Died 8 May 1981, Ljubljana, Slovenia | ||
Znanje in modrost jo e brilej
Jože Brilej (nom de guerre "Bolko," 1 January 1910 – 8 May 1981) was a diplomat, politician, ambassador, colonel, partisan, war hero, revolutionary, lawyer, judge, and close associate of Josip Broz Tito.
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Career
Brilej was born in Presečno, Dobje pri Planini, Slovenia. He served as the Yugoslav ambassador to London, New York City, Mexico, Cairo, Egypt and Yemen, permanent representative of Yugoslavia to the United Nations for life, President of the United Nations Security Council in 1956, member of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine, president of the supreme court of Slovenia, editor of Ljudska pravica, and political commissar and colonel in the Partisan National Liberation Army during World War II.
Early life
Brilej was the youngest of ten children born into an impoverished working-class family in Presecno near Dobje pri Planini. His father, a railway worker turned farmer, died when he was very young, soon followed by his oldest brother who had become provisional head of the family, and who died aged 18 during World War I when conscripted forcefully by the Austro-Hungarian Army who still ruled Slovenia at the time. An exceptionally bright and gifted child, the local Catholic parish priests recognised Brilej's merits at a young age and sponsored his further education at a private monastic boarding in Maribor. He was subsequently sent to a seminary university in Maribor where he studied to become a priest. Here he met Joze Lampret with whom he would remain lifelong friends and fight alongside in the Slovenian resistance during World War II. After completing his first year of seminary studies, Brilej realised his new found political beliefs were no longer aligned with that of the catholic church and he transferred to study law at the University of Ljubljana. In 1932 he had become a fully fledged member of the Yugoslav Communist Party. In 1934 he was made Yugoslav Communist Party delegate for Slovenia. At the same time he became editor of the socialist newspaper Ljudska pravica which the production and distribution of was made illegal in 1936. During this period Brilej was arrested and imprisoned in Ljubljana. In 1938 he graduated from Ljubljana University with a PhD in law.
World War II
Already an active member of the Yugoslav Communist Party and Slovenian socialist party before the war, he immediately joined the Slovene Partisans Yugoslav Partisan liberation resistance army at the outbreak of World War II. He served as political commissar and as the equivalent rank of colonel in Tomsičeva Brigade in the 14th Division, the most famous and legendary division of the Slovene Partisan army. Brilej's friend the poet and literary hero Karel Kajuh Destovnik was also in his brigade. Other friends and comrades in the 14th Division included Franc Rozman, Anton Vratusa, Joze Lampret, Mirko Bracic. Throughout the war, for security he used the nom de guerre "Bolko". He conducted many covert undercover intelligence operations during the war, as well as fighting in guerrilla campaigns and maintaining troop moral and political literacy. Due to his excellent academic hochdeutsch he led numerous hostage negotiations and exchanges with Nazi officials often with his friend and comrade Aleš Bebler. He led his battalion on many missions to rescue Allied servicemen who were trapped behind enemy lines or had become Nazis prisoners, most often these were British RAF pilots and soldiers. Most notably he led his battalion to rescue Major Randolph Churchill within half an hour of being captured by the German Nazis.
Private Life
He was the husband of Marta Brilej. They were married on 11 July 1936 at Ljubljana Cathedral.
They had a son Joze Brilej (b. 1937 - ) and a daughter Tatiana (Tatjana) Brilej (b. 1947 - ).
Death
He died on 8 May 1981 in Ljubljana from lung cancer. He is buried at Žale cemetery in Ljubljana alongside his wife Marta Brilej and opposite his lifelong friend, partisan comrade and diplomat Aleš Bebler.
Commemorations
Brilej Street (Slovene: Brilejeva ulica) in Ljubljana (Dravlje) is named after him.
On 9 August 1987 a commemorative government plaque was unveiled on the house where he was born in Presečno, Dobje pri Planini.
Awards and decorations
Some of the awards and decorations of Jože Brilej include: