper "Nova Hrvatska"
Redjo Emilija: ustashi Lieutenant Novalija DJESKOVICH and Mrs. Mara ERENCICH, the wife of General ERENCICH (in this town are still living around 17 former employers [sic - here and below, probably "employees"]of PAVELIC's legation in Rome; the names and addresses of these people are being looked for);
Venice (town): Dr. Nikola RUSCANOVICH, former, mayor head for Susak;
Trieste: the already mentioned BABICH, TURICH and the brothers PUSICH, as also the illfamed Ivan HLADNIK, the chief of the Ustashi "Crna Ruka" (Black Hand) in Trieste;
Courrier service [sic] inbetween the center in Rome that is to say in Fermo and the files are lead by:
- Stanko RAJICH relations Rome-Fermo;
- Josip SAVOLJA relations Fermo-Redjo Emilija;
- Ivica HITREC relations Fermo-Senegal-Ricone;
- Boza RAJICH, ustashi lieutenant, relations Fermo-Banisli-(Naples)-Termini;
- Jure NISETICH, student of law, relations Fermo-Trieste,
- Ivan TAJNFLOR, student of medicine, relations Rome-Trieste.
The place where the distinguished ustashi functioniers live: The present place of habitation of the distinguished functioniers, who have been proclamed [sic] criminals of war:
- Dr. Ivan SARICH, Arch-Bishop of Sarajevo, lives together with the Slovenian Bishop ROZMAN in Klagenfurt in Austria in the Bishops palace there.
- (Dr.) Zafer KULENOVICH, former, Vice President of the Independent State of Croatia, handed over by the allies to Tito.
- (Dr.) Osmanbeg KULENOVICH, former, minsiter without portopholio [sic], handed to Tito.
- (Dr.) Viktor GUTICH, former High Governor from Banja Luka and well know [sic] ustashi killer, handed to Tito.
- Marshal KVATERNIK, handed to Tito.
- General Miroslav NAVRATIL, former, Yugoslav Air Force Lieutenant in pension, from Sarajevo. His father is of Chekoslovak [sic] origin, who was a rail road employers during the time of Austria. He was pensioned before the war because of being pro-German. In the Independent State of Croatia he changed his name to "Fridrich" and said that he was of German origin. He was Minister of War. He escaped when the partisans were coming forward and lived in Austria in Zell am See where he was caught by the Allies and for some time he was in an SS camp with captured Germans. From there later on he was handed to Tito.
- Mehmed ALAJBEGOVICH, former, minister of Foreign Affairs of the Independent State of Croatia, handed to Tito.
- General Mafije [?] CANICH, foremer [sic], Yugoslav Colonel later on PAVELICH's general and minister of the army. At present he is living in Rome, his address is being looked for. On him depend many HSS politicians in Rome and say that he was alright. There was even a letter that he be received in the camp of Eboli, which was refused.
- General Dragutin RUPCICH, is hiding somewhere in Italy.
- Dr. HEFER, former, minister of the peasants in the Independent State of Croatia, is living at present in Rome (address not yet known); formerly he was a member of Parlament for the HSS and joined PAVELICH. But otherwise the followers of the HSS say that he is not mixed in any ustashi dirty work.
- Dragutin TOT, is still in Allies hands and was shut in the camp Terni in Italy, from where he manged [sic] to escape. He is hiding somewhere in the surrounding of Naples.
- General KREN, former, active Yugoslav Air Force Captain, who just before the war started escaped to Autria [sic] to the Germans. Later he was minister and commander of the Air Forace [sic] of the Independent State of Croatia. He was in the P.W. camp Grumo near Bari in the hands of the Allies. This camp has been reformed. For his present place of habitation there is a search.
- Vjekoslav BRANCICH, former, minister of the Indepedent State of Croatia he was in the hands of the Allies in the camp of Terni, from where he managed to escape and at present is hiding in Rome.
- Danijel [illegible], ustashi lieutenant, otherwise a priest, also of PAVELICH, and next to that the chief of the ustashi Propaganda, he was in Italy in the ustashi camp Fermo, from where he managed to escape. Not known at present where he is.
- Dr. Stijepo PERICH, PAVELICH's former ambassador in Rome, he is hiding somewhere near Naples.
- STIR, ustashi colonel, was till a short time the administrative organ in the camp Baniali near Naples, where he talked ideology and published the ustashi newspaper "Velebit". In August 1946 he was arrested by the British authorities and taken to an unknown place.
- Ljubo MILOS, illfamed ustashi killer from Jasenovac and Lepoglav. He says that he personally killed 4,000 Serbs. By one report he is in the ustashi camp Fermo, and by another he escaped from camp and is hiding somewhere in Italy.
- Dr. Mirko PUK, well known "criminal from Glina", is in exile. It is said that he is either in France of [sic] in Spain.
- Zivan KUVEGDZICH, peasant from Ilach, otherwise former PAVELICH minister without portfolio, is in Allied hands. Where he is shut up is not known.
- Vjekoslav BLASKOV, PAVELICH's chief of the Worker Union, is in Allied hands. Where he is shut up is not known.
- Viljim CECELJA, priest, is somewhere is [sic] exile in Austria.
- Dr. Josip BALEN, PAVELICH's minister for the forest, is in exile somewhere in Austria.
- Janko TORTICH, PAVELICH's minister of Socils [sic] Politics, is in exile somewhere in Bavaria.
- Dr. Andrija ARTUKOVICH, is in hiding somewhere in France, most likely in Paris.
- (Dr.) Joze DUMANCICH, PAVELICH's minister of Transport, is in hiding somewhere in France.
- Dr. Edo BULAT, managed to go to Argentina.
- Milovan ZANICH, died in prison in Terni, Italy.
FINANCIAL MEANS. Next to the great amount of gold, which Vilko PECNIKAR brought when he escaped from Yugoslavia the ustashi organisation is helped by:
- American Croats-Ustashies. Their sendings arrive over (Dr.) Franje KNEZEVICH, Dr. Ivan JURISICH and Petar SIMICH who are all in Rome.
- The Vatican from their means for information service. These means are given over Dr. Fra Dominik MANDICH in Rome.
MORAL HELP. On the first place moral help to the ustashies is shown by the Vatican, over which also goes a great deal of correspondence, as also contact with ustashies left behind and especially with priests in the country. On the second place come the American Croats, who help them with propaganda and newspapers. On the third place and [sic] the Allies themselves, being from not knowing the situation, or from some special reasons. The best proof for this, is that in Naples is employed by the British of the work one group of 320 Ustashies from the camp of Fermo, and under the command of the Ustashi Killer DOSEN. Dressed in British uniforms, these Ustashies carry on their sleeve the Croatian arms, and on their caps a "U" separate sign something like PAVELICH's unit "Danica".
Finally, moral help is given to the Ustashies by all the fascist elements in Italy, helping them in holding contact and giving them material help.
THE POLITICAL PROGRAM, is unchanged. Hate towards the Serbs, and also towards all those who represent the Yugoslav outlook.
Political-Cultural-Educational work in the camp Fermo is very wide spread and is lead quite in the spirit of the ustashi ideology.
WORK IN CROATIA. The wish of the Ustashies in emigration is that the Crisaders [sic] movement in Croatia is changed over to the Ustashi. On the formation of this plan everything is done through the ustashi priests and bringing into the country ustashies, especially the smaller leaders in the country whom the Crusaders should have to change successively into Ustashies. On this is especially working Dr. DRAGANOVICH. Regarding in valid information there has been sent to Croatia a certan number of armed ustashies. The arms were received by the Italian fascists organisation.
C O N C L U S I O N.
1. Even if small numbered, the ustashies are very active in their work, having the help of the catholic church, Italian fascist reaminder [sic], Croatians who are on their side in emigration in America and till a certain point the British Allies and Americans. - They represent a great harm and great danger for the state when it is freed of the present Tito regime.
2. For open fighting against the Ustashies, apart from the press and propganda there are no momental conditions, therefor one has to go full force ahead on these means, trying especially to show to the Western Allies the Ustashi real colors, and to unable them.
3. Of the work and movement of the ustashies one has to lead a strong evidence and to gather details of the whole work and of everyone of them, so that in the moment, when an open battle can lead against them, there would be the necessary materiles [sic] and proofs.