Distracted Croats
Sir: Mrs Clissold either has not read our letters very carefully or is deliberately trying to create a false impression about what they contain. Neither of us has expressed any view on the question of Croatian autonomy. Nor is it the business of our Society to express political views, for its aims, as was stressed in both our letters, are—and remain—purely cultural.
As for her other points, there is surely nothing to be gained by implicating the young Croats of today in the excesses of the Croatian extremists of thirty-five years ago. Many of them are as ardently anti-fascist as Mrs Clissold could only wish them to be. Possibly she does not know it, but many Croats died fighting fascism during the war, two close relatives of one of the signatories of this letter among them.
Perhaps the wisest thing for Mrs Clissold to do would be to join our Society and find out more about Croats, their history and culture. This might help to ease the burden of prejudice which seems to weigh upon her so heavily.
Auberon Waugh, President Edo PiveeviC, Vice-President British-Croatian Society
Previous page
