874.00/6–1145: Telegram
The United States Representative in Bulgaria (Barnes) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 11—3:37 p.m.]
311. There is now reason to believe that an announcement may be made within the next two weeks that general elections will be held about Aug 23 (see final pgh of my 302 and my 303 June 7). I therefore urgently recommend that the Dept give immediate consideration to what further steps should be taken both here and in Moscow to implement our views in support of freedom of expression and of political activity for all democratic elements in Bulgaria. I believe that a way should be found to permit everyone concerned with the conduct of the elections, with participation therein and with the outcome thereof, including every individual Bulgarian voter who can be reached by radio or otherwise, to know that the democratic powers could not conclude a treaty of peace with any minority-dominated govt that might issue from rigged elections. In this connection I should like to say that the President’s message to Stalin88 (ReDeptel 168, June 8)89 is most encouraging to Gen Crane and [Page 253] myself. If I could be authorized immediately to utilize the substance of this message in my confidential talks about our general relations with Bulgaria and the forthcoming elections with members of the Govt, the Regency Council and other leaders in the present day political life of the country am sure that the results could only be favorable to our interests and the ultimate better interests of the Bulgarian people. In my opinion the only way in which we can hope to affect the Bulgarian political situation is to make our views with respect to it felt from day to day by those who play an important role in shaping the political life of the country. This is exactly what the Russians do. If we and the Brit refrain from such action the field is left alone to the Russians who are thereby given the double advantage of being able freely to express their views and to argue that by our absence from the field we and the Brit reveal our disinterest in what may be the outcome. It is no good to close our eyes to the fact the ACC is purely and simply an instrument of Soviet policy in Bulgaria and that in political matters here it never has and never will express a view in the name of the three principal Allies. I cannot emphasize too strongly the import of the sentence from the press and radio statement reported in my 307, June 1090 that “Bulgarian Govt has addressed itself to the ACC in Bulgaria which at the moment officially represents the Allies in this country.”
Rptd to Moscow as 161 and Caserta as 162.
- See message delivered by Ambassador Harriman on June 7, Conference of Berlin (Potsdam) vol. i, p. 358, footnote 5.↩
- Not printed.↩
- Not printed; it reported Bulgarian statement in press and radio concerning Dr. G. M. Dimitrov (874.00/6–1045).↩