874.00/6–1445: Telegram
The United States Representative in Bulgaria (Barnes) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:50 p.m.]
316. My preceding tel. No. 315 of today’s date reported the militia’s declaration concerning Mara Racheva and gave the text of a letter thereon addressed by me to the MinFonAff. The declaration was obviously issued in the name of the militia because of the Govt’s unwillingness to assume any responsibility for a statement that would most certainly be refuted if a demand for the exhumation of the body could be made effective. Also the statement appears devised to get around the fact that while originally the militia claimed to possess a deposition written by Racheva herself, no such document has been produced in response to insistent demands of Agrarian Min Petkov [Page 257] to see the document. I have yet to learn of plans prepared by a “foreign interest” for the escape of Dimitrov on May 23.
Rptd to Moscow as 165.