Speaking on Radio B92, Polt said the US felt it should close a chapter by decorating Mihailovic because many Americans had been saved. He said the US was not part of debates about what had happened during the war because this was up to historians and individuals. He added the US only wanted to acknowledge that more than 500 of its citizens had been saved and that some of those who were still alive wanted to show their gratitude.
A US war veterans delegation on Monday presented Mihailovic's daughter Gordana with the Medal of Merit, which President Harry Truman bestowed on him in 1948.
Gordana Mihailovic did not speak to the press after receiving the medal, saying only that it would soon be given to the Serb Orthodox Church for keeping.
According to some Belgrade media, the medal was presented to Mihailovic's daughter at the US Embassy in top secrecy. At her request, Mihailovic's grandson Vojislav and Serbia and Montenegro Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic were not present. Draskovic claims there were two antifascist movements in Serbia during WWII, one was the Josip Broz Tito-led partisan movement and the other the Mihailovic-led Chetnik movement.
Mihailovic was convicted for war crimes and executed in 1946. The Croatian Foreign Ministry and numerous media and individuals protested against the medal.