Date: March 19, 1993
Author: Valentina Krčmar, Mothers for Peace – Bedem Ljubavi (Toronto Chapter)
Addressed to: Secretary of State Warren Christopher, The White House, Washington, D.C.
View the Original Letter: krcmar book 2_Part83.pdf
About This Letter
In this impassioned letter from March 1993, Valentina Krčmar writes to U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher following an NBC program that exposed the ongoing atrocities in Bosnia. Her tone reflects exhaustion, disbelief, and moral outrage at the West’s persistent inaction. Speaking on behalf of Mothers for Peace (Bedem Ljubavi), Krčmar delivers a blunt moral reckoning to American leadership, urging the United States to move beyond words and humanitarian gestures.
She reminds Christopher of President Clinton’s campaign promises to act decisively against Serbia, contrasting those commitments with the continued slaughter of civilians:
“When Mr. Clinton was campaigning, he was full of words how he would deal with Serbia right away, that he would be different from President Bush. How different is he? Do you think that sending some food is enough?”
Krčmar echoes the words of Bosnia’s President Alija Izetbegović, accusing world powers of treating Bosnia as a “sacrificial lamb.” Her indignation is tempered with sorrow, as she challenges Christopher’s passive remarks about potential Serbian aggression spreading to Kosovo or Macedonia — violence that, as she points out, was already well underway.
“Houses are burning in Macedonia, but the world is not supposed to know about it.”
Her plea rises to desperation in the closing lines, as she begs the United States to intervene militarily before the annihilation of Bosnia and Croatia becomes complete.
“Only USA can help Bosnia and Croatia, because when Serbia finishes with Bosnia, it’s Croatia’s turn. You must help, we are begging you… Please, please, help. We are begging you. Please help.”
This letter captures Krčmar’s unrelenting insistence that moral responsibility belongs not only to the aggressors but also to those with the power to stop them. Her words are both a cry of anguish and a demand for conscience — a reminder that silence and delay are themselves choices with deadly consequences.
