To the Ambassador to Yugoslavia A.I. Lavrentyev, for I. Broz-Tito and E. Kardelj, March 18, 1948

Source: Tom 18

We have received a report that Kidrich's assistant Srzentic informed the Soviet Trade Representative Lebedev that, by decision of the Yugoslav government, it is forbidden to provide Soviet organs with information on economic matters. We were astonished by this report, since there exists an agreement on the unimpeded provision of such information to organs of the Soviet government. This astonished us all the more because the Yugoslav government organs are implementing this measure unilaterally, without any prior warning or explanation of the reasons. The Soviet government regards such actions by the Yugoslav government as an act of distrust toward Soviet workers in Yugoslavia and as a manifestation of unfriendliness toward the USSR.

It is understandable that, given such distrust of Soviet workers in Yugoslavia, the latter cannot consider themselves protected from similar acts of unfriendliness on the part of Yugoslav organs.

In view of this, the Soviet government has ordered the ministries of ferrous metallurgy, non-ferrous metallurgy, the chemical industry, power stations, communications, and health to immediately recall all their specialists and workers.