874.00/10–246: Telegram
The Representative in Bulgaria (Barnes) to the Secretary of State
urgent
[Received October 5—1:10 p.m.]
798. This morning I handed Secretary’s letter of September 24 to Bulgarian Prime Minister.79 There followed an hour’s conversation on local political situation.
Prime Minister said there are “psychological and other factors in situation which make implementation Moscow agreement between now and October 27 impossible”. He said he was sure that it would not be necessary for him to specify and implied that to do so would be embarrassing to him. He had in mind, in part at least, Russian policy and attitude of Georgi Dimitrov, and troubled atmosphere created by Russian policy and Dimitrov’s constant invective against “reaction, fascism, and foreign influence”.
I stressed with him Secretary’s earnest desire contribute to solution that would permit signature of honorable peace with West and assure early reestablishment of regular diplomatic relations between US and Bulgaria. I explained our démarche to ACC in sense stated in mytel 796. I said that I hoped Dimitrov could comprehend true nature of our interest in assuming free election in Bulgaria and that he would cease public attacks on US and UK as “reactionary powers that were counselling” to create difficulties abroad for Bulgaria and that were supplying dollars and pounds to “further this disloyal conduct”.
Prime Minister said that if an airing of Bulgarian political situation before ACC would contribute to solution of Bulgaria’s problem of gaining recognition in West he would be thankful for démarche and that in any event he had no objection to proposal that Commission [Page 151] should hear all political leaders on subject of forthcoming elections.
While I think he is powerless to modify Commission plans and strategy, I nevertheless believe he has been deeply impressed by manifestations of US sustained interest in support of application of Yalta principles in Bulgaria case. I also have reason to believe that this continuous interest on our part has struck Bulgarian commissions and that while we cannot hope suddenly stem tide political events this country our renewed intervention in political matters here will have beneficial effect in restraining Russians and Bulgarian commissions to some extent. All three know importance in terms to effect on Bulgarian public opinion of public statements by US revealing real interest in Bulgarian affairs and perpetuation of democratic principles in Bulgaria.
Repeated Paris for Delsec 272, London 170; Moscow 327.
- The Secretary’s letter had been prepared in Paris and had been brought to Sofia by Barnes on September 25, 1946. For text of letter, which was subsequently released to the press on October 21, see Department of State Bulletin, November 3, 1946, p. 818.↩