874.00/11–1045: Telegram
The United States Representative in Bulgaria (Barnes) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:15 p.m.]
669. From Ethridge. In a lengthy conversation with Georgi Dimitrov yesterday evening the Bulgarian Communist leader did his best to impress upon me the necessity that the FF (Fatherland Front) Govt remain in power and protested strongly that the Communists had no intention of seeking full control of the Govt or of establishing Soviet Republic at this time. When I pressed him as to what could be done to alleviate the political situation at this late date, given the fact that the govt has not yet been reorganized in a manner which we could consider representative under Yalta Declaration, Dimitrov took great pains to impress upon me that there could be no question of postponement of the elections or of any change in the govt before the elections. He, in fact, implied that the very purpose of his premature arrival in Sofia had been to strengthen the backbone of the govt at a time when fissures in it were becoming too apparent to be ignored. As regards the period after the Nov 18 elections Dimitrov held out vague hopes that the govt issuing from the National Assembly [Page 369] might be able to come to terms with the opposition, but asserted that such a compromise would depend more on the opposition than on him. He added that it was the intention of the govt to call a Grand National Assembly, the constituent body in Bulgaria, as soon as possible for the purpose of revising the constitution. I received very definite impression from Dimitrov that he has advised Communist moderation here, with temporary halting of program in the hope of quieting political situation, drawing US into recognition and then at later date resuming Communist program for Bulgaria without, in the meantime, sacrificing Communist position in Govt.
In view of the self-confidence with which Dimitrov asserted the impossibility of making any changes until after the elections it appears likely that he may have been given assurances before leaving Moscow that the Soviet Govt would support him on this point. I therefore suggest that the Secretary prepare a statement on the views of our Govt regarding the Bulgarian elections so that it may be issued promptly in case I should discover after my initial conversations in Moscow that Soviet Govt is unwilling to consider a postponement of the elections scheduled for Nov 18. Such a statement would serve as a check on the FF Govt and, while it would probably not bring about a reorganization of the Cabinet or a new postponement of the elections, it would encourage the moderate elements within the govt to bend every effort towards reorganizing the FF as soon as possible after the elections.
Am delayed here by unavailability of plane which Russians promise to provide.
Repeated to Moscow as 292. [Ethridge.]