On the basis of the political activities of the eminent scientist and intellectual, the academician Jovan Cvijić, particularly concerning the issue of Serbo-Croat cooperation during the First World War, this paper attempts to show the changing, unstable and thankless position of the engaged intellectual at the time. His move into the political space caused his ideas not only to be sanctioned by the intellectual or scientific community, but were also then evaluated by the political public, especially by representatives of the most dominant and aggressive political current. Therefore, the judgement of this group determined the degree of acceptance or rejection of a certain personality. Within this framework, the paper initially discusses the scientific curiosity of Jovan Cvijić for Bosnia and Herzegovina as an “overlapping” space within the Serbo-Croat relations, his visit to Sarajevo, and his like-minded colleagues, members of the already non-existent Yugoslav Democratic League. Within the heightened political tensions, the perception of this event by the contemporary press, which is used as a source in this work, along with the available literature, contributes to the analysis of the identified problem.