Office of the Historian

874.00/10–2246: Telegram

The Representative in Bulgaria (Barnes) to the Secretary of State

restricted
us urgent
Sofia, October 22, 1946—4 p.m.
[Received October 22—3:05 p.m.]

846. Foreign Minister Kulishev just admitted to me that Ministry Information issued instructions to all newspapers last night against publication US-UK documents on elections, and that instructions were based on order given by General Biryusov to Foreign Office Secretary General Altunov. I asked whether signed order had been received. He admitted that it had not; that at close of conversation last night on another topic with Altunov, Biryusov had picked up texts of US and UK election correspondence and said, “You are to give orders that these are to be published by no newspapers”. I told Kulishev that far from constituting satisfactory explanation, his admission merely proved:

1.
That those of us who have long looked on Bulgarian Government as no more than agent of a USSR policy, as façade to misrepresent true state of affairs with respect to fulfillment of armistice, had been correct.
2.
That Prime Minister’s assurances to Mr. Byrnes of freedom of press for opposition are worthless.
3.
That Russia interferes in Bulgarian political affairs as no democratic state would ever dream of doing; that in fact General Biryusov is master of Bulgaria and Bulgarian Government his willing tool.

I added that Bulgarian Government knows that ACC is composed of representatives of three Great Allies, not merely General Biryusov, yet it habitually accepts orders from Biryusov, even oral orders, knowing full well that orders are entirely unknown to other representatives on Commission; and that at last government has gone so far as to disregard and suppress official communications of US and UK Governments in favor of oral and completely unsanctioned order by Biryusov.

Kulishev listened in apparent state of deep dejection. He pleaded with me to put matters in best light possible to my Government. I said that best light for future good of Bulgaria would be full revealing glare of unvarnished truth, not only to my Government alone, but to world at large as well; and with that I left him.

I strongly recommend that full statement of foregoing be used repeatedly next few days in Bulgarian language broadcasts Voice of America.

Barnes