The Knight of Saint Sava Pacifism – The results of the diplomacy and the culture of remembering Serbian-American allied ties in the Great War
From the myth and the legend to the Presidential agenda
A diary of diplomacy “When the Serbian Flag Flew over the White House” has arrived at the White House, Washington
-The President Donald Trump letter of appreciation-
Undoubtably, this extraordinary Presidential gesture, as well as Trumps Administration along with Wilsons, will be engraved with golden letters in the history of Serbian – American relations and in the collective memory of our nations.
We were very pleased and touched with the gesture of President’s message by which the President of the USA personally expressed gratitude to Ambassador Dr. Ljiljana Nikšić, and confirmed that the diplomatic diary “When the Serbian Flag Flew over the White House” was written as a part of Serbian-American friendship and alliance with Serbs and Americans in the Great War, found its place in the Presidential Library of the White House. An exhibition about American War volunteers and the promotion of this valuable diplomatic diary of the Serbian-American alliance and friendship of Wilson and Pupin was held right here in the premises of the Association of Veterans and Military Invalids. Hosted by SUBNOR and the Union of Descendants and Admirers (1912-1918), this great event took place on June 9, 2020, on which the book was handed to H.E. Godfrey, the American ambassador and reached a high address through diplomatic mail of the US Embassy.
By mutual remembrance of July 28, 1918, in exchanged messages for the National Day of the Republic of Serbia and the United States, President Trump and President Aleksandar Vučić returned Serbian-American friendship to the Presidential Agenda, marking a new era of relations for the benefit of Serbs and Americans.
It is very impressive that the President of the United States found it necessary to give thanks personally.
That is why this rare message from President Trump, in the interest of peace and economic prosperity, is a personification of honor, a proof of determination to strengthen more than 200 years of friendship between our two people after the crisis of the 1990s,
The letter of thanks arrived by mail, directly from the White House, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia
It says:
“Dear Ambassador Nikšić,
Thank you for the book “When the Serbian Flag Flew over the White House”. Today, we remember the contributions of the great Mihajlo Pupin to the United States and celebrate our shared values of freedom and independence.
I look forward to continue strengthening the bond between our great nations and ensuring increased safety, peace, and prosperity in the Balkans.
Sincerely,
Donald Trump” – it is said in the greeting letter of American president.
In courtesy response to extraordinary Presidental Note of appreciation Ambassador dr Ljiljana Niksic wrote the following:
Honorable Mr. President Trump,
Allow me to thank you on your extraordinary gesture, a Presidential note by which you personally еxpressed appretiation and confirmed that my diplomatic diary “When the Serbian Flag Flew Over the White House“ has found its place in Presidential Library.
Your note is the badge of honour, a proof of determination for strengthening of more than 200 years of Friendship of our People, after the crisis of the 90-ies, to the best interest of peace and economic prosperity.
By remembering together July 28th 1918, in the exchanged messages for National Days of the Republic of Serbia and the United States of America, You and President Aleksandar Vučić have put back Serbian-American Friendship on Presidential Agenda as a sign of а New Era of relations to the benefit of Serbian and American People.
Gratefully
Ambassador
dr Ljiljana Nikšić
Along with the reply on this extraordinary Presidential gesture, Ambassador Dr Nikšić, at kind request of Association of descendants and veterans, enclosed their gift, a Serbian flag and specially made Ramonda Serbica along with Triptych Certificate which was initiated by descendants of Dr David Albala and Nikola Tesla.
On June 9, the day before the 21st anniversary of the Kumanovo Agreement, H.E. ambassador Anthony Godfrey was the first American ambassador who visited the premises of the Association of Veterans and Military Invalids, i.e. Union of War Veterans of the National Liberation Wars of Serbia after the 1999 bombing.
The host of this ceremony was the president of the Union of War Veterans of the National Liberation Wars of Serbia, Major-General Vidosav Kovačević with the president of the Union of War Volunteers (1912-1918) their descendants and admirers, Lazar Kosanović, a descendant of Nikola Tesla and a nephew of Sava Kosanović, the first Serbian ambassador in Washington after World War II.
The then Ministers of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dačić and Minister of Veterans Affairs Zoran Djordjević, Ambassador of Israel, Ambassador of Azerbaijan and, also the descendants of Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin – Justina Pupin Košćal, Duke Stepa Stepanović – Nadja Lučić and Dr. Slobodanka Grković descendant of Milunka Savić attended the ceremony on June, 9.
From the SUBNOR’s members, among many other winners, the attendees that received Pupin’s charters “For outstanding contribution to the preservation of historical and cultural values of the Serbian people“ are: Vidosav Kovačević, president of SUBNOR, Zoltan Dani, commander of the 3rd Air Defense Missile Division that shot down two NATO resistance planes aggression (F-117 and F 16), Dragutin Dimčevski, a hero from Košara, as well as Zdenko Duplančić, a fighter of the First Proletarian NOU Brigade.
It is important to emphasize that the occasion of the gathering was the promotion of the book “When the Serbian Flag Flew over the White House” and the ceremonial opening of the exhibition about American volunteers as well as the contribution of Wilson and Pupin to the mobilization. More than 214,000 volunteers from the USA participated in the Great War alone, and 83,000 in the breakthrough of the Thessaloniki Front. Mihajilo Pupin himself pledged all his property in order to raise a loan to finance the Serbian army in the unequal war from which Serbia emerged victorious.
Due to the fact that Serbs and Americans have a 200-year-long tradition of friendly relations, except in the 1990s. (since the time of Djordje Šagić, who settled in 1814), and then followed by Tesla, Pupin and others who built themselves into the foundations of the United States. Therefore, the name of the gathering was “New Era of Serbian-American Relations”. Today, there are about 600,000 Americans of Serbian descent, who form a bridge of cooperation between the two countries.
Also, in the Second World War, the Serbian people in Pranjani participated in the rescue operation “Air Bridge” to save 500 American pilots sacrificing their lives and the lives of their families. Because, in occupied Europe, only in Serbia there was a reprisal for one killed German soldier a 100 Serbs will be shoot, and 50 for the wounded. Despite that fact, Serbian peasants risking the lives of their families hid American pilots in their homes and thus participated in Operation “Air Bridge” – the largest rescue operation in the history of modern warfare.
During the “Covid-19” pandemic, the President of Serbia provided a plane, a plane that was free of charge, to transport American citizens back to the United States and US President Trump responded with American solidarity by sending a part of the medical equipment that was most needed in America, because it was a period when America was hit hard by the pandemic. In difficult moments of human history Serbs and Americans were on the same side. The author of a diary of diplomacy “When the Serbian Flag Flew over the White House”, in her courteous response to the letter of thanks, pointed out that the two presidents, the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić and the president of America, Donald Trump by exchanged congratulations on the occasion of the National Day of Serbia and America, remembering July 28, 1918 – the Serbian day in Washington when the Serbian flag flew over the White House, as the first in the history of the White House out of a total of 2 flags that flew over, they returned the Serbian-American friendship to the presidential agenda for the benefit of Serbs and Americans.
Hence to that the Union of War Veterans of the National Liberation Wars of Serbia, on June 18, 2020, at Electoral assembly made a decision to include the date July 28 in the Statute of SUBNOR, which will be marked every year as a day of remembrance for the following three reasons:
- The day when Austria-Hungary (52 million inhabitants) with a river landing from the river monitor “Bodrog” attacked Serbia (4 million inhabitants) the country ten times smaller, which was exhausted by the First and Second Balkan Wars. At that time, US President Wilson insisted in his addresses to the public that Serbia didn’t have any interest in provoking any war, he was amazed by the military stoicism and opposition of the Serbian people to a ten times superior force.
- In accordance with that, on the 4th anniversary of the Austro-Hungarian attack on Serbia, President Wilson marked that date as Serbian Day, when the first grenades that fell on Kelemegdan, around midnight, were fired from the war river monitor “Bordot”, “Temesh” and “Samos” and with that act started the biggest war in human history.
As a sign of gratitude for the military stoicism, heroism and sacrifice of the Serbian people, President Wilson gave the order to fly the first foreign flag over the White House. This was the first, out of two, foreign flag in the history of that building that flew over the White House. In a statement made on July 28, he said: “That noble Serbian people fought so chivalrously for the same principles that the United States fought for.”
- The friendship of Wilson and Pupin led to the preservation of Banat and other territories, helping the southern and western Slavs to realize their nation-states and preserve their territories at the Versailles Peace Conference. The day July 28, 1914, that is July 28, 1918, represents the day when the Serbian flag that was flown in the First World War for the civilizational values of peace and freedom of mankind and should be remembered in the collective memory as a Serbian Pride Day, a Serbian Day in Washington 1918, when the flag flew over the White House as a lasting achievement of Serbian-American friendship and culture of remembrance.
Regarding to that, Marina Arsenijević, an American of Serbian origin , a pianist and composer, together with the descendants of Mihajlo Pupin – Justina Pupin has launched an initiative on social networks to held a gala concert next year in Belgrade, on Kalemegdan, where the first grenade fell on July 28, 1914. Also, the concert is to honor the Day when the Serbian flew over the White House four years later, in 1918 in Washington. The gala concert in honor of Serbs and American friends with the participation of the military music ensemble Stanislav Binicki and the art music ensemble of the West Point Military Academy.
In addition to the gift book – diplomatic diary about this important historical event, a Triptych has been waiting to be handed over since 2018. It is a unique work of art on which seven best Serbian craftsmen (calligraphers, woodcarvers, painters and goldsmiths) worked.
It is a Triptych that weighs 55 kilograms, 2 meters length and 1 meter width decorated with gilded twenty-four-karat golden leaves. The central part of the triptych is an oil on canvas with Serbian and American gilded flags, as well as portraits of Wilson, Pupin and Dr. David Albala. On the left and right side of the Triptych there is a calligraphically written statements by Wilson written on parchment with gilded initials and gilded coats of arms of Serbia and the USA, by which July 28 is literally inscribed in golden letters in the history of our two nations.
The frame of Triptych, inspired by a George Washington and the cherry tree myth, the tree of truth, and is decorated in a 100-year-old cherry tree with a symbolic message of the return of Serbs and Americans to true, traditional friendship whose foundations were laid by the greats of Serbian and American history. The cherry tree engraved with floral ornaments from the monastery Studenica, protected by UNESCO and founded by the founder of Serbian statehood, Stefan Nemanja. Honoring Wilson, who admired the loyalty to the Christian values of the Serbs and the Serbian resistance to the Islamization of the Ottoman Empire, the Studenica cross and the coat of arms of Emperor Lazar were carved in a cherry wood frame. This Triptych was initiated by the descendants of Dr. David Albala, the Zionist leader, and the Serbian hero, and descendants of Mihajlo Pupin and Nikola Tesla.
We can only hope that the Triptych, under the name “When the Serbian Flag Flew over the White House” will find a deserved place in the White House gallery, as part of the history of this building, because the Serbian flag is the first foreign flag ever flown over the White House, and after that only the French flag was placed on White Hose in1920 as part of the fall of the Bastille. As long as we remember and leave marks, like books, this Triptych and similar monuments of that time, the history of traditional ties and alliances of Serbs and Americans from the Great War will live on for future generations to remember and preserve.