740.00116 E.W./12–1944
The British Embassy to the Department of State
The British Embassy have the honour to inform the Department of State, on instructions from the Foreign Office, that the Soviet Ambassador,81 in a note dated December 5th, informed Mr. Eden that after the entry of Soviet forces into Bulgaria the Soviet authorities arrested a number of persons guilty of bringing Bulgaria into the war against the United Nations, amongst them Prince Cyril, M. Filov82 and General Michov83 (members of the Regency Council); M. Bozhilov84 (the former Prime Minister), M. Vasiliev85 (a former Minister) and others. M. Gusev said that in connection with the opening of the trials of war criminals in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Government had asked the Soviet Government to hand over these persons to them for three months. The Soviet Government had no objection to this proposal but wished to ascertain the views of His Majesty’s Government. M. Gusev added that the Soviet Government were addressing a similar enquiry to the United States Government.
Mr. Eden has informed the Soviet Ambassador that His Majesty’s Government likewise see no objection to the course proposed by the Bulgarian Government.86
- Feodor Tarasovitch Gousev.↩
- Bogdan Filov, Prime Minister, 1942.↩
- Lt. Gen. Nikola Mihov, Minister of War, 1942.↩
- Dobri Bozhilov, Minister of Finance, 1942; Prime Minister until May 1944.↩
- Dimiter Vasilev, Minister of Public Works until May 1944.↩
- Marginal notation: “British Embassy orally advised of similar U.S. action.”↩