The friends and enemies of Yugoslavia's Marshall Tito
16.1.2004 - Ksenija Samardzija-Matul

Marjan Krajnc, a Slovene, was a General in the Former Yugoslav People's Army and a member of Tito's Secret service. He's just published a book called "Conspiracies and attempts on Tito's life". It gives an insiders look at Marshal Tito - the man who led Yugoslavia from the end of World War II until his death in 1980. As an officer of the secrete service, Marjan Krajnc says he helped prevent attempts on Tito's life.

Marjan Krajnc a General of the Former Yugoslav People's Army and long - term officer of the secrete service has recently published a book entitled "Conspiracies and attempts on Tito's life". As an officer of the secrete service he has often helped to prevent attempts on Tito's life. Josip Broz, often known by his military title Marshal Tito, led Yugoslavia from the end of World War II until his death in 1980. As the book's title suggests Tito not only had friends. My first question would be why release a book on these events now?

" During his life you could not talk in public about conspiracies or attempts on Tito' life, journalists didn't write about it because they had no information. We did not reveal data, because each attempt or plan was top secret, also because foreign secrete services were cooperating, expatriates and people at home."

How did security services operate when they were protecting statesmen?

" When US- president Nixon came to us in the 70 s he was accompanied not only by an official delegation but also by 1000 FBI agents."

Were there any serious situations?

" Four attempts on life were carried out, there were 26 attempts and we prevented 27 planned attacks because we were able to find out about them."

Which were the events?

"The first one was the attempt at Drvar (during World War II), the second was the so called medical attempt, when Soviet doctors tried to poison Tito after his gall bladder operation. The third assassination attempt happened in Belgrade, when assassins tried to collide with a streetcar into Tito's car. At that time an officer of the guard threw himself in front of the trolley and stopped it. A member of the personal escort, lieutenant colonel Rudič, who shot three times at Tito, carried out the most dangerous attempt. We were informed about the assassination attempt but we didn't know, whom it was. Other members of the escort killed the assassin immediately."

The new book by Marjan Krajnc will probably inspire a few people to rummage through history and to find similar stories. Maybe it will get easier in a few years, when the archives of the former Yugoslavia will be opened to the public.