"We can establish with regret that the handing of the decoration today coincides with the marking of the 60th anniversary of the victory over fascism. It is difficult to understand that the US is not informed of historical facts which undoubtedly speak of the role and character of Draza Mihailovic and the Chetnik movement in these areas," the Croatian ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said that "the Chetnik movement did not have a role in the fight against the anti-Hitler coalition.
"Furthermore, it used the war to commit numerous crimes against the Croat and other peoples living in this region, notably against anti-fascist fighters, and the saving of several dozen US pilots cannot lessen its historical responsibility for crimes committed in the name of the Chetnik ideology," the statement said.
"Croatia is surprised at this US decision, all the more so because Dragoljub Draza Mihailovic sympathisers committed numerous crimes against civilians and other populations in the 1990s during the aggression on Croatia and the neighbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina," the statement said.
The statement said Croatia had been pointing to these historical circumstances in various ways, including through diplomatic activities.
Croatia dismisses "the non-political" character of the decoration which was awarded a long time ago because it believes that "this act has inevitable political consequences", the statement said. The Ministry said this act did not contribute to the efforts of Croatia, the neighbouring countries and the international community directed at establishing cooperation and good-neighbourly relations based on democratic and European values which include anti-fascism.
In 1948 US President Harry Truman posthumously awarded the Legion of Merit medal to the Chetnik leader for saving 500 US airmen in 1944 and for his "great contribution to the victory of the Allies".