crimes committed by totalitarian regimes - Ministrstvo za pravosodje

Crimes committed by totalitarian regimes
Appendices
Appendix A: Foreign office documents on the 1947 show trial 23
1. From Foreign Office to Belgrade, 15 August 1947
Waddams, vice-consul Ljubljana 1945, considers he may be the diplomatic representative referred
to in the trial, as both Furlan and Sirc were the only people who helped him to get the Ljubljana
consulate going when he first opened it. He considers this the probable reason for their sentence.
2. British Consulate, Ljubljana to British Ambassador Belgrade, 22 August 1947
A brief reading of the newspaper reports, however, will suffice to make it clear that the trial was
first and foremost a gigantic political propaganda stunt whose double aim was first to show Britain and
America as the irreconcilable enemies of the new Yugoslavia, and second, finally to frighten off anyone
who might still think that it is possible to associate with officials of the Western countries and get away
with it.
3. Observations on the trial of Prof Furlan, July–August, 1947
In the second place, he (Furlan) has been, since the end of the war, friendly with the British Consul
at a time when, for fear of the consequences, the majority of the people of Ljubljana have not dared to
have any social contact with British personnel. In this context, it is interesting to note that the third death
sentence was passed on Ljubo Sirc, who was the only other person among the accused to be friendly
with the British Consul. It would, therefore, suggest that friendliness is itself taken for espionage, for
which the perpetrator must pay the highest penalty. Virtually no other person, besides Furlan and Sirc,
dared to behave openly as the friend of the British Consul.
4. British Embassy, Belgrade to Western and Southern Department, London, 17 December 1952
Remark: Sirc’ mother asked for affidavits from former British personnel in Ljubljana to the effect
that their contacts with Ljubo Sirc were exclusively social. Eventually she was given such affidavits but
still did not quite dare to use them.
Text: 3. We should ourselves be glad to do anything possible to assist Ljubo Sirc. The Secretary of
State intended to mention his case to Mr Kardelj last September … (signed) Chancery.
5. Memo from Waddams to Tufton Beamish and on to the Foreign Office, 21 April 1954
Things there (Slovenia) are getting better, no doubt. But in respect of these two people, Professor
Boris Furlan and Ljubo Sirc, both of whom were sentenced because of their refusal to betray their
friendliness to Britain, the recent professions of the Yugoslav Government are scarcely lived up to.
23
Public Records Office, London, FO 371/67466, 46305 and FO 371/102257, 46477.
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