The article discusses activities of the Slovenian diplomat Dr. Izidor Cankar at the diplomatic representation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in Buenos Aires in the period 1936-1942. The research of his ...activities is based on sources from the archives in Ljubljana and Belgrade, with a particular focus on his correspondence with leading Slovene politicians on the eve of the Second World War and during the War itself. Cankar asserted himself as a self-confident diplomat, while at the same time being the first Yugoslav envoy to set as a priority concern for the Slovene emigrants from the Primorska region. Adapted from the source document.
ABSTRACT IN SLOVENE: V clanku je predstavljena usoda slovenskih diplomatov, ki so se znasli na prehodu iz monarhisticne v komunisticno Jugoslavijo. Avtor na podlagi arhivskega gradiva iz Ljubljane in ...Beograda opisuje zlasti delovanje Izidorja Cankarja, Vladimirja Rybára in Antona Novacana, treh kraljevih diplomatov, ki so razlicno dozivljali pretrese druge svetovne vojne. Predstavljeni so njihovi politicni nazori, ki so v novi stvarnosti komunisticnega prevzemanja oblasti vplivali tudi na nadaljevanje njihove diplomatske kariere. // ABSTRACT IN ITALIAN: Nell'articolo viene descritto il destino dei diplomatici sloveni che hanno vissuto il passaggio dalla Jugoslavia monarchica a quella comunista. Sulla base di materiale d'archivio di Lubiana e di Belgrado, l'Autore descrive soprattutto l'attività di Izidor Cankar, Vladimir Rybár e Anton Novacan, tre diplomatici del Re che vissero in modi diversi il terremoto della Seconda Guerra Mondiale. Sono illustrate le loro tendenze politiche che nella nuova realtà della conquista del potere da parte dei comunisti determinarono anche la loro successiva carriera diplomatica. // ABSTRACT IN ENGLISH: In the article, the author presents diplomatic activities of diplomats of Slovene origin, serving at the Royal Yugoslav Legations during the Second World War. Particular attention is paid to the correspondence between Slovene diplomats and politicians, presenting insights into different political opinions within the Royal Yugoslav Government in exile. Due to the increasing strength of Tito and the communist leadership, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia continued to exist only in the correspondence of its ministers and diplomats. But the question as to what policy was to replace it was a great perplexity to all. The two most prominent Slovene diplomats were Izidor Cankar and Vladimir Rybá, both serving during the World War in North America, the former as Royal Envoy in Canada, the latter as `Nr. 2' at the Yugoslav Embassy in Washington. Being originally ardent anti-Communists, they soon noticed that the armed resistance against the Axis Powers in Yugoslavia launched by Tito's communists was well received with the Western Allies. After the political agreement Tito-Subasic in 1944, they were both included in the combined team of old and new diplomats who were ready to accommodate to the coming communist regime. However, Rybár suddenly died in 1946, whereas Cankar was able to stay in the diplomatic service only for a brief period of time. Nevertheless, the new team of communist-oriented diplomats was ready to take over.
On the anniversary of the Sarajevo assassination (28 June 1914), the booklet of Dr. Ivan Avguštin Žibert, Der Mord von Sarajevo und Tiszas Schuld an dem Weltkriege, provides a good motivation for ...reflection on the causes of this fateful event. Appearing as a facsimile is its third edition, which was self-published in 1919. Although comprising not more than forty-seven pages, it touches on many events and personages connected to the heir apparent Franz Ferdinand. In the introduction to the facsimile of Žibert’s booklet, Prof. Andrej Rahten, PhD, wrote the study “Ozadja in okoliščine nastanka Žibertove teorije zarote” “The backgrounds and circumstances of Žibert’s conspiracy theory”, offering a clear view of the problem concerning the events that unfolded in Sarajevo. Rahten provides a detailed insight into the life of the heir apparent Franz Ferdinand and his morganatic wife Sophie von Hohenberg on the eve of the First World War.
The article deals with the history of Slovenian diplomacy, which -- according to the author -- should not be confined to the existence of an independent Slovenian nation-state only. In addition to ...many prominent personalities in internal politics, Slovenians could also be found in the diplomatic services of the Habsburg Monarchy as well as the monarchic and socialist Yugoslavia. Among diplomats of Slovenian origin serving under Habsburg Emperors, the following should be mentioned: Alojz Dobravec, Chevalier de Saldapenna, Anton Lavrin, Baron Josef Schwegel, and Alojz Pogacar. During the Yugoslav Kingdom, Izidor Cankar served as an Envoy to Argentina, Canada and Greece. Between the two world wars, three Slovenians served as Envoys to Prague: Ivan Hribar, Albert Kramer and Bogumil Vosnjak. The former Prime Minister of the Provincial Government for Slovenia, Leonid Pitamic, even became an Envoy to Washington. Several Slovenians could also be found within the League of Nations. Ivan Perne was head of the League of Nations Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As for those working in the administration of the League of Nations, the highest position was taken by Vladimir Miselj, who worked in the Secretariat. After the Second World War, the leading Slovenian communist Edvard Kardelj even played -- apart from Josip Broz Tito -- a key role in the foreign policy of Socialist Yugoslavia. In the 1970s, the number of Slovenians in Yugoslav diplomacy began to fall, especially at the lower diplomatic levels. During the break-up of the Yugoslav state, the majority of Slovenian diplomats supported the efforts of Slovenia's political leadership to achieve independence and take an active part in struggling for international recognition. Adapted from the source document.
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