Branimir Jelic

File ref KV 2/2307-2308

Jelic was one of the foremost leaders of the Croatian Ustase movement in the inter-war period. His name is associated with the assassination of King Alexander of Yugoslavia in Marseilles in 1934, but these files reveal in some detail his wartime and post-war activities. He fell into British hands right at the start of the war, having been taken off an Italian ship, Conte di Savoia, as it returned to Europe from the United States.

KV 2/2307 (1934-1946) describes how in an intelligence based operation a British destroyer intercepted his ship and removed him to Gibraltar in October 1939. The Yugoslav authorities declined to seek his deportation for fear of the political repercussions, and Jelic was sent to Britain where he was interned on the Isle of Man in June 1940. It was believed at the time (serial 10A) that Jelic's mission was to return to Europe to assassinate the Prince Regent of Yugoslavia. Safely interned, the authorities were able to keep a close watch on Jelic's correspondence, and though most have been weeded from the file, a few examples remain and it is possible to recreate the full cast of his contacts from the minute sheets.

Jelic's own account of his activities is at serial 87A. KV 2/2308 (1946-1953) covers Jelic's career after he was released. Somewhat to the dismay of the authorities, Jelic delayed some time before leaving Britain - the decision having been taken that he could not be deported to Yugoslavia because of his well-known opposition to Tito. It was not until 1949 that Jelic left to set up home in Germany.