US "aid" to Yugoslavia began in 1949 following Yugoslavia's 1948 ouster from the Cominform...the country's first Five Year Plan (1947-52) called for rapid industrialization which required large imports of fuel, food, and raw materials...because the economy's sparse and low-quality exports could not finance this stuff, Yugoslavia was forced to run a large trade deficit, most of which was financed by credits and loans from the US...by 1955, the US had provided US $600 million...
US was also an important factor in Yugoslav military policy following the latter's break with the Soviets...Truman indicated Yugoslavian independence was of national interest to the US and began shipping weapons in 1951...by 1955, the US had provided US $600 million in direct military grants (not a typo, amount of military and economic 'assistance' was equal)...Michael Hoover