Abstract: The article examines the arrest of Croatian political emigrant Mirko Markotić in May 1980 and its ramifications on Yugoslav-American relations. It delves into the legal and political dimensions of this case, primarily drawing from archival materials sourced from the Archives of Yugoslavia and the Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia.

Keywords: Mirko Markotić, Croatian émigrés, Yugoslavia, USA, Lawrence Eagleburger

Summary

During the Cold War, Yugoslav émigrés strained relations between Yugoslavia and the USA. Croatian émigrés staged several propaganda, political, and violent acts against Yugoslav interests on American soil in the late 1970sand early 1980s. Consequently, in May 1980, Croatian émigré Mirko Markotić was apprehended by Yugoslav police and given an 11-year prison sentence upon his arrival in Yugoslavia. Due to Markotić’s dual citizenship (American and Yugoslav), his arrest in the latter part of 1980 led to a crisis in relations between the two countries. Despite not being among the elite of the Croatian émigrés, Mirko Markotić was arrested and found guilty in Yugoslavia, an act that was strenuously condemned by US diplomats on multiple occasions. The Yugoslav leadership wanted to avoid tainting relations with the USA, especially following the death of Yugoslav President and Party Leader Josip Broz Tito. For this reason, in January, Mirko Markotić was pardoned by the Presidency of Yugoslavia and then deported to the USA. This political decision ended the short-term crisis, but the issue of émigrés continued to strain relations between Belgrade and Washington in the following years.