Yugoslavia: Arrest of UK Nationals - Two Plane Spotters, Paul Mason and Robert Curtis - in Yugoslavia

A file containing documents relating to the detention of two British nationals, Paul Mason and Robert Curtis, in Yugoslavia in October 1973. Subjects covered in the file include the arrest in Sarajevo on charges of espionage; the explanation that the two men were plane-spotters; the similar case of Colin Sharples, who was arrested near Pula in 1970; and discussion as to whether the British government had given sufficient warnings that pastimes such as observing aircraft could be misinterpreted. Other subjects discussed in the file include the possibility of the two men facing the death penalty; the involvement of the British ambassador in Belgrade, Dugald Stewart; the lack of publicity for the case in the Yugoslav media; and the conviction and sentencing of both men to four years' imprisonment. Documents in the file include the extensive coverage of the case in the British press; and a letter from Mason's father to the Yugoslav president, Josip Broz Tito.