| This rubrik describes Slovenians, who influenced Slovenias' history, but were ignored by the powers of Great Serbia in ex - Yugoslavia. |
| Articles by Dr. Jožko Šavli: |
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Danilo Zelen | |
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The Black Brothers | |
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Albert Rejec - Berti | |
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Jože Srebrnic | |
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Fr. Miko Cortese | |
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Daniel Halás | |
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Ferdo Kravanja - for his 60th anniversary - by Uroš Stanic | |
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Rožmanov Proces Volume 24 No. 3 - 4 (93 - 94) Autoumn - Winter 2003 | |
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The Supreme Court of Slovenia invalidated the sentence against Gregorij Rozman, the late Bishop of Lublana | |
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Škof Gregorij Rozman | |
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Attacks on the memory of Bishop Rožman | |
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Franc Rozman - Stane | |
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Prince Archbishop Francišek Borgia Sedej | |
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Frank Gorshin | |
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Franc Jeza | |
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Ruda Jurcec | |
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Matej Cvetic | |
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Blessed Benvenuta Boianis | |
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Col. Vladimir Vauhnik | |
| A combatant for freedom |
| 1907 - 1941 |
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| by Dr. Jožko Šavli |
| It was in 1997, when I accidentally attended the inauguration of the memorial to Danilo Zelen, a TIGR fighter, which took place in the borough of Senožece. Until then, I hardly had been aware of TIGR, the Slovenian liberation movement, which between the First and the Second World War operated in Littoral, when this province pertained to Italy. This organization came to life when the then Italian Fascist regime carried out a policy of ethnic genocide against the Slovenian inhabitants living there. After the Second World War, the most part of Littoral was annexed to Yugoslavia. However, during the Yugoslav Communist regime all those memories about the TIGR fighters remained concealed to the public. These materials were not published. Only after Slovenia's independence was it possible to gather corresponding documents about the genocide. |
| At the end of the WW1, the Austrian Monarchy collapsed. Slovenian populated provinces, like Carniola with the capital Lublana, and Lower Styria with Maribor, passed under the new constituted Yugoslavia. The province of Littoral with Trieste came under Italy, where approximately 400.000 Slovenians were living. The cities of Trieste and Gorizia were prevalently Italian, the country Slovenian. |
| In 1922, in Rome, the Fascist movement came into power. It was a nationalistic, military and expansionistic regime, which soon set in motion a violent Italianization policy in the Littoral province. Slovenian schools, savings banks, cultural associations, press etc. were abolished. The Fascist oligarchy educated the Italian people in the belief, that they pertain to a superior nation, who, in contrast to the »inferior« Slavs, should have been the followers of the history and culture of ancient Rome. The Slovenian language was forbidden. |
| The discrimination was not only national but also social. A Slovenian could not find employment, all positions were delegated to Italians, they even were brought into Littoral from outside. Therefore, thousands of Slovenians left Italy for Yugoslavia in search for jobs. In Littoral, the survival of the Slovenian people was bound to the villages only. In such a situation it was inevitable, that resistance arose against the Fascist regime. One of its leaders was Danilo Zelen. |
| Danilo Zelen was born in 1907 in Senožece, a borough between Postojna and Trieste. He was the sixth child in his family. His father was a merchant, and his mother Marija Delak was a housewife. In 1917, during the WW1, he was sent to Lublana, where he visited the well-known Realka school (college for modern sciences). |
| The borough of Senožece came under Italy, too. Anyway, he continued his schooling in Lublana, which after WW1 pertained to Yugoslavia (Slovenia). In 1925, he graduated and immatriculated the Department of Electrotechnics at the Faculty of Technology (University of Lublana). In 1929 he became citizen of Yugoslavia. Some years later, in 1933, the Zelen family moved to Lublana. |
| The fate of his native Littoral, that he loved so much, gave Danilo great pain. He suffered watching how the Italian Fascist regime was destroying the Slovenian economy, culture, schools, savings banks... and how they denied the right to speak and sing Slovenian in public.... In his soul the spirit of resistance matured, and he was not alone in his feelings. Many boys and men all over Littoral and abroad shared the same sentiments with him. But among them, Danilo Zelen certainly was the most determined, he was prepared for everything. He did not hesitate to risk his life for the freedom of his countrymen in Littoral. |
| At the beginning of his university studies, Danilo Zelen passed some examinations and enrolled in new semesters. But soon he dedicated himself to the underground activity for the liberation movement of Littoral. It began to be called TIGR, and its adherents were simply called »tigrovci« - tigrs. This movement arose in response to the Fascist violence toward the Slovenian inhabitants in this country. Italian Fascist groups called squadrists, for example, were attacking Slovenian people for the simple reason, because they spoke their mother tongue in public. |
| The TIGR activity strengthened after 1927 in Littoral, when the Fascist regime suppressed Slovenian schools, associations, banks and savings banks... In the midst of this terrorism, the tigrs organized the spread of Slovenian literature, school books, and murch more... They set on fire schools and kindergartens, which Italianized the Slovenian youth. Their illegal organ was called Svoboda (i.e. liberty, 1929 - 1940). |
| Danilo Zelen associated with TIGR, when he participated in a secret guerilla course in Littoral, in 1928. Instructions and preparations took place on the site of Cvetrež, a plateau close to the village Kal above the borough Kanal (Littoral). In the following year, he met Franjo Marušic, Zvonimir Miloš and other fellows on Vremšcica hill, near his birth place Senožece. Another meeting was held on the hill of Razklani hrib. There, he was completely in agreement with Ferdinand Bidovec, that weapons would be needed also for a successful fight against the Fascist oppression. Bidovec was the leader of the illegal Slovenian youth organization of Trieste. |
| Toward the 30s, the TIGR activity against the Fascist regime strengthened. It quasi grew into a guerilla movement, which operated in the hinterland of Trieste. The leading role was given to Danilo Zelen and his close collaborators: Pepi Kukec, Tone Cernac, and from the Gorica region, Franc Fortunat and Stanko Kamenšcek. The guerilla fighters carried out sabotage operations, but made also attempts on the life of Fascist functionaries and spies, who had passionate hatred against Slovenians. In those years, the TIGR operations were conducted in particular in the Pivka region (surroundings of Postojna). The tigrs illegally transferred explosives, bombs... from Yugoslavia. |
| The attack on the editorial of the Fascist daily, Il Popolo di Trieste, carried out on January 1930, resounded all over the country. It was prepared by young tigrs, because the daily with its chauvinistic articles continuously instigated the Italian public and sowed enmity between the Italians and the Slovenians. |
| Contact with the Italian Antifascists |
| After the attack, the Pivka region was rounded-up by police and military. Many TIGR cells were discovered and their members were arrested. Others escaped to Yugoslavia. The Fascist regime took out a warrant against Danilo Zelen. In September 1930, on the First Trial of Trieste against the TIGR warriors, his name was mentioned as one of the chief protagonists of the Slovenian rebellion. |
| Then, Danilo Zelen and Tone Cernac went to Paris, where they met with representatives of the Italian emigrant associations: Concentrazione antifascista, Giustizia e Libertà, Partito Communista Italiano... There, Danilo Zelen made contact with Raffaelle Rossetti, the bearer of the gold medal, who, at the end of the WW1, had prepared the sinking of Viribus Unitis, the Austrian admiral ship. He was an opponent of Fascism and lived in Paris. |
| The discussions with the Italian anti-Fascist groups demonstrated, that they, in the post-Fascist era, were willing to recognize autonomy to the Slovenian people of Littoral, but nothing more. In spite of this, TIGR continued to collaborate with them: large quantities of illegal Italian antifascist brochures were brought from Yugoslavia and spread through the net of confidants in Italy, and many persecuted anti-Fascist persons received assistance to escape across the frontier to Yugoslavia. In 1935, the Italian Communist party agreed to self-determination of the Slovenian Littorals. The pact was signed by the TIGR representatives: Albert Rejec, Danilo Zelen and Just Godnic. |
| The military leader of TIGR |
| In the 30s, Danilo Zelen and his group continued sabotage actions all over Littoral. In 1934, for example, he and around thirty other members smuggled large quantities of weapons into the country from Yugoslavia and warehoused them in secret locations. Already at that time they anticipated a general revolt. Also, attempts were made on the life of perilous Fascist officials, but these cases were rare. The most spectacular was the intended attempt on the life of Mussolini, who visited Kobarid, in 1938. Franc Kavs from Cezsoca (near Bovec) was to perform the execution. Danilo Zelen prepared the explosives. However, because of the masses of people and possible victims, the action was postponed. |
| When Danilo Zelen gathered volunteer freedom fighters, he usually said to them: »I want you to know that we will not yield for recognition. There is no reward for our battle. But as you can see for yourself, we cannot support any longer this situation. We have to break this slavery...«. He repeated his famous statement everywhere. He did not meet a single person with empty promises. In the contrary, he retained them with sincere words like these: A long battle as a sacrifice of an elite, which is aware to deliver the people in need. |
| The outburst of the Second World War, in 1939, alarmed TIGR and the national Slovenian feeling. On the horizon changes started to reflect on the international level and therewith the possibility of salvation from the Italian Fascist regime. Large quantities of weapons have been contraband from Yugoslavia and stocked at secret posts. A general revolt, which should have included all of Littoral, was in sight. The sabotage actions intensified. They also diffused in the territory of Austria, which was already occupied by Nazi Germany. The organizer of sabotage operations was Danilo Zelen, the military leader of TIGR. |
| At that time, relations were maintained with the Secret Intellingence Service. Its Section D had in Slovenia a certain confident, A. C. Lawrenson by name, who was an English teacher at the Lublana University. Since 1940, this section was called SOE (Special Operations Executive). TIGR was connected with this section through Ivan Maria Cok (pron. tchok), the Slovenian politician from Trieste, who found shelter in Yugoslavia. In the SOE documents TIGR is known as »Cok's organization«, or »Slovene Patriotic Organization« or even »our Slovene organization«. In Littoral (Italy) they were called »Slovene irredentists in Istria«. |
| Through Ivan Maria Cok, and very probably through Albert Rejec, the political leader of TIGR, the English financed the organization and supplied explosives. Since the beginning of the WW2, the English were interested to sabotage railways in order to disturb the supply of their adversaries. Therefore, on the railways in Slovenia, the tigrs »treated« (disabled) the enemy oil and freight wagons. At the beginning of 1941, excerpts of British telegrams spoke about these »treatments«, which amounted to 13,843 wagons: 5,215 German, 5,193 Italian, 1,448 Bulgarian, 278 Hungarian, and 1,700 others. Evidently, since the outburst of the WW2 (1939), this type of sabotage was carried out mostly on the frontier railway stations of Rakek, Jesenice, Maribor, and even Lublana. |
| The end of TIGR |
| German and Italian secret services discovered the TIGR connections with England and Danilo Zelen's expertise in sabotage operations. In 1940, the Belgrade government was requested to arrest all TIGR leaders. Indeed, it took out a warrant against them and they were captured. Danilo Zelen escaped the arrest and took refuge in different places - first in Belgrade, then in Lublana and finally in the surroundings of Reka (Fiume) and Novi, at the Adriatic coast (Croatia). |
| In the meantime, in Littoral, the Italian Fascist regime carried out the second raid. In 1940, the main operational posts of the TIGR resistance were discovered. They were found in the surroundings of Postojna, Ilirska Bistrica, Bovec and in the Baca Valley. The leading tigrs and many of their followers were arrested. In December 1941, preparations were underway for the Second Trial of Trieste, in which five TIGR members were condemned to death; others were jailed for a very long time. It was the end of TIGR in Littoral. |
| In Yugoslavia, toward the end of March 1941, the government signed the joining pact with Germany and Italy. This provoked large protests. In Belgrade, the English secret service made use of the situation and organized a putsch. So, a new pro-English government was installed in Yugoslavia. As a consequence, the TIGR leaders were released from prison. But on April 6, Germany and Italy attacked Yugoslavia. At that point in time, the tigrs founded the Soška legija (Isonzo League), a detachment of the Yugoslav army. On the 9th of April nearly 3,000 men and boys of Littoral origin gathered in Novo mesto, they were coming from all corners of Slovenia. Anyway, the Yugoslav army was already falling into decay. |
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| Danilo Zelen in the woods |
| Because the Belgrade warrant on Danilo Zelen lost its validity after the putsch, he was enrolled into the Yugoslav army. But the Yugoslav resistance collapsed after a few days of fighting. Then, the tigrs made preparations to continue the fight as guerillas against the occupiers. The meeting was supposed to take place on the hill of Mala gora near the borough of Ribnica (south of Lublana). |
| It was on May 13th, when the first three tigrs arrived on Mala gora: Danilo Zelen, Ferdo Kravanja, and Anton Majnik. They expected other members as to organize a revolt group against the occupiers. The Italian garrison in Ribnica was informed. Then, the Italian soldiers together with the ex-Yugoslav gendarmes encircled the tigrs, who found shelter in a cottage. During the shootout Kravanja was badly wounded, Danilo Zelen found his death, whereas Anton Majnik was caught and chained, but he succeeded to escape. |
| In order to officially identify the body, Danilo's mother was called from Lublana. First she looked at her dead son, and then sharply into the eyes of the Italian soldiers, who for 13 years wanted her son. Then, she said: »This is not my son!« Even though she felt heartbroken over her great loss, she would not give satisfaction to the occupiers. She would mourn him and weep alone. After the war, she had exhumed the remains of her son and transferred them to the cemetery in Lublana. |
| Because of rigorous conspiracy, no detailed reports were preserved concerning the operations, which Danilo Zelen organized and carried out. During the war several tigrs were executed by the partisan security service, led by the Communists. |
| After the war, the Yugoslav regime discriminated and even persecuted surviving tigrs. In a secret way the Yugoslav regime proclaimed an anathema about TIGR and its activity. Therefore, all memories about surviving members were wiped out; they were not archived or published. In the 80s, the anathema was partially interrupted. It was not until after the declaration of independence of Slovenia that the interest about TIGR has been revived. |
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| The memorial of Danilo Zelen in Senožece, erected in 1997. |
| In Littoral, an association was founded in order to cultivate the remembrance of these heroic warriors. In 1997, the association erected a memorial for Danilo Zelen in his birth place Senožece. Memorials for other tigrs followed. Nevertheless, the Slovenian historiography continued to maintain a negative standpoint towards TIGR, as it was obligatory under the former Yugoslavia. |
| On April 27, 2005, the new Slovenian government, which was elected into power in 2004, unexpectedly honoured the TIGR members in an official celebration on Mala gora. Then, Prime Minister Janez Janša stressed in a solemn speech, that in 1941 the tigrs led the first combat of Slovenian resistance against the occupiers. Until then, this honour was ascribed to the Communist Party. It was a collapse of the official interpretation about the Slovenian resistance during the Second World War. On May 14, 2005, in Lublana, a memorial plaque was inaugurated on the house, where the family of Danilo Zelen once lived. |
| It is not very clear, why the Yugoslav party and its structures ordered to conceal the TIGR's fight for freedom and the persecution of the tigrs. Most people voice their opinion, that the Communist Party demanded the privilege to honour the first and unique resistance organization against the occupiers of Slovenia in 1941. Another reason certainly was the great Slovenian patriotism of the tigrs. Very probably, in the tigrs' patriotism the Belgrade regime saw a step toward the Slovenian self-affirmation and possible independence. After some decades, as the political development shows, the regime was not mistaken about Slovenia sliding towards independence. |
| Selected Bibliography: |
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Abert Rejec: Lik Danila Zelena /Image of Danilo Zelen/, published in: August Sfiligoj's »Boj Slovencev pod fašizmom za narodne pravice« /The battle of Slovenians under the Fascism for the national rights/, Gorica 1984 | |
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PSBL /Slovenian biographic lexicon of Littoral/, vol. 17, device: Zelen Danilo, Gorica 1991 | |
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Albert Rejec - Tonce Cernac - Jože Vadnjal: Pricevanja o TIGRu /Testifies about TIGR/, Lublana 1995 | |
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Gorazd Bajc: Zapletena razmerja /Complex Relations/, Koper 2000, p. 81 - 90. The author quotes documents concerning Ivan Maria Cok and TIGR, kept in the Public Record Office in London. | |
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Borut Rutar: Iz primorske epopeje /From the Littoral epopee/, Celovec - Lublana - Dunaj 2004 | |
| ~~~~~ |
| The year was 1930 |
| Slovenian schoolboys against the Italian Fascist regime |
| Mirko, the youngest of them, died of police torture |
| Dr. Jožko Šavli |
| After the First World War, the Austrian Monarchy collapsed and the Austrian Littoral (Trieste, Gorica and Istria) came under the control of Italy. Soon after, the nationalistic Fascist regime gained power in Italy. It was a tyrannical regime that persecuted the Slovenian population and brought suffering and death to thousands of innocent people. In fact, the ethnic minority of ca. 320.000 Slovenians make up the majority of the province's population. Several resistance groups were formed among the Slovenian people to protest against the persecution. The most important of them all was TIGR. Nevertheless, there was also active resistance against the persecution among the youth. Thus, in 1930 a group of schoolboys formed an association called Crni bratje (pron. tch'rni bratye, literally Black Brothers). The fate of these individuals, who were only teen-agers at the time, is still touching us today. |
| Being under Italian authority, the resistance groups in Littoral aimed for the annexation to Yugoslavia, which at that time was regarded as the »motherland« of Slovenians. Indeed, after the WW2 the largest part of Littoral had been annexed to this state. However, the great dream of the Yugoslav »motherland« proved to be in vain. The Communist regime of Belgrade suppressed the publishing of any recollection concerning the anti-Fascist resistance in Littoral. This was the result of a secret agreement between Belgrade and Rome. |
| In 1952, the well-known Slovenian writer, France Bevk, published a book entitled »Crni bratje«. It was a literary shaping of the fate of the aforesaid teenager group. The book was published several times. Until the defeat of Yugoslavia, this was the only book that acknowledged the one-time existence of the Black Brothers. - When I grew up in the 50s, I heard of Bevk's book. But either myself or my fellow friends were attracted by its content. We were not aware of the testifying, that the author wanted to convey to the younger Slovenian generation. Besides, the book was also impregnated by the writer's own creative fantasy and, therefore, did not give the impression of historical accuracy. It remained a literary work only until the full truth was discovered after the disintegration of Yugoslavia. |
| Why »black«? - The Crni bratje (Black Brothers), it is true, were a secret group of Slovenian youngsters in Gorica (Gorizia). They fought for the liberation of Littoral from Fascism and from Italy. The group was formed in September of 1930. It is said, that the group had chosen their name from the Carbonari, an Italian secret movement of the 19th century, who fought for the unification of the Italian provinces to a common Italian State. Nevertheless, such an explanation, in my opinion, is certainly wrong. The secret movement of the Carbonari, it is true, might have been known to the youngsters. By the way, the Carbonari were named after »carbone« (coal, charcoal). Anyway, the (sordid) black colour of coal is not very attractive to represent the name of a group. Besides that, the Carbonari were an Italian movement. After WW1, Italy was ruled by the oppressive Fascist regime, and in such an environment it is not very likely, that Slovenian schoolboys wanted to be called after an Italian movement. |
| Therefore, the reason for the name Crni bratje has to be searched in the Slovenian historical tradition. In fact, the ancient Slovenian word crni does not only mean black but also defensive. Both significations are independently meaningful and derived from the former two etymons: crni (black) and cerni (defensive), which existed in Slovenian. Later, both etymons associated into one single form: »crni« meaning both, black and defensive. A mountain with a defensive position is often called Crna gora (literally: black mountain), which in fact is not »black«. Until the WW1, the Slovenian territorial defence still bore the name Crna vojska (literally: black army, in fact: protection guard). In our case, the name Crni bratje (Black Brothers) could only have meant a defensive group, and respectively fraternity. |
| Their aim was as follows: the diffusion of Slovenian publications and national symbols among confidential people, above all among the youth; elaboration and diffusion of pamphlets with anti-Italian and national-defensive devices; destruction of Fascist monuments erected on Slovenian soil; acquisition and storage of weapons and collaboration across the frontier, i.e., with groups in Yugoslavia. Nevertheless, for such combative tasks they were much too young. |
| The Founding of the organization |
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| Zorko Rejec from Grahovo (* 1915), the ideator and chairman, and Danilo Pirec from Bovec (* 1912), the vice-chairman of the Black Brothers. |
| As it seems, the idea about the brothers had matured in the mind of Zorko Rejec, a native of Grahovo, in the Baca Valley. He was a student of the Italian gymnasium in Gorica (Gorizia, Görz). On June 15, 1930, he and some other boys tried to cross the frontier into Yugoslavia (Slovenia). Two fellows were arrested by the Italian frontier guard, others were dispersed. Anyway, Zorko (Albin) came to Lublana and took lodgings with his uncle. There he met several refugees from Italy, who informed him about the real happenings in Littoral (Italy). The primary problem was not only the interdiction of the Slovenian language in public, the interdiction of the Slovenian press, abolition of Slovenian associations, schools, savings banks, but the persecution of Slovenian patriots by the Fascist secret service Ovra, brutal punishment and tortures in jails, etc. |
| In September of the same year Zorko's mother came to Lublana and took him back home to his native Grahovo. However, the following day Zorko was stopped by the Italian police, brought for questioning to Tolmin and condemned to two months arrest with a suspended sentence, because of illegal border crossing. Thereafter, Zorko continued his studies at the gymnasium in Gorica, and every day he had to take the train from Grahovo in order to get there. |
| Zorko Rejec was in the third grade of the gymnasium, and in the second grade there was another patriotic boy, Mirko Brezavšcek by name. He originated from Gorenje Cerovo in Brda (Collio), a hilly region near Gorica. The Fascist terror that ruled over Slovenians had a deep affect on Mirko, too. The two boys agreed to establish a secret association against the Italian Fascist regime. At that time, Zorko was 15 and Mirko was 13 years old. |
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| Mirko Brezavšcek from Gorenje Cerovo (* 1917), the person in charge of press and literature. He died of Fascist tortures on February 21, 1931. |
| This was the very beginning of the Crni bratje (Black Brothers), soon joined by new members, like Danilo Pirec from Bovec, in upper Soca (Isonzo) Valley, Just Brezigar from Podgora near Gorica and several other youngsters. Now, the group consisted of 18 boys. The leadership was composed as follows: Zorko Rejec as chairman; Danilo Pirec as vice-chairman, Mirko Brezavšcek responsible for Slovenian press and literature; Franc Torkar as frontier commissar; Avguštin Škerjanec as secretary and cashier; all others were organizers, active in the field of terrorism, according to the Fascist police. |
| Meetings were held in a cavern close to the Soca River and in the pub »pri Maksu« (Max' place). Their initial function was the distribution of leaflets with anti-Fascist and anti-Italian contents; they were taking down Italian flags... Anyway, they also courageously planned sabotage, in particular targets closely connected with Fascist tokens... It was the time, when the Fascist tribunal in Trieste condemned several TIGR-leaders and shot four of them in Bazovica on September 6, 1930. Leaflets, informing the public about the atrocities in Trieste, were found all over the city centre of Gorica, which outraged the Fascist police. Relatively soon the group was discovered. |
| After Rejec's conviction, he was betrayed by his Italian schoolmate, Annibale Bonnini by name, the son of an Italian railwayman in Sveta Lucija (now Most na Soci). Every day, Annibale, too, had to take the same train to Gorica, and at one point he apparently witnessed as Zorko received pamphlets from Mirko. On December 11, 1930, Zorko was arrested. Then, the Fascist police tracked Mirko Brezavšcek, who had a list of the Black Brothers. |
| On December 17, in the police jail of Gorica the following youngsters were imprisoned: Zorko Rejec (* 1915), schoolboy (from Grahovo), Mirko Brezavšcek (* 1913), schoolboy (from Gorenje Cerovo), Just Brezigar (* 1915), schoolboy (from Podgora), Franc Torkar (* 1912), shop-assistant (from Podbrdo), Stanislav Gorkic (* 1915), schoolboy (from Vrtojba), Danilo Pirec (* 1912), schoolboy (from Bovec), Ivan Verdikon (* 1914), schoolboy (from Solkan), Rafael Brešan (* 1913), shoemaker (from Podgora), Radislav Swyszczuk (* 1915), mechanic and Polish citizen, Ivan Gašpercic (* 1913), shop-assistant (from Solkan), Avguštin Škerjanc (* 1915), shop-assistant (from Bazovica), Viktor Grohar (* 1911), mechanic (from Bled), Rudolf Munih (* 1908), tailor (from Podbrdo), Franc Lapajne (* 1907), tailor (from Cerkno), Karlo ˇbogar (* 1911), schoolboy (from Most na Soci). - Two members, schoolboy Franc Hvalic (from Gorica) and shoemaker Peter Levpušcek (from Pevma) evaded the arrestation. |
| The prosecutors discovered the detailed activity of the group. In the bush close to Gorenje Cerovo some dynamite, a bomb and gunpowder were found also. At the arrest, Zorko Rejec was solely responsible for the pamphlets with the inscription: Death to Italy - Yugoslavia forever! The boys confessed that they had planned sabotage on Italian monuments. |
| Anyway, for the Fascist police it was of utmost importance to force a confession from the boys about their association with terrorist groups in Yugoslavia. The point of this was to prove that the organization was of international extent. After two weeks of hearing the interrogators illustrated in their protocol a concrete story, which Zorko Rejec should have confessed: He was entrusted to organize a secret association of young Slovenians with the task to prepare attacks on monuments as well as gather military data, and for such activity the group received instructions and money from Yugoslavia. |
| Not earlier then some decades later Zorko Rejec had the opportunity to explain the true situation, when he said (1976): I was arrested for seven days without food... Every day I was beaten in order to confess that I associated in Lublana with anti-Italian groups, who gave me instructions to establish in Italy a terrorist organization to fight against the regime, and that I received money and weapons for this purpose. Day after day I was threatened, that soon I would be shot or thrown through the window... The Black Brothers confessed that they were led by Yugoslavia because of the horrible tortures they were exposed to; the interrogators registered in their protocols whatever they wanted, and the Black Brothers had to sign the protocols without reading them; it was only then and not earlier that the beating stopped... Nevertheless, for the youngest of the group it was already too late. |
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| The grave of Mirko Brezavšcek, cemetery in Gorenje Cerovo, Brda (Slovenia) |
| In fact, at that time Mirko Brezavšcek was still a child. Therefore, the interrogators expected to brake him very soon. In order for him to confess whatever they wanted he was brutally beaten. But he couldn't say what he didn't know. - The interrogatory ended on December 30, 1930. Then, the boys were transferred to the judicial jail. There, Mirko remained lying down, he could no longer stand on his feet. His condition was deteriorating and he was transported to the hospital. He vomited blood. On January 28, 1931, his mother visited him and she took him home to Gorenje Cerovo. There, Mirko died in pain and suffering on February 21. The following day a large crowd attended his funeral. It was a silent protest against the Fascist terror and the Italian police was largely on hand to take action if necessary. The funeral rite in Slovenian language was forbidden. Mirko Brezavšcek was laid to rest without a Slovenian word, prayer, or mourning song. |
| Because of Mirko's death not only the people of Littoral, but the whole world was in shock. In Zagreb, at the meeting of the Istrian Academic Club, a commemoration was held for Mirko. On March 12, 1931, the daily Jutro (Lublana) published the news and stressed the ongoing horror. The public in Slovenia and in Yugoslavia was disgusted. Articles about torture and death of a child were also published by other newspapers, like the Arbeiter Zeitung (Vienna), Slovenec (Lublana), Tiroler Anzeiger (Innsbruck), Zagrebške Novosti (Zagreb)... |
| As a result, Rome felt intimidated because of its international prestige and they released the Black Brothers. Anyway, they were expelled from all schools of the Kingdom of Italy, and for two years they were under police surveillance. The control meant, that they were forbidden to participate in any public manifestations; they had to be at home between evening and morning hours, and without police permission they could not leave the house. It ruined their life carrier. |
| In the years to come, each Black Brother went his own way. Still under Italy, some of them were more often in confinement. Three of them, Franc Hvalic, Rudolf Munih and Rafael Brešan lost their life in a very tragic way during the WW2. Zorko Rejec escaped to Yugoslavia and studied in Belgrade. During the WW2, the Nazis put him into a labour camp. But he escaped to the partisans... In the dossier of the Yugoslav secret service he bears the denotation »traitor« !? |
| After the Second World War, a large part of Littoral came under English and American military administration (1945 - 1947). Then, the majority of the province was annexed to Yugoslavia, where the Communist regime of Belgrade was established. In fact, it was a great-Serbian regime. Under its administration, the fate of the one-time Black Brothers was not particularly benign. Their fight against the Fascist regime and for Yugoslavia was not acknowledged. It happened like in the case of the TIGR-members. The BlackBrothers vegetated in different jobs. Not only that! Danilo Pirec withdrew himself perhaps to Italy († 1996), Kamilo Rijavec had to search for a new job in Germany († 1984). Under the English American occupation, Ivan Verdikon was a gendarme (cerin) in his native Solkan. Then, he too left the country and went West; no one ever heard of him again. |
| The fate of Ivan Gašpercic deserves particular attention. During the WW2 he was sent to Dachau, where he was exposed to medical experiments. He was ill and weak when he returned from concentration camp. Nevertheless, Belgrade gave secret instructions, in sense of which homecomers from concentration camps should be regarded as »collaborators« with the camp authorities, otherwise they should not have survived the camp life. It was still under the English American occupation of Littoral when the confidants of the Yugoslav secret service tried to kill Ivan Gašpercic. However, he escaped and found shelter in Italy. There his disease made progress. Anyway, Italy granted him a military pension. In 1969, he died in Rome at the age of 57. He was a victim of Fascism, Nazism and Communism. |
| Why did the Belgrade regime blockade all memories about the one-time Black Brothers after the WW2? Moreover, why did it discriminate them and, in the case of Gašpercic, even persecute him? The reason could have been, that this happened in sense of the Rome - Belgrade secret agreement. During the post-war time, Italy was mainly interested to show itself in the eyes of Europe as a victim of German occupation. To achieve this purpose, the aggressions of the Fascist regime before the WW2 had to be covered up. Belgrade and its great-Serbian clique were rewarded in different ways for not pointing out the persecutions and crimes committed by the Fascist regime. |
| Another reason, maybe even more important for Belgrade, was the fact, that in this way the Slovenian national consciousness continued to be destroyed. The early anti-Fascist resistance in Littoral, the character of which was only Slovenian and pluralistic, disturbed the Yugoslav Communist ideology. So, after Belgrade’s silent instructions, the anti-Fascist resistance pertained to the Slovenian Communist Party only, which was under its control. The situation was presented in the way, that the Slovenian Communist Party itself would have had the primate in the anti-Fascist resistance, which in fact began with the liberation war at the beginning of the WW2, in 1941. In contrast to that, the anti-Fascist resistance in Littoral, represented by the TIGR group and also by the humble Black Brothers, began already in 1928. Therefore, the resistance of the Littoral patriots had to be concealed. The blame, of course, was placed on the shoulders of the Slovenian Communist Party. |
| Such an explanation can only be a cheap trick, under which a continual anti-Slovenian policy of Belgrade is hiding with no end in sight. The Slovenian Communist Party served merely as a fig leaf to cover Belgrade. |
| Selected Bibliography: |
|
Mira Cencic: Crni bratje, in: Mladika Nr. 10, Trieste 2004, and Nr. 1, Trieste 2005 | |
|
Tatjana Malec: Bratovšcina »Crni bratje«, in: Primorska srecanja Nr. 277 - 278, Nova Gorica 2004 | |
|
Bogomil Gerlanc: Crni bratje (appendix of the issue of aforesaid Bevks' book of 1984), p. 138 | |
|
Zorko Rejec: Zapisnik pricevanja /Protocol of testifying/, on September 22, Solkan 1976 | |
|
Dušan Brezavšcek: Petdesetletnica crnih bratov in smrt štirinajstletnega Mirka Brezavšcka /50th anniversary of black brothers and death of 14 years-old Mirko Brezavšcek/, in: Primorska srecanja 1981 | |
| ~~~~~ |
| Albert Rejec - Berti |
| A Slovenian patriot of Littoral, leader of TIGR |
| Not forgotten - but also not recognized |
| 1899 - 1976 |
|
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| Albert Rejec (1899 - 1976), portray |
| Dr. Jožko Šavli |
| In Yugoslavia after the Second World war, the activities of TIGR, the resistance organization of Slovenian boys and men in Littoral during the Italian Fascist regime, was suppressed for several decades. In my opinion, this was the result of a secret agreement between Belgrade and Rome. |
| Let me start this article by introducing a member of TIGR, who I happened to see occasionally during my childhood years in Tolmin. He was a native of our town by the name of Albert Rejec, but people called him Berti. In the 50s, I met him sometimes on the street. I still remember his somewhat curved and rather humble entrance door. My mother said to me that he is the leader of TIGR, which I could not picture very well or understand. But the word TIGR remained in my head. |
| Several other ex-members of the TIGR movement lived in the surroundings of Tolmin. During the WW2 they were partisans. One of them was my uncle Pepi Jermol. But he never talked about his activities within the organization. On the other hand, our town atmosphere was full of partisan stories. In this way, the new Communist Yugoslav regime wanted to substantiate their superiority in the public mind. |
| The true patriotic family Rejec owned a house in Zalog, a suburb of Tolmin. Their residence was known as the »pri Kovacu« (the Smith House). Members of the family were sisters Toncka, Ivanka, Mici, Vida and the brothers Albert (Berti) and Maks. It was still during the Austrian Monarchy when Albert Rejec (* 1899) visited the gymnasium in Gorica. In 1915 the First World War broke out, and the Rejec family had to retreat to Carniola, where Albert continued his studies at the diocesan gymnasium in Št. Vid above Lublana. At the end of the war, he graduated with honours. |
| Then, the province of Littoral with its native town Tolmin was annexed to Italy. Back home again, he worked as an interpreter for Slovenian and German languages, at first in Tolmin and later at the supreme court in Rome. In 1922, he collaborated against the Fascist marches that took place on the streets in Rome. Subsequently he lost his job and had to earn a living as a private instructor. At that time he was already in contact with the Slovenian politicians in Littoral. In 1924 he became ill of tuberculosis returned to Tolmin. But he overcame the disease and remained very active. |
| His activity was mainly focused on the organization of Slovenian classes, because the Italian Fascist regime suppressed all Slovenian schools in Littoral. He also helped to organize numerous excursions into the beautiful surrounding mountain area, where young Slovenians could have undisturbed discussions. In 1925, he assumed the post of secretary for Edinost, a Slovenian political association, which published in Trieste the daily paper, also called Edinost (Concord). Berti Rejec edited the Gorica page of the daily until December 1928. Besides being an accomplished editor, he was a tireless organizer. |
| He also associated with the Slovenian resistance group called TIGR (abbrev. Trst - Gorica - Istra - Reka), founded in Trieste in 1925. Its aim was to fight against the oppressive Italian Fascist regime. In 1927, a secret TIGR-board was founded in Gorica. Its members were Albert Rejec, Zorko Jelincic, Avgust Sfiligoj and Just Gruden. In connection with the TIGR-activity, Albert Rejec established among other things the secret channel Bohinj (Yugoslavia) - Baca Valley (Italy). Through this channel Slovenian books and literature were shipped to Littoral, where the publishing of such material was suppressed by the Italian Fascist regime. In 1928, the Italian police discovered the channel and Rejec had to go in hiding for many months. Then, in 1929 he crossed the border to Yugoslavia. |
| But the authorities did not permit him to stay in Slovenia, he had to report to Belgrade. Around 1930, when the seat of the central immigration department of Littoral was founded in Belgrade, Albert Rejec assumed the post of general secretary under the illegal name of Anton Mladen. In this way he covered up his involvement in the TIGR activities. Anyway, he made many trips to Slovenia. |
| In Littoral (Italy), the TIGR members continued their active fight against the Fascist regime until they were discovered by the Fascist police. In 1930, the first trial against TIGR-activists was held in Trieste. Around 80 accused members were on the hit list. There were 4 death sentences. Several »tigrs« got 30, 20, 15, 10 years... It was a serious setback for the TIGR movement. |
 |
| Board of TIGR movement outside of Littoral (after 1930): |
| Albert Rejec, Danilo Zelen, Just Godnic, Tone Cernac, Ferdo Kravanja. |
| In such a situation, a second secret TIGR-board was founded in Slovenia (Yugoslavia). Its members were: Albert Rejec, Danilo Zelen, Tone Cernac, Just Godnic, and later also Ferdo Kravanja (1935). Under its leadership, the »tigrs« continued to take action against the Fascist regime and its institutions. In particular, they set ablaze the Italianizing institutions in Slovenian territory. Such were the Italian kindergartens and elementary schools, established by the Fascist regime in order to Italianize the Slovenian youth. |
| The »tigrs« received plenty of weapons from Littoral compatriots, serving in the Yugoslav royal army. In 1939, they established relations with the English, concretely said with the Secret Intelligence Service. The English supplied them explosives. Rejec' role in this activity was above all political and organizational. If he was personally involved in leading and co-ordinating actions, is not possible to individualise. |
| The TIGR rangers themselves carried out numerous sabotage operations, not only on the Italian side but also in nearby Carinthia (Austria), which since 1938 was occupied by Germany. Through Ferdo Kravanja in Jesenice, in the proximity of the Carinthian border, explosives and weapons were delivered also to anti-Nazi groups stationed there under the leadership of Alojz Knez. Their sabotage operations targeted in particular railway lines. Especially, the sabotage in the proximity of Judenburg had a deep resounding. |
| By all means, the individual actions of Albert Rejec could not have been ignored. In capacity of a TIGR-leader he was well exposed. So, the Fascist security service called Ovra as well as the Gestapo to track him down. In 1940, Italy and Germany demanded his extradition. For this purpose, the Yugoslav government issued a warrant and put a reward of 25,000 Dinars on his head. Since that time he was forced to live in the underground. In 1941, Belgrade was occupied by Nazi troops. The Gestapo soon was aware, that Rejec was hiding there. But he managed to escape before he was arrested. He took lodgings in Niš. There, the Gestapo was on his heels again, but he escaped in the surrounding area. |
| In December 1941, the second trial began in Trieste against 60 imprisoned and 10 non-present TIGR members. Nine death sentences were carried out. Anyway, four of them were pardoned to life imprisonment, others were killed by gun shots. At that time the TIGR liberation movement already desisted. Most of its members joined the partisans at the Liberation Front. Regretfully, they were exclusively led by the Communist Party, which saw in Slovenian patriotism only an obstacle for its plan of the revolution. |
| Therefore, many patriotic partisans were liquidated. One of them, in 1943, was Dr. Maks Rejec (*1907), Albert's younger brother. He was a great Slovenian patriot as well, first a TIGR member and then partisan. But evidently he was too democratic. For a successful liberation of Slovenia he foresaw, as it seems, contacts with the Western allies, while the partisan leadership, in sense of the world revolution, was connected only with Tito and Stalin. |
| In 1944, Belgrade was liberated, and Albert Rejec returned to this city. However, at the beginning of 1945 he was arrested and imprisoned in the ill-famed jail Glavnjaca. He might have been shot, if his Littoral compatriot, Ivan Regent, a well-known Slovenian Communist member, would not have guaranteed for him. Thereafter, he went back to Slovenia. |
| Since 1948, Albert Rejec worked for the Intitute for National Affairs (Inštitut za narodnostna vprašanja) in Lublana. In July 1958, he was suspected of revival of the TIGR movement and was interrogated at the police station. In the following year of 1959, he was forced to go on pension. Then he entered the field of journalism. |
| Soon after the war, the Yugoslav police ordered to dig up the iron chest, which at the beginning of the war was buried in the garden on Kosovel St. 11, in Lublana. It contained all exemplars of TIGR publications. The chest disappeared. Nothing was published about TIGR in newspapers or magazines. Its memory was erased by broadcast and television... Evidently, all these doings were carried out in sense of a secret directive given by Belgrade. Why? |
| The TIGR's Slovenian patriotism was based on a plural weltanschauung of his members. This is clearly evident from the words of Albert Rejec' widow, Tatjana Srebot - Rejec, who said about her husband: He looked at the national problems from a perspective, where conceptions like »liberal«, »clerical« or »communist« were of no importance, he only considered the fact, if one had been honest, patriotic and reliable. - I think, this type of Slovenian patriotism disturbed the great-Serbian clique of Belgrade. The reason might have been that due to bad experiences with Yugoslavia a movement for an independent Slovenia could have arisen. Such an idea had to be suppressed already in its roots. Of course, Belgrade did not openly admit this, it only gave secret orders. TIGR and Albert Rejec, its leader, it were ordered to yearlong silence. Several other fellows were discriminated and perhaps persecuted. |
| In this connection has to be mentioned a sitting of the Executive Committee of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Slovenia, held on June 13, 1958. From the summary of the sitting we can read under point 2 the following: The Department of Interior (of Slovenia) should interrogate Rejec and other hostile elements because of their activity in connection with the renowned affirmation of »Tigr«... (Rodoljub 5, Koper 2001, p. 12). The conclusions were signed by a member of the Committee, Ivan Macek by name, and an ill-famed Belgrade confidant in Slovenia. The designation »hostile elements« is a typical expression, which the Belgrade Communist regime adopted. Nevertheless, nothing of this was reported to the public. |
| Through the net of confidants, the Yugoslav regime spread rumours and gossip against the one-time TIGR members as well as against patriotic Slovenian individuals. Without mentioning the word TIGR or Slovenian patriotism in general, they had the unchecked power to intimidate the patriotic people by circulating the parole »objective perilous« (Slovenian) nationalism. As a result the mass media did not attack the one-time »tigrs« openly, as not to attract the attention of the public. |
| But there was a case where TIGR leadership was defamed on the other side of the frontier, in Italy. Belgrade reckoned the echoes, which could also be found among intellectuals in Slovenia (Yugoslavia). In Trieste, with the help of Yugoslav funding, a daily in Slovenian language had been published. An article about TIGR was criticised as follows: ... Petty-bourgeois elements are nestled within the TIGR leadership, who started to spread anti-Communist slogans, they associated with the West and in collaboration with the old-Yugoslav police, they served themselves most abject deeds like denunciation, treachery and similar... (Primorski dnevnik, April 20, Trieste 1976). |
| Of course, this attack in Agitprop style was only the tip of the iceberg, which pointed to the Belgrade underground campaign against TIGR. Anyway, on May 6 the daily published Rejec' response, in which he rejected the slander. - Albert Rejec died in the same year. |
| The acknowledgement of TIGR, but only partially executed |
| At the beginning of the 80s, permission was granted to issue a publication about TIGR under the censorship of the female historian Milica Kacin - Wohinc, a confidant of the Yugoslav Communist Party. Since then she has played the leading role in this field. But at the same time she acted as the extended arm of the Belgrade regime, which kept the matter under close control. It is obvious that after the secession of Slovenia from Yugoslavia, this control has continued until this very day. |
| With the publishing of historical material concerning TIGR, a certain compromise with the Italian authority can be noticed. In this connection one has the impression, that the ancient Belgrade confidants took control of the TIGR history. So, they allow publishing the testifying of the persecution of Slovenian patriots and rebels during the Fascist era but only up to a certain level, in order not to damage the prestige of Italy in the world. |
 |
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Basovica (Basovizza) above Trieste: the memorial to the TIGR-members condemned to death by gun shots (1930): Ferdinand Bidovec, Franjo Marušic, Zvonimir Miloš, and Lojze Valencic |
| Anyway, in 1985 a memorial plaque on Rejec' native house in Tolmin was inaugurated. It was a very modest award for a man, who sacrificed his life for the fight of freedom for his people. One was hoping for at least a bust dedicated to his memory, like it was erected in remembrance of several TIGR members. Albert Rejec, the leader and soul of the TIGR movement, still needs to be honoured with dignity. Besides, one expects the publishing of a monograph about Rejec' life and work. |
| Anyway, after the secession of Slovenia from Yugoslavia something changed. Rejec's memoirs were published under the title Pricevanja o Tigru /Testifying about TIGR/ in Lublana in 1995. Furthermore, for the 100th anniversary of his birth (1899), a miscellany (zbornik) was published in Gorica under the title Domovina, kje si? /Homeland, where are you?/. It contains materials contributed mostly by Tatjana Srebot - Rejec, his widow. It contains also an interesting contribution from Milica Kacin - Wohinz, referring to Rejec' dossier found in the archives of the Home Office in Rome. |
| However, the life image of Albert Rejec is by far not complete. His corresponding documents, which are kept in the archives of the secret service in Belgrade and in London, should be made available to the public. The task regarding his outstanding and important role in the fight for national liberation of Slovenians still has to be fulfilled. |
| It seems, that Albert Rejec as a person is still inconvenient to certain powers on the international level: in Belgrade, in Rome, in London, and last, if not least, also in Lublana. |
| Further Reading: |
|
Albert Rejec: Pricevanja o Tigru /Testifying about TIGR/, Lublana 1995 | |
|
Domovina kje si? /Homeland, where are you/ (a miscellanea for 100th anniversary of Rejec' birth), Gorica 1998 | |
|
Tatjana Rejec: O povezavah TIGRa z Angleži v letih 1939 - 1941 / About connections of the organization TIGR with the English in the years 1919 - 1941/, in: Goriški letnik 29, Zbornik Goriškega muzeja 2002, Nova Gorica 2004 | |
|
Mira Cencic: TIGR, Slovenci pod Italijo in TIGR na okopih v boju za narodni obstoj. Kras in Vipavska dolina / Slovenians under Italy and TIGR in the trenches fighting for national existence, Karst and Vipava Valley/, Lublana 1997 | |
|
PSBL (Littoral Slovenian Biographic Lexicon), 13. snopic (volume), Gorica 1987 | |
|
Gorazd Bajc: Zapletena razmerja /Complex relations/, Koper 2000 | |
| ~~~~~ |
| His papers about the origin of the Slovenian people were confiscated and lost |
| After several decades, the Communist regimes finally collapsed in Eastern Europe. But many people genuinely believed in the Communist ideology, which should have brought dignity to the proletariat and hope for a better life. Among these people were great idealists. One of them was Jože Srebrnic, a Slovenian, originally from Solkan close to Gorica - Gorizia. He was an example of outstanding qualities and his memory deserves to be honoured by all of us. (author's note). |
| It was still the period of the Austrian - Hungarian Monarchy, when in 1884 Jože Srebrnic (pron. Srebrnich) was born in Solkan, a suburb of Gorica (Gorizia). His father was a joiner. In 1905, he graduated from grammar school in Gorica. Like many educated young Slovenian men of that time, he was interested in political affairs, and in 1907, he joined the Yugoslav Social Democratic Party. In 1908, he matriculated in Law at the University of Graz. But soon he abandoned his studies and returned home to Solkan. There, he laboured as a joiner and farmer, and he became an active party member. |
| At the beginning of the WW1, in 1914, he was drafted into the army. Anyway, soon after he went over to the Russian side. There he lived to see the October Revolution (1917), which left an indelible mark on young Jože. In 1918, he became an elected member of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Organization of Foreign Labourers and Farmers (Bolshevic oriented prisoners of war). He was also the co-founder of the Yugoslav Communist group within the Russian Communist party. |
| From the above data one can easily establish the life ideas that this young man had in his mature years. As a worker's son he believed in righteous victory, which should come with the revolution. He was a conscious Slovenian. But in that period the Slovenian historical and cultural, i.e., national identity has not been individuated yet. It was associated with the Southern Slav (Yugoslav) and pan-Slav ideas. Several educated Slovenians were even dreaming of a "Slav kingdom" that should extend from Trst (Trieste) to Vladivostok. |
| In 1919, Jože Srebrnic returned to Solkan. The Austrian Monarchy was already in decline. His native country Littoral had been annexed to Italy. There, he continued his political work with the Italian Socialist Party (PSI), where Communist groups were organized. When the formal foundation of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) was created in 1921, it was his job to enforce its legality in Littoral. He also wrote articles in the Slovenian Communist paper called Delo, which was published in Trst - Trieste. |
| At the communal elections in Solkan, in 1922, the PCI was victorious, and he advanced to vice-mayor. In the same year, the Fascist movement took power in Italy. However, the democratic structures still functioned for a number of years. So, Jože Srebrnic registered as a candidate for the PCI in the 1924 elections, and he was elected as a parliament member in Rome. In the same year he participated at the 5th congress of the Communist Internationale (Cominform) in Moscow. Anyway, as a Communist deputy of the Italian parliament he was continuously under police surveillance. In 1926 he was arrested, and that was the beginning of a long line of arrests and confinements, which lasted 17 years. |
| During the long years of his confinement, he did his own research and wrote a study on "Ancient Slavs and their relations toward the Romans and the Germans from the beginning until Charlemagne". It was a 169-page manuscript in pencil writing. Dr. Henrik Tuma from Lublana was informed by letter about the contents of his study. But the study was confiscated by the Italian policy on the isle of Ponza, in 1935. |
| In 1939, Jože Srebrnic went back home to Solkan, and soon after he escaped to Yugoslavia. His final aim was to reach the Soviet Union. But he was arrested, and in September 1940 the Yugoslav administration handed him over to Italy. He carried with him the new version of the above mentioned manuscript, or perhaps its second part. In December 1940, the Trieste Tribunal sentenced him to 2 years arrest and a 20.000 lire penalty, because of "illegal border trespassing and because of his intentions to complete and publish a political - irredentist work". After a year he was released from the arrest, but in Gorica he was condemned again to 5 years confinement. The last place of confinement was the lager Renicci. After his release on September 8, 1943, he returned to Solkan. |
| His Mysterious Manuscript |
| What kind of manuscript was it, that evidently threatened the Italian Fascist regime? |
| Thus, when in March 1941 the appellate court confirmed Jože Srebrnic's previous condemnation, it also added the following indictment: "He even presents the Albanians as Ancient Slavs, albeit he speaks about the Ancient Albanians and their autochthonism on the Balkans" (Kacin - Wohinz 1986, 43). At that time, Albania was occupied by Italy and evidently it was considered to be in their own political historical interest. |
| The same Jože Srebrnic commented in his research as follows: Without exaggeration the undersigned confirms that the collected materials have such great weight and are of such a character, that they will certainly contribute to the revision of many questions about Ancient Europe... The historical research of the first millennium BC, of the Roman Empire, the period of the peoples' migrations etc. will (with his study) became a new and more solid orientation (Kacin - Wohinz 1986, 44). |
| In November 1941, he presented a letter to the Department of Interior in Rome, in which he asked the competent commission to revoke his third sentence of confinement, because it had no grounds. He also asked, that the seized manuscript should be returned to him, because it is about a "scientific-historical" study only, which has nothing to do with politics or irredentism (Kacin - Wohinz 1986, 43). In his letter he points out the new title of his study, "The Ancient Slavs and their Relations toward the Romans, Celtis-Itals, Germans, Greeks, Turko-Tatars, Awars, etc. (from the beginning until Cyrill-Methodius)". In this instance he also quotes, that he went to Yugoslavia to complete his study, and he would have t |
