Terence Atherton

Terence Atherton (1902–1942)[1] was a British journalist and a British Special Operations Executive intelligence officer during World War II.

Terence Atherton
Atherton (on the right with pipe) alongside Josip Broz Tito during February 1942 in Foča
Born1902 (1902)
Died15 July 1942(1942-07-15) (aged 39–40)
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branchSpecial Operations Executive
RankMajor
Battles/wars

Profession

Atherton was a British journalist based in Belgrade, Yugoslavia for many years.[2][3] He was a correspondent for The Daily Mail for ten years. He was also the editor of the South Slav Herald in Belgrade. He was fluent in Serbo-Croatian.[4][5][6]

Atherton was residing in Belgrade during the April 1941 German bombing of Belgrade, which killed 17,000 people.

In order to evacuate, Atherton bought a car (a small blue Opel coach) and drove first to Banja Koviljača and then onto Užice and to Zvornik following the retreating Yugoslav government.[7] He continued to Cetinje and then onto Budva.[8] His journey was very long because he left the coast of Yugoslavia travelling in the small sardine boat. He first reached the Greek island of Corfu, and then from Corfu he traveled to Argos, Greece on small fishing boat.[9] From there he was evacuated by a British destroyer, along with British troops and other foreign nationals to Alexandria.[10][11]

In 1941 the American weekly news magazine Newsweek published an article about Atherton and three other foreign correspondents; Russell Hill, of The New York Herald Tribune, Leigh White (1914-1968) from Vermont, a writer for the Columbia Broadcasting System and the New York Post; and Robert St. John (1902-2003) from Chicago, a writer for the Associated Press, who together escaped from Yugoslavia, before it was fully occupied by Axis forces, describing it as "400-miles voyage of four trapped correspondents".[12][13]

Personal

Born Arthur Terence Atherton, son of Douglas Harold and Letitia Elizabeth Atherton. Allegedly he was of Irish descent. He married a Yugoslavian National from Sarajevo of Muslim faith.

Special Operations Executive (SOE) Service

There are no records of Atherton returning to the UK. It is likely that he reconnected with the SOE during his evacuation to Alexandria, Egypt in 1941.[14]

Operation Hydra
Main article: Operation Hydra (Yugoslavia)

Operation Hydra was a failed British attempt during World War II in Yugoslavia to develop contact with the Partisans led by Josip Broz Tito, in Montenegro in February 1942. British Special Operations Executive agents, and an officer of the former Royal Yugoslav Air Force were to be put ashore at Perazića Do, just north of Petrovac, Budva.

Atherton, now a British Army Major (234206) had been trained as a special field operative.

On 4 February 1942, the three agents went ashore from the British submarine HMS Thorn. They were Major Terence Atherton (a former journalist and agent in Belgrade), Lieutenant Radoje Nedeljković of the Yugoslav Royal Air Force and Sergeant Patrick O'Donovan, wireless operator.

British submarine HMS Thorn, Operation Hydra.

The operation failed completely. The presence of the Yugoslav officer implied links to the royalist Chetniks and it is suggested that this caused Josip Broz Tito to suspect the British of being spies. Nothing beneficial arose, therefore, and the British agents left Tito. They disappeared without a trace soon after, as did the large amount of gold and Italian money that they carried.

The British liaison officer at General Draža Mihailović’s headquarters, Duane "Bill" Hudson insisted Mihailović conduct a formal inquiry into the fate of Major Atherton‘s mission.

A summary of the results of this investigation was sent by Duane "Bill" Hudson to SOE office in Cairo. According to the results of the inquiry, the most probable culprit for Atherton's death was četnik leader Spasoje Dakić.

Atherton and O'Donovan, his radio operator, left Čelebić on 22 April for the village of Tatarevina, and were escorted part of the way by Dakić. They were never seen again. Dakić, who later appeared at Mihailović's headquarters in possession of Atherton's binoculars, and wearing his boots, had probably murdered both men and stolen the large quantity of gold sovereigns which Atherton was carrying. He was only 'nominally a Mihailović Cetnik', but Hudson had the impression that Mihailović 'knew something about the matter'. This summary completed such evidence as Hudson was able to assemble up to July 1942. Mihailović's first reaction to all these happenings was to insinuate to London, as an astute propaganda move, that the British members of the party had been killed by Partisans. He stated this in a message, dated 27 May, at a moment when in reality he and the British military authorities in Cairo had every reason to believe that Atherton was alive. At the end of the signal Mihailović announced that, because of these murders, 'he had declared open warfare on all Partisans'.[15]

A Partisan perspective

The aim of the operation was to establish and maintain communication with the Chetnik headquarters and not with the Partisans.

Once ashore they began their journey towards Chetnik headquarters in February 1942. However they were intercepted by Partisans and taken to their headquarters. They prevented Atherton from continuing his mission to rendezvous with the Chetniks and spent several weeks, in futile attempt to persuade him to change his anti-communist sentiment and pro-Chetnik position. They even took him to the Partisan headquarters in Foča to meet Josip Broz who was very suspicious about him and alerted Croatian communists of his mission. Atherton disappeared after he escaped their headquarters in March 1942 with his men.

The Partisan sources blamed Chetniks for his death, while Western sources initially blamed Partisans and later accepted possibility that Atherton was killed by Chetniks. The Chetnik sources emphasised that during his stay in Foča, Atherton was able to learn that Croatian communists organized cooperation between Partisans and Ustaše, so Partisans had to kill him to prevent him from sending a report about this level of cooperation.

Sequence of Events of Operation Hydra from a Partisan viewpoint

Due to the deteriorated relations between Bill Hudson and Draža Mihailović, the SOE decided towards the end of 1941 to send another mission to maintain connection with the Chetniks.[16] Since Atherton was strongly anti-Communist and spoke the local language well, he was the perfect candidate for such a mission.[17] The post-war Yugoslav sources later complained that at that particular point in time the Allies had increased their support to the Chetniks who were challenging Partisan superiority, instead of supporting the "genuine anti-Axis partisan forces".[18]

The first mission Operation Disclaim [19] was not successful because its members were captured by Croatian authorities who handed them to Germans.[20]

Atherton was to lead the second mission of SOE (Operation Hydra (Yugoslavia)).[21]

Atherton left Alexandria in Egypt on 17 January and disembarked off the coast of Montenegro on 4 February 1942.[22] Atherton carried a substantial quantity of gold strapped around his waist.[23] He was accompanied by an Irish radio operator and one officer of the Yugoslav Air Force.[24]

Atherton had to travel from Adriatic coast through the territory controlled by Partisans, in order to reach Chetnik headquarters.[25] A couple of days after Atherton and members of his mission disembarked, they met the battalion controlled by Jovan Tomašević.[26] Tomašević took them to the headquarter of the Lovćen Partisan Detachment.[27] The Partisans were suspicious about their mission because believed that their contemporary conflict with Montenegrin Chetniks was a result of the British and Yugoslav government-in-exile orders sent with Atherton's mission.[28] Ivan Milutinović wanted to kill Hydra team when they arrived to the Partisan headquarter on 12 February because he thought they were agents of the Yugoslav government-in-exile, but he did not do it because he received a letter from Josip Broz Tito ordered them to bring Hydra team to the headquarter of supreme command near Foča.[29][30] Josip Broz Tito informed Comintern about arrival of one British mission and on 28 February received their reply that they knew nothing about this mission, which additionally increased suspicious of the Communists.[31] Broz Tito also remained very suspicious about the Atherton, although Vladimir Dedijer recognized him because he met him in London before the war while he was the correspondent of Politika.[32]

Milutinović was instructed by Broz Tito not to allow the Op Hydra team to contact Chetniks.[33] Instead they were kept in some kind of captivity, isolated from Partisan forces and ordinary people, under the watchful eye of the Lovćen Partisan Detachment Atherton in Partisan Headquarter for Montenegro and Gulf Kotor in Gostilj, near Danilovgrad in period between 12 February 1942 until 10 March when they headed to supreme Partisan Headquarters in Foča.[34][35]

Between then 19 and 22 March, Atherton and members of his mission reached Foča where they stayed until 15 April 1942.[36][37] In Foča in March 1942 he also met Vladimir Velebit who later confirmed that for Atherton Partisans were only "a bypass station" on the way to Draža Mihailović, just like for Hudson a year before.[38] During his stay in Foča with Partisans, Atherton contacted with his supreme command using his radio station.[39]

On 6 April 1942 the leader of Yugoslav communists Josip Broz, wrote a letter to Moša Pijade expressing his concerns about Atherton's mission.[40] On 8 April 1942 a secret directive was issued to the communist commissars to warn them about Atherton.[41] This secret directive was allegedly issued to the Communist Party of Croatia[42] According to some anticommunist sources, Atherton was able to learn about contacts between Josip Broz Tito and his most trusted men from the Central Committee of Croatia with leaders of the Independent State of Croatia.[43] This sources emphasize that Partisans and Ustaše made an agreement according to which Ustaše allowed Partisans to enter Foča, supplied them with ammunition to fight against Chetniks and to stay in Foča for several months without any obstruction from Croatian side.[44] Some pro-Chetnik sources even emphasize that Partisans killed Atherton because he had intention to inform his superiors about the cooperation between Partisans and Ustaše.[45]

Broz was afraid that Atherton was a member of just one of many other British missions who were all encouraging Chetniks to attack communists.[46] The Chetnik attacks on communist forces in the region coincided with arrival of the Athertons mission.[47] Based on the discussions during the session of the Central Communist Committee held on 4 April 1942, Josip Broz issued instructions to find and isolate all British missions.[48] Broz Tito suggested to Atherton not to continue his voyage toward Chetniks, which was understood by Atherton that he was forbidden to leave Foča.[49]

Partisan’s attempts to indoctrinate Atherton

Whilst Atherton was a "guest" of the Partisans, they tried to convince him to change his pro-Chetnik and anti-Communist orientation. Ivan Milutinović had numerous exhausting polemics with Atherton in futile attempts to convince him to change his positive view about Chetnik leader Draža Mihailović.[50] Moša Pijade took him on a tour of inspection of the organization of the communist forces in Žabljak.[51] When they arrived at Partisans headquarter near Foča, Atherton also met Vladimir Dedijer[52] who showed him some agreement about alleged Chetniks cooperation with Milan Nedić. The communists claimed that Yugoslav government-in-exile approved that agreement and that it was the proof of collaboration between Chetniks and Axis forces.[53] Josip Broz Tito presented to Atherton his proposal to establish new Yugoslav Government from democratic elements from both Yugoslavia and abroad and to invite population of Yugoslavia to rebel against Axis, condemning all collaborators with occupying Axis forces.[54]

At the beginning of April 1942, Atherton was taken by Partisans for an "inspection tour of the front", towards Rogatica in order to demonstrate that only the Partisans were fighting against the Axis.[55] The Yugoslav post-war sources emphasize that Partisans managed to convince Atherton to change his pro-Chetnik and anticommunist view at the extent that he began arguing with General Nedeljković, according to the letter sent to Pijade by Broz on 11 April.[56]

Escape from the Partisans

Atherton secretly left Foča during the night between 15 and 16 April[57] with support of General Nedeljković and local Chetnik commander Spasoje Dakić[58] and hid in caves around Čelebići until 22 April.[59] He left his radio station with Partisans in Foča.[60] The Partisans sent their units to search for Atherton as soon as they realised they left Foča.[61]

On 22 April Atherton sent a letter to Mihailović in which he asked Mihailović to inform his superiors that he was alive and that he would shortly be sending more information.[62]

Latas explained that Atherton had some disagreements with General Nedeljković and continued on 22 April toward German occupied Serbia to seek Draža Mihailović, accompanied only by O'Donovan.[63] Latas further explain that two of them were shadowed by Spasoje Dakić until they approached a village of Tatarevina.[64]

Death

Atherton was killed on 15 July 1942; allegedly by a bandit.[65][66]

Investigation and Testimonials

Some early accounts explained that Atherton was executed by Partisans because they concluded he brought "undesired influence" from Cairo.[67]

Based on initial testimonies that he was killed by Partisans, The New York Times [68] published an article blaming them for his death, which was denied by a letter written by Josip Broz Tito (the future Yugoslav Head of State) himself.[69]

According to post-war Yugoslav sources, he was killed by Chetniks.[70] The person who committed murder remained unknown.[71] According to Jozo Tomašević, the later investigation led by Hudson and Bailey concluded that Atherton was murdered and robbed by local Chetnik commander Spasoje Dakić in a village of Tatarevina.[72] According to some sources, Dakić was a commander of Chetnik battalion from Čelebići.[73] According to Dedijer, Dakić was a criminal from Montenegro.[74]

Further investigation continued in the aftermath of the war.[75][76][77]

TV series

Atherton appears as the main character of the Yugoslav 3 part mini-series ‘’The Mission of Major Atherton’’, directed by Sava Mrmko, where he was played by Slovenian actor Majtaž Višnar.[78]

References
  1. (Šnuderl 1994, p. 153): " Terence Atherton (1902-1942), publicist, major britanske vojske; šef vojaške obveščevalne misije..."
  2. (Roberts 1973, p. 54): "....Major Terence Atherton, who before the war had been a newspaperman in Belgrade and was a member of SOE."
  3. (John 1948, p. 193): "... Terence Atherton, the London Daily Mail correspondent."
  4. (Matić 1984, p. 108)
  5. (Radlovic 1948, p. 48): "Major Terence Atherton*, who was for ten years a journalist in Belgrade, was the chief editor of the South Slav Herald. He married a girl of Muslim heritage in Sarajevo. With him was a radio operator, an Irishman, and a lieutenant of the Yugoslav ..."
  6. (Zečević 1968, p. 165)
  7. (White 1944, p. 242)
  8. Hearst's International Combined with Cosmopolitan. International Magazine Company. 1941.
  9. (Hersey 2001, p. 837)
  10. Hammerton, Sir John Alexander (1941). The War Illustrated. Amalgamated Press. p. 525. Four weeks after he left shattered Belgrade, Mr. Terence Atherton, special correspondent of the " Daily Mail," was taken off by a British destroyer with a number of British troops from Argos, after nightmare voyages in open sardine boat and on a trawler.
  11. "Escape to Alexandria, Egypt. Atherton gets shot in the knee".
  12. Newsweek. Newsweek, Incorporated. 1941. p. 57. ... the 400-mile voyage of four trapped war correspondents: Russell Hill of The New York Herald Tribune, Leigh White of the Columbia Broadcasting System, Robert St. John of the Associated Press, and Terence Atherton of The London Daily Mail.
  13. Roth, Mitchel P.; Olson, James Stuart (1997). Historical Dictionary of War Journalism by Mitchel P. Roth, James Stuart Olson. ISBN 9780313291715.
  14. McConville, Michael (1986). A Small War in the Balkans: British Military Involvement in Wartime Yugoslavia, 1941-1945 (refers to the Atherton fiasco). ISBN 9780333386750.
  15. Deakin 1971, p. 174.
  16. (Kardelj 1982, p. 33)
  17. (Larson 1979, p. 45): "The previous March a British submarine had landed the strongly anti-Communist Major Terence Atherton..."
  18. Socialist Thought and Practice. Aktuelna pitanja socijalizma. 1981.
  19. (Roberts 1973, p. 54)
  20. (Roberts 1973, p. 54)
  21. (Roberts 1973, p. 54): "The second group was headed by Major Terence Atherton,...."
  22. Vojnoistorijski institut (Belgrade, Serbia) (1982). The National liberation war and revolution in Yugoslavia (1941-1945): selected documents. Military History Institute of the Yugoslav People's Army.
  23. (John 1957, p. 280)
  24. (Roberts 1973, p. 54)
  25. (Kardelj 1982, p. 33)"In order to reach Draza Mihailovic's headquarters he had to travel from the coast to Foca, across territory held by ..."
  26. (Williams 2003, p. 69)
  27. (Williams 2003, p. 69)
  28. (Williams 2003, p. 69)
  29. (Williams 2003, p. 69)
  30. (Vukcevich 1990, p. 124): "Tito, therefore, ordered Ivan Milutinovich "Milutin" to send Atherton's mission to his headquarters near Foca"
  31. Vojnoistorijski institut (Belgrade, Serbia) (1982). The National liberation war and revolution in Yugoslavia (1941-1945): selected documents. Military History Institute of the Yugoslav People's Army. p. 267.
  32. (Ridley 1994, p. 190): "Tito, too, was suspicious, despite the fact that Dedijer recognized Atherton, whom he had met briefly when he was in England as the correspondent of Politika before the war."
  33. (Williams 2003, p. 69)
  34. (Williams 2003, p. 69)
  35. (Institute 1982, p. 266)
  36. (Radlovic 1948, p. 48): "Major Terence Atherton*, who was for ten years a journalist in Belgrade, was the chief. He was the editor of the South Slav Herald. He married a Moslem in Sarajevo. With him was a radio operator, an Irishman, and a lieutenant of the Yugoslav ..."
  37. Vojno-istoriski glasnik. 1986. p. 78. Aterton je boravio u Vrhovnom štabu NOP i DV Jugoslavije od 19. marta do 15. aprila 1942.
  38. (Šuvar & Velebit 2001, p. 299): "U Foči ste se u martu 1942. godine neplanirano susreli s drugim britanskim oficirom koji je nakon Hudsona došao među partizane, ali su i njemu partizani bili samo "usputna stanica" prema Draži. Bio je to britanski major Terence Atherton, koji ..."
  39. (Karić 1984, p. 88)
  40. (Roberts 1973, p. 54): "In a letter to Mose Pijade, Tito wrote on April 6 that there was something "not right" about the English mission."
  41. (Larson 1979, p. 45)
  42. (Roberts 1973, p. 54)
  43. (Jovanović 1999, p. 167): "За контакте Броза и његових неколико најповерљивијих људи, првен ствено из Централног комитета Хрватске, са вођама НДХ сазнао је британ ски мајор Теренс Атертон. "
  44. (Redžić 2002, p. 254)
  45. Glasnik Srpskog istorijsko-kulturnog društva "Njegoš". Njegoš. 1992.
  46. (Williams 2003, p. 69)
  47. (Williams 2003, p. 69)
  48. (Williams 2003, p. 69)
  49. Istorijski zapisi. 1971.
  50. (Marković 1970, p. 167): "За вријеме док су у Главном штабу за Црну Гору и Боку боравили енглески мајор Теренс Атертон, један бивши југословенски официр и телеграфиста Ирац Пат, Иван је водио са енглеским официром исцрпљујуће полемике."
  51. (Williams 2003, p. 67): "Atherton, it seems, was given the full treatment on the latter points. He was taken on a tour of inspection by Mosa Pijade of the partisan organization in Zabljak, Montenegro, and on the evening of his arrival at Tito's headquarters in Foca on 19 "
  52. (Zečević 1968, p. 165)
  53. (Williams 2003, p. 67): "... and on the evening of his arrival at Tito's headquarters in Foca on 19 "
  54. (Pleterski 2008, p. 566): "Josip Broz - Tito je 19. marca 1942 predlagal britanski misiji, ki jo je vodil Terence Atherton, naj se »oblikuje nova vlada iz demokratičnih elementov v ..."
  55. (Williams 2003, p. 67)
  56. Istorijski zapisi. 1971. p. 322.
  57. (Roberts 1973, p. 54)
  58. Istorijski zapisi. 1971.
  59. (Latas 1979, p. 364)
  60. (Ridley 1994, p. 191)
  61. (Williams 2003, p. 68)
  62. (Williams 2003, p. 68)
  63. (Latas 1979, p. 364)
  64. (Latas 1979, p. 364)
  65. (Carmichael 2015, p. 91): "A second agent, Terence Atherton, who also knew Yugoslavia well having worked there before the war, was murdered in 1942 by a bandit. "
  66. (Karić 1984, p. 88)
  67. (Mencken 1943, p. 34): "was these same Partisans who seized a group of six British officers, including my friend Terence Atherton, and executed them on the ground that they were bringing "undesired influence" from Cairo."
  68. "Axis scheme aided by Yugoslav Rift; Chetnik-Partisan Row Fostered by Invaders as means of weakening opposition". The New York Times. 31 January 1943. p. 8.
  69. (Dedijer 1990, p. 84): "Some tramp reported in New York that we killed Terence Atherton. Stari, in the name of the Supreme Staff, issued the following denial: The London correspondent, Sulzberger, published a report in the..."
  70. Vojno-istoriski glasnik. 1986. p. 78. ... posle ubistva britanskog majora Terensa Atertona (Terence Atherton) od strane četnika.
  71. (Davidson 1946, p. 85) :"... it is also probable that Major Terence Atherton, who landed by submarine early in 1942 in Montenegro, was murdered by chetniks, although the actual culprit could never be found.)"
  72. (Tomašević 1979, p. 257)
  73. (Čekić 1996, p. 581)
  74. (Dedijer 1990, p. 168)
  75. "Tito Aide charges British Hostility, "Missions' aid to Mikhailovitch against partisans alledged in state - Charges that British Liaison Officers in Yugoslavia were working directly against Marshal Tito's partisans early in their battle against the Axis". The New York Times. 1 August 1945.
  76. "MOSCOW ARRAIGNS ALLIES ON RUMANIA; Charge of Aid to Reactionary Terror Tied to Bickering Over Balkan Treaties Mission Aides' Arrest Cited Belgrade Trial Tied to Campaign". The New York Times. 12 June 1946.
  77. "MURDERING DENIED BY MIKHAILOVITCH; Chetnik Says He Never Ordered Killing of 23,000 Yugoslavs --Reveals BBC's Role Meant to 'Scare' Quislings 2-Day Continuance Denied Report" on Massacres Read". The New York Times. 17 June 1946.
  78. "The mission of Major Atherton". 1986.

Foreign Language Source

. Serbian Wikipedia entry for Terence Atherton

. Bosnian Wikipedia entry for Terence Atherton

Sources
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