874.00/5–3045: Telegram
The United States Representative in Bulgaria (Barnes) to the Secretary of State
[Received 7:35 p.m.]
283. Remytel 282 May 30. I told the PriMin this noon of my knowledge of the death of Mara Racheva. He said that he had heard of it yesterday. He added that the Min of Interior had told him she had committed suicide by jumping from a fourth story window of the central police station of Sofia. I replied that perhaps she had but that as the inner facts of what was occurring in Bulgaria were never told to the public there would probably be very few in Bulgaria and certainly nobody abroad who would believe such a version. He agreed unfortunately such was the case. I said it was developments of this sort that made it impossible for me to accept any guarantee of the complete safety of Dimitrov the Govt might give.
I pointed out that the militia including the civilian dregs that oversee them still surround my house and that this morning when one of them again tried to search my car I took the wheel myself and told him to order his uniformed companions to shoot if they had the courage and drove on. This gypsy outcast, for that is really what these civilian militia overseers are, told me in so many words that no matter what my understanding might be of his orders they were to search my car every time I passed and they came directly from Min Yugov. I also showed the PriMin the proof of the dishonesty of the MinFonAff which was communicated to the Dept in mytel 281 May 29.
With respect to the presence of the militia the PriMin said that I should not conclude that he and the Min of War had not made a real effort to have my place guarded by the Bulgarian Army. At first he tried to defend the MinFonAff but when my point was driven home he shrugged his shoulders. I told him I would not keep coming to him if I were not convinced he together with the Min of War and possibly the MinFonAff acted as [they] had under duress, namely, under the compulsion of the Communists, strengthened by the knowledge that Biryuzov is behind them. The conversation was too long [Page 240] and involved to be reported in detail by tel. It ended with my promise to supply the PriMin with “promemoria” containing views expressed by the Dept in various of its tels and by me in various of mine on the Dimitrov case. The PriMin asked for such a document to help him in his difficulties in discussing the problem with the Govt as a whole.
I should add that since talking to the PriMin I have learned on good authority that about 600 friends of Dimitrov have been imprisoned following his escape despite the fact that I went immediately to the Govt and after revealing the facts requested the “chase” be called off. Dimitrov’s wife is also in prison in the best manner of “police state” procedure.
Repeated to Moscow as 142.