League Hunts Croats Plea As Archbishop Visits Here

[Photo]

(Can't find Petition for Independence Presented by Father Stipanovic)

Here are Most Rev. Ivan Saric, D.D., archbishop of Sarajevo, (seated), and his host here yesterday, Rev. John Stipanovic, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Church (standing). Dr. Saric already is a prominent figure in Croatian affairs, and Father Stipanovic stepped into the world limelight today as League of Nations officials began to hunt for the petition which he presented to the league last fall.

League attaches in Geneva today are hunting their archives for the petition which they said was to have been mailed to the League, but of which they had no record.

Father Stipanovich reported that he gave the memorandum, bearing 43,000 signatures (not 5,000 as reported from Geneva) and resolutions of parishes and societies representing 260,000 persons, to an assistant secretary of the League at Geneva, who received it in person.

The same memorandum was presented to Secretary of State Cordej Hull in Washington, by Father Stipanovic and was mailed to the embassies of all nations represented at Washington. Father Stipanovic also presented the copy personally to Pope Pius at Rome.

The petition urged the League to secure the independence of Croatia from Yugoslavia on the plea that Yugoslavia was mistreating the Croats.

The petition began with a reference to Woodrow Wilson's plea for the right of self-determination.

My deepest gratitude goes to professor Radovan Grgec, editor in chief of "Marulic", for permission to use materials from a letter sent to him by Tatjana T. Former, New York, in 1999.

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