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ПРЕВОД ЗАХВАЛНИЦЕ
БЕЛА КУЋА
Вашингтон
15. октобар 2020

Њена екселенција
Љиљана Никшић
Амбасадор Републике Србије
Београд

Поштована Амбасадор Никшић,
Хвала Вам на књизи Када се вијорила српска застава на Белој Кући. Ми се и данас сећамо доприноса великог Михаила Пупина Сједињеним Државама и славимо наше заједничке вредности слободе и независности.

Унапред се радујемо наставку сарадње и учвршћивању добрих односа између наше две велике нације и осигуравању трајне безбедности, мира и напретка на Балкану.

Срдачно, (својеручно у потпису)

Доналд Трамп

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Вршилац дужности председника Удружења потомака, Лазар Косановић, потомак Николе Тесле, обавестио је потомке војводе Степе Степановића, Милунке Савић, Михаила Пупина, о приспећу овог важног, уникатног документа без преседана у историји српско-америчких дипломатских веза, које су старе око 200 година и рачунају се још од доласка Ђорђа Шагића 1814. године на тло Америке. Потом су следили Тесла, Пупин и многи други, а данас има око 600.000 Американаца српског порекла.

Потомци су дали српску заставу и значку, Наталијин цвет – српску Рамонду, уз молбу да уз одговор на овај несвакидашњи пријатељски гест америчког председника Трампа проследи и сертификат о Триптиху који је намењен као поклон поводом стогодишњице савезничких и пријатељских веза српског и америчког народа.

Куртоазни одговор амбасадор др Никшић на нарочити гест

45. Председника САД Доналда Трампа

Уз куртоазни одговор на нарочити Председнички гест, амбасадор др Никшић је, на молбу Удружења ветерана и потомака, послала и њихов дар, заставу Србије, као и Наталијину рамонду уз Сертификат Триптиха који су иницирали потомци др Давида Албале, Николе Тесле и Михајла Пупина

Амбасадор др Љиљана Никшић, носилац Сретењског одликовања –Златне медаље за заслуге, Витез реда змаја српске дипломатије, носи око врата штит са грбом Немањића

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ТЕКСТ КУРТОАЗНОГ ОДГОВОРА

У одговору на изузетну Председничку Захвалницу амбасадор др Љиљана Никшић је написала следеће:

Поштовани  Председниче Трамп,

Дозволите ми да се захвалим на Вашем нарочитом гесту, Председничкој поруци којом сте лично изразили захвалност и потврдили да је мој дипломатски дневник „Кад се вијорила српска застава на Белој кући“ нашао своје место у Председничкој библиотеци.

Ваша порука је одличје части,  доказ одлучности за јачање више од   200 година пријатељства наших народа, након кризе 90-тих,  а у интересу мира и економског просперитета.

Заједничким сећањем на 28. јул 1918. године у размењеним порукама за национални дан Републике Србије и Сједињених Америчких Држава, Ви и Председник Александар Вучић вратили сте српско-америчко пријатељство на Председничку агенду означивши Нову Еру односа на добробит Срба и Американаца.

Са захвалношћу,
Амбасадор
др Љиљана Никшић

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Tриптих: „Кад се вијорила српска застава на Белој Кући“ 55 кг тежине, 2x1 м, 24 карата позлата у трешњином дрвету старом 100 година са дуборезом флоралних украса Манастира Студеница, светска баштина УНЕСКО, ктитор Стефан Немања оснивач српске државности

Триптих је радило седам занатлија, калиграфа, сликара и дуборезаца читаве две године. Потомци се надају да ће и Триптих „Када се вијорила српска застава на Белој Кући“, једнога дана наћи своје место у Галерији Беле Куће, неким важним поводом обележавања српско – америчког савезништва у Великом рату, можда већ неког 28. јула у знак сећања на тај величанствени чин. Иницијатори Триптиха били су потомци др Давида Албале, Пупина и Тесле и Удружења потомака, Војводе Степе, Милунке Савић и многих других, уз подршку Срба из Америке, међу којима је и чувена пијанисткиња и композитор Марина Арсенијевић, Американка српског порекла и академски сликар Марина Гавански Зисис, аутор портрета Вилсона, Пупина и Албале.

Уведено обележавање Дана Заставе – 28. јула сваке године

У циљу очувања културе сећања на „Дан кад се вијорила српска застава на Белој кући“, Удружење добровољаца и потомака (1912 – 1918) заједно са Савезом бораца и ветерана покренуло је иницијативу да се сваке године овај значајан дан 28. јул 1914/1918, дан отпора десет пута већем непријатељу 1914., односно Дан када се вијорила српска застава, као прва страна застава у историји Беле Куће, од укупно две које су се икада вијориле, обележава у Србији сваке године као Дан заставе.

Зато је и Захвалница председника Трампа нарочито признање и више од обичне захвалнице, коју је председник САД упутио једном професионалном српском дипломати, несвакидашње за последњих 200 година. Разменом председничких порука председника Трампа и председника Вучића, у којој су се присетили и поменули 28. јула када се вијорила српска застава на Белој Кући, српско-америчко пријатељство враћено је на Председничку агенду.

Аутор текста: Милан Мирковић, члан Удружења добровољаца (1912. – 1918.)

Превод: проф. Ирена Оташевић

The Association of the Enlisted, Descendants and Honorers of the Valour (1912-1918) has been given an honor, from now on and for the future generations, to include for keeps one more very important document in their Archive, founded in 1903.

The letter of thanks from the U.S. President Donald Trump was sent on October 15th 2020 for the diplomatic diary “When the Serbian Flag Flew Over the White House” to Ambassador Dr. Ljiljana Nikšić, thereby confirming that the Diary has found its permanent place in the Presidential Library in the White House.

Acting President of the Association of Enlisted and descendants (1912-1918) , Lazar Kosanović, the descendant of Nikola Tesla, has informed the descendants of WWI heros Fieldmarshal Stepa Stepanovic, Milunka Savić and, Mihailo Pupin, about the arrival of this important, unique document, unprecedented in the history of Serbian-American diplomatic relations, which are about 200 years old, and have been counted since the arrival of Djordje Šagić in 1814 on American soil. Then Tesla, Pupin and others followed, and today there are about 600,000 Americans of Serbian origin.

In response to this friendly gesture of US President Trump the descendants gave the Serbian flag and the badge, Natalija’s flower – Serbian Ramonda, and kindly ask to send, with an answer, a certificate of a triptych which is intended as a gift for the gallery of White Hose on the occasion of the centennial of allied and friendly ties between the Serbian and American people. For two year, seven craftsmen, calligraphers, painters and woodcarvers has been working on the triptych. The descendants very much hope that, one day, the triptych “When the Serbian flag flew over the White house” will find its place in the White House, perhaps on some important occasion, in memory of magnificent act such as 28th July to mark the Serbian-American alliance in the Great War. Descendants of Dr. David Albala, Pupin and Tesla and the Union of Volunteers 1912-1918, together with a descendants of Vojvoda Stepa, Milunka Savic and many others, participated in the creation of the Triptych, with the support of Serbs from America, including the famous pianist and composer Marina Arsenijević, an American Serbian origin, as well as a Canadian of Serbian origin, academic painter Marina Gavanski – Zisis. Due to that the Union of the Volunteers, Descendants and Admirers (1912-1918) together with the Union of fighters and War Veterans has launched initiative that this important day 28th July 1914/1918, known as a day of resistance to the enemy who was ten times stronger in 1914, also known as the day when the Serbian flag was fluttered over the White House, as the first foreign flag in the history of the White House out of two, should celebrate in Serbia as Flag Day.

This unusual recognition is more than a Letter of Thanks which was sent by 45th U.S. President to a professional Serbian diplomat in the last 200 years. With the exchange of Presidential messages, President Trump and President Vučić have put back Serbian-American Friendship on Presidential Agenda by remembering July, 28th 1918 the Day when the Serian Flag flew over the White House.

It was a matter of honor to help the Serbian people, who were celebrated for their great contribution to the victory of the allies. The American doctor Dr. Edward Ryan saved Belgrade from typhus, and many heroes of philanthropy, American volunteers, who made up a significant group in the total of 250,000, soldiers and members of medical missions who fought, side by side, with the Serbs in the Great War, receiving great support directly from 28th US President Wilson, and Americans of Serbian descent received additional help from Mihailo Pupin.

The voice of Serbia has been heard by President Wilson thanks to the activism of Mihailo Pupin, Nikolaj Velimirović, Nikola Tesla and Dr. David Albala, Zionist leader and Serbian patriot. So, the President of U.S.A Woodrow Wilson became personally interested for the Serbian matter. Serbia gave 1,247,453 lives, 30% of its population, 52% of the male reproductive population and 62% of the Serbian military effectives. In relation to the number of inhabitants of Serbia, Serbia experienced a demographic catastrophe and gave the largest number of victims in relation to all other participants of the First World War. Impressed by the resistance of the Serbian people to a ten times superior force, its military stoicism and immeasurable contribution to the breakthrough of the Salonica front, President Wilson, in 1918, issued an order to fly the Serbian flag in honor of the Serbian people four years after the day of resistance, on July 28th 1918, when the WWI started by Austria-Hungary bombing of Belgrade in 1914 which the first world war in the history of humanity. Then and now, Woodrow Wilson’s statement on the Day when the Serbian flag flew over the White House, represents a rampart before the revisionism of history and revisionist attempts to devalue, belittle and disgrace the role and contribution of the Serbian people to the victory of the allies in the First World War.

Thanks to the efforts of Wilson and Pupin, Serbia managed to preserve Banat and other territories, but also to help the southern and western Slavs realize their centuries-old national aspirations.

The Diplomatic Diary “When the Serbian Flag Flew Over the White House” of Ambassador Dr. Ljiljana Nikšić, which we all promoted together with descendants and in the presence of representatives of Serbian Government and US Ambassador Godfrey, has reminded us to all of this. The Diplomatic Diary promotion and Solemn Opening of the Exhibition took place on June 9th 2020 in the premisses of the Association of Veterans and in presence of representatives of Ministry of Defense, media, descendants of glorious Serbian Fieldmarshal Stepa Stepanovic who led the first victorious battle in WWI at the Tser (Cer battle), Milunka Savić,the first woman soldier in the newer history, Mihailo Pupin and Nikola Tesla world famous American scientists of Serbian origin, and many others and about 150 present personalities from cultural and public life, as well as the Ambassador of Israel were present at the opening.

The Exhibition was opened by co-author of the exhibition Justina Pupin, a descendant of Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin, a member of Parliament of Serbia. In these challenging times this event did gather, despite circumstances, on June 9th 2020, about 150 people from the cultural and public life of Serbia in the hall and high officials of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, who were present and addressed by VIP guests. Special attention was drawn to the speech of Ambassador dr Ljiljana Niksic who, with her expert knowledge, presented many forgotten details from the time when Serbia and America were allies in WWI, pointing out the need to preserve 200 years of friendship, which experienced discontinuity in the 90-ties, emphasising the necessity of establishing a New Era of diplomatic relations between Serbs and Americans. Also, the attention was drawn to a presentation by publicist and journalist Slobodan Kljakić, as well as the youngest participant, 15-year-old Nadja Lučić, a descendant of glorious Serbian Fieldmarshal Stepa Stepanović.

The Acting President of the Association of Enlisted (1912/1918), Lazar Kosanović, a descendant of Nikola Tesla, pointed out welcoming the guests at the Exhibition about the role of American volunteers in the Serbian Army, that our Association is the oldest Veterans Union in the Republic of Serbia, and that in its Archive founded in 1903, documents on volunteers in the Serbian Army from America are kept for keeps.

In that sense, the Letter of Thanks by US president Donald Trump will be permanently stored in the Archives of Volunteers of WWI as a document for the memory of the Serbian people, but also as a reminder of the contribution to the improvement of Serbian-American relations of Serbian diplomacy in preserving the traditionally allied and friendly relations between Serbs and Americans, to which Ambassador Ljiljana Nikšić made an extremely significant and notable contribution who was deservedly awarded with Presidential decoration – Sretenje Gold Medal of Merit in February 2020 to the pride of Serbian career’s diplomacy and the title of Knight of the Order of the Dragon, a distinct title of Nikšić that she has been wearing since 2018 for exceptional merits in the diplomatic service, which was presented on the day of Serbian diplomacy, 29th May 2018. and confirmed by a Diplomatic Charter in 2019. This Presidential gesture of Mr. Trump is unprecedented in Serbian-American relations, but also in the wider world, and especially in Serbian diplomacy.

Therefore, it also shows the importance to cultivate a Culture of Remembrance, because it is one of the key pillars of the identical code of every nation and crucial in defense of the Land of our Ancestor’s who gave their lives for civilisational values of peace and freedom of humanity.

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

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Author of the tekst: Milan Mirković, Association of volonter (1912. – 1918.)

Translation: prof. Irena Otašević