740.00119 European War/2510: Telegram
The Consul General at Istanbul (Berry) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8:56 p.m.]
256R55. On April 20 the Bulgarian referred to in my telegram No. 236 [R46] of April 10, 6 p.m., asked to talk again with a member [Page 322] of this office. A meeting was arranged. He reported considerable progress with regard to the possibility of his Government sending delegates to meet representatives of the United Nations. A messenger is now on point of departure for Sofia and on his return the line of conduct of present Bulgarian Government in this connection should be clear.
To keep the Department informed of the progress of Bulgarian thinking, I summarize his statements. He said that Petrov-Chemakov, recently appointed Bulgarian Minister to Japan who is now in Istanbul, brought no new political information from Sofia. It is believed that George Kyuseivanov, now in Sofia, is attempting to form a new cabinet but there is yet no indication of prospective success. Bulgarians are aware that decisive events for their country are at hand. One conviction is that if the moderate and governing classes can now take immediate steps to get Bulgaria out of the war there will be a Communist and pro-Soviet rising in some form as soon as Soviet Armies approach Bulgaria’s frontiers. Efforts to get Bulgaria out of the war are opposed and kept in check by German controlled elements in the Government and Army.
Bulgarian attention and fear center especially on the question of saving the national frontiers as of March 1, 1941, and of maintaining a free and independent Government within these frontiers. They are seriously concerned about the preservation of the dynasty. The upper classes desire to keep the monarchial form of Government.
Thus it is apparent that there is a sharp conflict between the moderate upper classes desirous of getting the country out of war without too great change in the form of Government and social system and the Leftist elements who desire a radical change in both Government and social system. If the moderate elements cannot take definitive action soon the Leftist elements will. The tempo of this internal conflict and development is the same as that of advance of Soviet Armies.
Bulgarians are raising the question of the advisability of asking Moscow to intercede for their country instead of attempting to carry on any direct negotiations with Allied representatives in Cairo or elsewhere. While Bulgarians are willing to treat with Americans they are loath to treat with British. Actually the Bulgarian leaders appear to be in the midst of a process of clarifying their own thought and of developing a policy corresponding to the realism of current events.
Repeated to Amrep Algiers as my No. 7.