Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, The British Commonwealth and Europe, Volume III

740.00119 European War 1939/2545: Telegram

The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Hamilton) to the Secretary of State

Moscow, April 27, 1944—7 p.m.
[Received April 28—11:48 a.m.]

1468. See my 1436, April 25, 10 p.m. The Embassy has received a note dated April 25 from Molotov enclosing a copy of an exchange of communications between the Soviet and Bulgarian Governments. The notes read in summary translation as follows:

1. Soviet note of April 17. The Soviet Government has made repeated representations to the Bulgarian Government in connection with the use by Germany of Bulgarian territory and the Bulgarian ports of Varna and Burgas for conducting hostilities against the Soviet Union. The Bulgarian Government has always limited its replies to denying these facts. “This cannot be regarded as anything else than an attempt to cover up the action of the Bulgarian authorities which is hostile to the Soviet Union.” Now that the military situation of Germany has further deteriorated the Germans have started to make especially wide use of Bulgarian territory and of the ports of Varna and Burgas which have been transformed into German bases and at which are concentrated the principal German naval forces in the Black Sea. Likewise the Germans are using airfields in Bulgaria from which they are raiding Soviet troops (recently the Germans have enjoyed the especially wide cooperation of the Bulgarian authorities in their hostilities against the Soviet Union. “This situation is incompatible with the normal relations between the USSR and Bulgaria and cannot be tolerated any further.” The Soviet Government urgently proposes that an immediate end be put to the use of Bulgarian territory and ports by Germany.

2. Bulgarian note of April 24. The Bulgarian Government wishes to emphasize that it has never failed to deny as without foundation the circumstances protested by the Soviet Government. The assertions in the Soviet note under reference do not correspond to the facts. The Bulgarian Government is ready to study all the real facts which the Soviet Government may consider it has at its disposition if these facts are communicated to the Bulgarian Government. “The Bulgarian Government considers it necessary to state once more that it has in no way changed its relations with the Soviet Union in comparison with its relations at the time of the adherence of Bulgaria to the Tripartite Pact⁶² at which time the Soviet Union and Germany were also allied by another pact.”⁶³ The Bulgarian Government wishes to maintain the most correct, loyal and friendly relations with the Soviet Government.

The Foreign Office telephoned the Embassy today that the Bulgarian reply had been submitted to it in the Russian language and that if it were unintelligible the Foreign Office was not to blame.

Complete texts by airmail.⁶⁴

Hamilton

62. Signed at Berlin, September 27, 1940, by Germany, Italy, and Japan; for text, see League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. cciv, p. 386, or Documents on German Foreign Policy, 1918–1945, series D, vol. xi (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1960), p. 204. For correspondence, see Foreign Relations, 1940, vol. i, pp. 633 ff.
63. Treaty of Non-Aggression Between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics signed at Moscow, August 23, 1939; for text, see Documents on German Foreign Policy, 1918–1945, series D, vol. vii, p. 245.
64. Not printed.