Lorković–Vokić plot

On 23 August 1944, as the Red Army approached Romania, King Michael staged a coup against the dictator Ion Antonescu and joined the Allies.

Nevertheless, Draža Mihailović's Serb-dominated Chetniks had a plan directed against both Croats and communists if the projected Allied invasion of Dalmatia occurred.

The three members of the HSS's leadership, Vice President August Košutić; Ljudevit Tomašić, a deputy secretary and representative who was already in contact with the Allies; and Ivanko Farolfi, were assigned the task of carrying out negotiations with the British.

Farolfi was the most active and was in charge of maintaining contact with Croatian army officers, party leaders and foreign intelligence services.

[7] In July 1944, Vokić held a meeting at which he pointed out that once the Allies invaded the Balkans, the German armed forces would have to be disarmed.

[8] Lorković established contact with the Croatian Peasant Party representatives in Croatia, Ivanko Farolfi, Ljudevit Tomašić and August Košutić.

[8] The representatives of the HSS and the Croatian Home Guard offered only promises, and the Yugoslav Partisans were involved in the war.

The involvement of the Croatian Home Guard and the HSS was deemed to be unnecessary and that it would strain the established fragile allegiance with the Partisans even further.

Finally, the Romanian coup and the advance of the Soviet troops led them to believe that the Allies would soon invade Dalmatia.

[9] Ante Pavelić, the poglavnik of the Independent State of Croatia, thought the Germans would win the war with the "wonder-weapons".