874.00/8–1445: Telegram
The United States Representative in Bulgaria (Barnes) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 15—10:10 a.m.]
437. “My Dear Mr. Minister: I have been instructed by the US Secretary of State, Mr. James F. Byrnes, to convey to members of the Bulgarian Government an expression of the US Government’s apprehension over the present electoral situation in Bulgaria.
My government recalls that paragraph X of the report on the Berlin Conference provides that the Council of Foreign Ministers shall [Page 285] proceed with the task of preparing a peace treaty for Bulgaria to be concluded with a recognized democratic Bulgarian Government; also that in the meantime the Governments of the US, the UK and the USSR, acting separately, may independently establish diplomatic relations with Bulgaria if they deem it desirable so to do.
The US Government is desirous of recognizing and establishing diplomatic relations with a Bulgarian Government which will be adequately representative of all democratic opinion in Bulgaria as soon as conditions in Bulgaria give evidence that the free expression of political views and the free exercise of political rights are sufficiently safeguarded. It is the view of the US Government that in the absence of full and unhampered participation in the elections of all democratic elements in Bulgaria a situation precluding the formation of a fully representative government will exist. In this connection I have been instructed to state that the US Government cannot overlook the preponderance of current evidence that a minority element in power in Bulgaria is at present endeavoring, by the use of force and intimidation, to prevent the effective participation in the scheduled elections of a large democratic section of the electorate.
I have been instructed to add that it is the intention of US Government to make public the foregoing views.
I am addressing Your Excellency directly in this matter as president of the Bulgarian Council of Ministers and as principal member of the government for Zveno. Identical communications are being sent by me to Mr. Petko Stainov, in his capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cults and Commissar for the Application of the Armistice Terms, to Mr. Anton Yugov, as principal member of the government for the Communist Party, to Mr. Asen Pavlov as principal member of the government for the Agrarian Party, to Mr. Grigor Chesmedjiev and Mr. Dimiter Neikov representing the two groups of the Social Democratic Party in the government, to Mr. Petko Stoyanov representing the Independents in the government and to the Council of Regents. A copy of the communication to the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Cults and Commissar for the Application of the Armistice Terms is being sent to the Allied Control Commission for its information.
As of possible convenience to you I am enclosing the text of the report on the Berlin Conference as it was issued and transmitted by radio by the US Government. The text of President Truman’s speech of August 9 reporting to the people of the US on the results of the Berlin Conference will be transmitted to you as soon as the official transcript has been received by me.”