On 20 April 1955 Marijan John Markul entered the Los Angeles FBI headquarters and told a shocking story. The man who represented himself as the marshal Josip Broz Tito was actually not the real Tito!
It was a Russian agent who took Tito’s identity after the real Josip Broz Tito went missing in Russia in 1937; states an FBI note from early May of 1955.
Marijan Markul was born in Livno in 1909. He immigrated to the USA in 1936 and obtained citizenship after serving two years in the U.S. Army.
In the notes from the meeting between FBI agents and Markul it is written that Markul visited Yugoslavia in 1953 and met Tito twice.
The first meeting lasted for about an hour, and on that occasion he noticed that marshal Tito has five fingers on each hand. Markul claimed that the real Tito lost his middle finger and left hand index finger. He also added that Tito whom he spoke to in 1953 was educated and played piano very well.
On the other side, the real Tito was uneducated and, as much as Markul knew, he did not know how to play piano. Among other things, Markul claimed that Josip Broz was around 180 centimeters tall, while the “fake” one was 160 meters tall. Markul also said that the man who represented himself as Tito in 1953 spoke with a subtle Russian accent and that he spoke quite mildly. The real Tito spoke in a resolute and sharp manner.
Furthermore, Markul claimed that the real Tito was valetudinarian and that he had tuberculosis, as well as that he went missing in Russia in 1937. In late twenties, Markul claims that he spoke with the real Tito in Yugoslavia, and not long after the “disappearance” they met again, in Paris. Markul’s sister has a similar opinion.
Markul accused the Yugoslav authorities for cooperation with the Soviets and said that within four or five months it will be more than clear to everyone. He continued with his accusations and said that the man who represents himself as Tito is actually a Russian agent and disciplinant of the Soviet Union. Markul said that he spent several years in Russia and that he thinks he saw many Russian agents on the streets of Yugoslavia. In 1930 he went to Russia and he thought that the society is well-organized, but he was arrested for not fulfilling the work quotas.
He told the U.S. agents that he escaped from Russia through Siberia three years later.
“Markul claims that the Yugoslav authorities are pretending to have disputes with the SSSR in order to get help from the USA and that there is actually no real disintegration between Yugoslavia and the Soviets,” the document states.
(Source: fokus.ba)
