874.00/10–2446: Telegram
The Representative in Bulgaria (Barnes) to the Secretary of State
us urgent
[Received 9:12 p.m.]
850. My immediately following four telegrams93 will provide Department [Page 161] with background to meeting this a.m. of ACC convoked by General Biryusov at instance of Generals Robertson and Oxley, at which he stated his order against publication US and UK election documents had never related to more than correspondence between himself and UK and US members, and that he would demand apology of Foreign Minister Kulishev for having said that he, Biryusov, was responsible for prohibition against publication Secretary’s letter and Georgiev’s reply. This was probably pure fabrication. Facts doubtless are that Bulgarians and Russians mutually conspired to avoid publication.
Our action and that of British yesterday forced issue with result that at meeting this a.m. Biryusov himself presented motion that “by tripartite decision ACC, correspondence on elections would be published”.
I am to see Kulishev at 4 p.m., to have him tell me that Secretary’s letter and Georgiev’s reply will also be published. I shall take this occasion emphasize again that this incident has proven beyond shadow of doubt three numbered points mytel 846, October 22.
Perhaps Department was correct in its conclusion (Deptel 343)94 that developments reported mytel 846 not suitable grounds for delaying return to US of General Stoychev. Nevertheless, use of this argument in dealing with Kulishev has contributed to results obtained today, namely Russian and Bulgarian agreement publish all documents on elections.
At this morning’s meeting General Robertson read statement contained mytel 800, October 294 and added following:
“We are at end of electoral campaign. Let us not lose time on what has or has not happened to date but consider what can now be done to assure free polling and honest recording of ballots. In my opinion this can be best assured by: (1) Electoral commissions at every polling station on which all parties represented; (2) immediate counting of ballots at polling station by these commissions without removal of urns; (3) immediate public announcement of election returns from each polling station; (4) in case any of three preceding conditions not fulfilled, any member of commission has right to appeal ACC for examination of facts.
[Page 162]I realize that in effect something similar to first three conditions provided by existing law, but I have every reason to fear that these conditions will not be fulfilled unless fourth condition, namely right of appeal for rectification to ACC, is agreed upon by us”.
Biryusov refused take any decision on subject “free and unfettered elections”. Nevertheless, all of foregoing has been written into records of ACC and may be reverted to in event of gross fraud in election returns.
Sent Department. Repeated London 192; Moscow 349; Paris 295.
- Telegram 851, October 24, 1946, from Sofia, transmitted the text of a note of October 23 from Barnes to Foreign Minister Kulishev formally protesting the action of the Bulgarian Ministry of Information in prohibiting the publication of the correspondence between the Secretary of State, Major General Robertson, Prime Minister Georgiev, and Colonel General Biryuzov which had already been released to the press in Washington. The telegram also contained the text of a letter which Barnes had sent to Bulgarian newspapers, publicly protesting the censorship of official documents of the United States Government (874.00/10–2446). Telegram 852, October 24, from Sofia, transmitted the text of Barnes’ personal letter of October 23 to Kulishev, expressing resentment at the deliberate anti-American propaganda being carried in the Bulgarian press at the instigation of Bulgarian Government officials (874.00/10–2446). Telegram 853, October 24, from Sofia, transmitted the text of Barnes’ personal letter of October 23 to Kulishev in which Barnes stated that he was urging his Government not to receive General Stoichev as the informal representative of the Bulgarian Government until the prohibition on the publication of American official documents in Bulgaria had been removed. The telegram also contained the text of General Robertson’s letter of October 23 to General Biryuzov, a copy of which was sent to Kulishev, protesting the prohibition on the publication of American state papers and demanding the immediate convocation of a plenary meeting of the Allied Control Commission to consider the question (874.00/10–2446). Telegram 854, October 24, from Sofia, transmitted the text of Kulishev’s note of October 24 to Barnes, insisting that the ban of the publication of documents relating to the Allied Control Commission had been imposed in compliance with a request from General Biryuzov, expressing regret at any anti-American propaganda which may have appeared in the Bulgarian press, and expressing the hope that the United States Government would not refuse to admit General Stoichev as the Bulgarian representative in Washington (874.00/10–2446).↩
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