Date: June 2, 1993
Author: Valentina Krčmar, Thornhill, Ontario
Addressed to: Letters to the Editor, The Toronto Star
View the Original Letter: krcmar book 3_Part4_Part12.pdf
About This Letter
In this sharply written letter dated June 2, 1993, Valentina Krčmar responds to an article titled “Untangling the Balkans: A Primer” by Mr. Zink, published in The Toronto Star on May 29, 1993. Her words are direct and unsparing, dismantling the author’s portrayal of Serbs as noble wartime allies and Croats as Nazi collaborators — a distortion that had long haunted historical narratives about the former Yugoslavia.
Krčmar begins by acknowledging Zink’s confidence in his own expertise — and swiftly dismantles it:
“Mr. Zink probably thinks that he is very knowledgeable about the Balkans and its problems. Perhaps he knows about other countries of the world quite a bit, but his knowledge about Croatia and Serbia is poor, to say the least.”
She calls out his oversimplification of history, specifically his assertion that Serbs were on the side of the Allies during World War II while Croats collaborated with Nazis. Krčmar exposes this as one-sided and misleading, reminding readers that the historical record — especially under Yugoslav communist rule — had been written by the victors.
“You, Mr. Zink, do not know enough about real history of the WWII in Yugoslavia, because it was written by the victors — the Serbs. Haven’t they proven by now that they do not know what is true, even if it hits them in the eyes?”
Krčmar draws from personal memory, invoking her father’s service as a Partisan — the anti-fascist resistance movement that included thousands of Croats who fought against Nazi occupation. Her lived experience becomes both evidence and rebuttal.
“My father was a partisan, and I remember his stories very well. Many Croats were fighting against the Nazis.”
Her tone intensifies as she exposes an often-suppressed fact: that Serbia itself harbored Nazi collaborationists and was complicit in the Holocaust.
“About the camps in Serbia — just ask the many thousands of Jews that lost many of their families in Banjica and other camps in Serbia. They even boasted to Goebbels that they were the first ‘Judenfrei’ country.”
Krčmar names names — General Milan Nedić and Draža Mihailović, both convicted collaborators with the Nazi regime — pointing out that Zink’s narrative conveniently erased these historical truths.
“Did you forget Generals Nedić (famous collaborator with Nazis) and Draža Mihailović, who was even executed for his crimes during the WWII? What about Serbian anti-Jewish stamps during the WWII?”
Her closing lines carry a sting of irony and frustration, condemning how the article’s misrepresentations would serve Serbian propaganda rather than truth.
“How sad that you did not check your facts before giving us your ‘primer.’ Certainly your ‘primer’ will warm the hearts of the Serbs all over the world.”
Through this letter, Krčmar reclaims historical truth from distortion, exposing the dangers of superficial journalism that reinforces national myths. It is a powerful example of her lifelong commitment to moral accuracy — not only in the context of the 1990s war, but also in the collective memory of the 20th century.
