"The satellites are of importance in the current balance of power in Europe because they augment the political, military and economic power of the Soviet Union... our traditional policy to recognize and support the right of such peoples to independence and to governments of their own choosing. The elimination of dominant Soviet influence over the satellites is therefore, in the fundamental interest of the United States." (NSC, 1953)

"The European balance of power would, nevertheless, be fundamentally affected [Post-Tito], since Yugoslavia has assumed a neurological position in postwar Europe. Yugoslavia is the only truly "grey" area on the continent." (DOS, 1972)

"...the time might seem ripe for a testing of the altered balance of power achieved by the Soviet military buildup since the mid-sixties. Yugoslavia, if it had become vulnerable domestically, and assuming it was not explicitly covered by NATO security guarantees, might seem a suitable and promising target for such probing and testing." (DOS, 1972)

A summary of NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia.