UK National Archives, report by Reed to 37 Military Mission, 14 May 1945. ‘The actual occupation of Zagreb was carried out on May 8 by units of 3rd Army and 10 Corps operating from the north of the city and from Moslavina, by 2nd Army advancing from the Una Valley to the south west, and by 1st Army which moved up from the south.
The town when this mission arrived on the morning of May 10 was packed with troops, and it is safe to conclude that on that day most of 1st and 2nd Armies were still in the town. 1st Army has since been given the honours, and carried out a very impressive march past on May 14 … It is believed that Russian officers were with all the armies concerned in the occupation of Zagreb. A group of Russian officers headed by a Colonel took part in the march past of 1st Army and at the attendant celebrations at least 20 senior Russian officers were present … In attitude the Russians are cordial and off-hand. Beside them we are very much the poor relations and are quite obviously in a lower classification.’
Reed papers, supplementary report by Reed, 4 June 1945. ‘Arrests. The French Consul, M. Gaillard, who has good contacts with the followers of Macek [leader of the Croatian Peasants Party], states that there have been many arrests of Macekists, including Smoljan and Andres. Among anglophiles arrested are Babic, Counsellor at the Yugoslav Embassy in London in 1939, Bozidar Strizic and Salik, all of whom were well-known anglophiles.
Independent reports from two sources state they were arrested on denunciation by a previous Gestapo agent, now working for OZNA, by name Cuca Smokvina, wife of a radiologist at the Zagreb University Clinic. Details in my tel. nr. 12 of June 2nd to ISLD [SIS].’
In this capacity he combined his consular activities with intelligence gathering, providing SIS with a remarkably vivid insight into the communist takeover in Croatia. But his freedom of action was progressively reduced, as the Trieste confrontation came to dominate the already troubled relationship between the Western Allies and the Partisans...