740.00119 European War 1939/2222: Telegram
The Consul General at Istanbul (Berry) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 4—4:18 a.m.]
145. Yesterday and today there have been rumors in the Istanbul press that Bulgaria is considering armistice negotiations with the United Nations. This was touched off by the discovery by the press of the presence in Turkey of a former adviser of King Boris, the architect Sevov. But neither the progress of the Kouyoumjisky Mission nor the situation in Bulgaria seems to justify these rumors.
Kouyoumjisky Mission arrived in Istanbul from America in the early winter for the announced purpose of making a financial survey of the Balkans.
In due course of time it became generally known that the mission was interested more specifically in attempting to detach Bulgaria from the Axis. For this purpose a member of the mission met Balabanov, the Bulgarian Minister to Turkey, on December 18 and let him know that persons were available in Turkey to transmit to [Page 307] the American Government any proposals that the Bulgarian Government might desire to make.
Nothing came from this suggestion and on February 1st a member of the mission again spoke with Minister Balabanov just before his departure for Sofia. On February 5th after his return the Minister informed the mission that while in Sofia he had spoken privately with members of the regency, the leader of the Government and the chiefs of the opposition all of whom agreed that Bulgaria should change their foreign policy with a view towards withdrawing from the Axis.
Balabanov was unable to speak for the loyalty of the army if such a change in policy occurred but he agreed to send a request by courier to his Government to send to Istanbul two emissaries who would be in a position to vouch for the attitude of the army.
His courier returned without bringing a message and on February 28 Balabanov inquired of the mission whether if for any reason his Government found it inadvisable to send two qualified persons to Istanbul, he and Sevov would be acceptable to the American Mission as representatives of the Bulgarian Government.
Thus the mission has been successful in opening a contact with high Bulgarian authorities but there has been no further indication that these authorities desire or are able to bring about a radical change in the policy of the Bulgarian Government. Bulgarian Government leaders are of course committed to the Germans to follow an Axis policy. Government and opposition leaders are committed before the Bulgarian people to a policy of unification. German propaganda has not let the Bulgarians lose sight of the price the Italian leaders have paid for their defection. The Bulgarian people at this time would be likely to turn against their leaders if they abandoned the still holy cause of unification. It seems therefore that for the present there can be no turning from the path which Bulgarians have so clearly marked for themselves.
Consequently, although the Bulgarian people [are] deeply discouraged and foresee no favorable end of the war for Bulgaria, the rigidity of the United Nations terms of unconditional surrender, the presence throughout Bulgaria of German military and Gestapo units, the distance that separates the Anglo-American forces from the Bulgarian frontier, the neutrality of Turkey and the example of Italy, perhaps even the hesitation of Finland, all contribute towards making a movement against the Government unlikely for the time being. Thus the Government is still strong and the army in the main still loyal. Under these conditions now does not seem the time to expect the Bulgarians to seek an armistice.