The Postwar Period 193
Reading the accusations that Stalin heaped on the Yugoslavs, it is hard not to
admit that some, although distorted, were not groundless. In reply to the charge
that the CPY was “illegal,” hiding itself behind the Popular Front, Tito and his
comrades decided to come out into the open after years of conspiracy. At the
end of July, the Fifth Congress of the Communist Party was convened with
great pomp in the Palace of the Guards, not far from the marshal’s residence.
In Belgrade, it was even more significant that the people adorned the windows
according to tradition, with carpets and bedcovers, testifying to a popular mood
certainly not dictated by propaganda.^233
Tito inaugurated the congress on 21 July with a five-hour speech, written by
himself, that he succeeded in completing in spite of the sweltering weather,
without showing fatigue and even gaining momentum during the reading. More
than a “Policy Report” (as the paper was entitled), it was a detailed description
of the party’s difficult history from 1860 onward. Tito exalted its glorious past
with its struggles and sacrifices, stressing the merits acquired during the war
and the postwar reconstruction. He decidedly rejected the Cominform resolu-
tion as a “monstrous defamation, an attack on the unity of the party and incite-
ment to civil war.” He criticized neighboring countries for their hostile attitude
toward Yugoslavia, and mocked the “great Marxists” who interpreted the doc-
trine dogmatically, forgetting that it should be a source for action. He finally
reviewed Yugoslav foreign policy, confirming its alignment with the Soviet
Union and stressing the unchanged will of the CPY to remain in good relations
with the CPSU: “Till now, the CPY has honorably accomplished its histori cal
mission, and I am profoundly convinced that it will do the same in future,
achieving victory in the construction of socialism and remaining faithful to the
teachings of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin.”^234
The speech, often interrupted by cries and cheering, was broadcast and was
listened to in every home, factory, street, and square in the country. It was
accompanied by delirious applause, which reached its apex at the end of the
congress when Tito closed in a loud voice by saying: “Hail to the Soviet Union,
led by the genius Stalin!” although it was clear, that he had no intention of
accepting his criticism.^235 Aleš Bebler, the deputy minister of foreign affairs,
wrote in his memoirs: “He who has experienced this congress cannot compare
it with any other. The entire hall, several thousand people, was outraged because
of the incredible accusations and ready for a clear, firm reply, without compro-
mises. There were so many cries, songs, bursts of applause, and shouting. As if
we were a single man. When Tito appeared at the rostrum and when he was
explicitly supported by somebody, there were endless cries: ‘Tito-Party! Tito-
Army! Tito-Central Committee!’ The hall resounded with these slogans in its
entire extent. New words were adapted to old Partisan songs: ‘Comrade Tito,