The Marshall Josip Broz Tito,
President of the Federal Socialist Republics of Yugoslavia.
Mr President
May I express my deep concern with respect to the recent developments in your country. To avoid misunderstandings I first want to say that I do not want to compare the, in my opinion, serious threat to human freedom in your country with terrible actions of other countries. Nor do I deny the difficulties in your country with respect the various nationalities and their possible disintegrating actions.
However I am troubled by the rumours of liberal Marxists being purged from the ranks of the party, being fired from their (educational) jobs and being deprived of their passports. I am still more upset by the laws of December 1972 concerning educational policy and the security service that entail a substantial limitation of acknowledged human rights.
These developments are in my opinion the more embarrassing as your country has symbolised for many critical humanists in the West a bulwark of socialism with a human face. As such it represented for many of us the hope of a world of equity and liberty. So much the more then are they discouraged by the decline of an inspiring example. In a world without much hope for the near future this is a most saddening and even fatal development.
It is for this reason that I call upon to promote withdraw of the laws of December 1972 so that humanist socialists can do their work and keep up their international relations in a spirit of loyalty and freedom. I am sure that such a policy would substantially contribute to keeping the image of Yugoslavia alive as a country of social justice and human freedom.
Truly yours,
Prof. J.P. van Praag,Chairman
Letter of IHEU Chairman 19.2.1973
'Recent developments in Yugoslavia (1973)', Humanists International, Board of Directors, 1973