Central Intelligence Agency – Information Report
CD No. [REDACTED]
Country: Yugoslavia
Subject: Death of Jovanović
Place Acquired: [REDACTED]
Date of In[REDACTED]
Report No. [REDACTED]
Date Distributed: 18 January 1948
Number of Pages: 1
Number of Enclosures: 44156
Supplement to Report No.: 25X1X6
[REDACTED]
1. [REDACTED] the Yugoslav Government deliberately lied in connection with the frontier crossing attempt made by General Arso Jovanović and his three comrades. Jovanović and the three who accompanied him were actually arrested in Belgrade and taken by the police to the Yugoslav-Rumanian frontier where all four were killed. The well-known story of his attempted escape to Rumania was then released.
2. Jovanović was the Soviet choice to replace Marshal Tito and had come from Moscow expressly for this mission. Jovanović’s death has caused disunity in Montenegro and in the Yugoslav Army where he was very popular.
3. Meanwhile, the antagonistic feeling toward the Tito regime is increasing. The Soviet Embassy is aiding and organizing cadres among the anti-Tito elements, and it is the opinion [REDACTED] that Tito will be removed and hanged before the end of the year.