611.69/2–1650
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Thompson)
| Participants: | Dr. Peter Voutov, Chargé d’Affaires, Bulgaria; |
| Mr. L. E. Thompson, Deputy Assistant Secretary; | |
| Mr. J. C. Campbell, EE. |
Dr. Voutov called at 5 pm today at the Department’s request.1 I opened the conversation by saying that four weeks have passed since the Bulgarian Government had received our note of January 202 and that we had had no reply. I mentioned the fact that Minister Heath had asked to see the Bulgarian Foreign Minister last Monday, February 13, in order to discuss his own situation and that of the Legation. He had inquired again on Wednesday, and the only reply had been a communication to the Counselor to the effect that the Foreign Minister was very busy.3 Four days had passed since Mr. Heath’s request for an appointment; thus it was apparent that the Foreign Minister did not intend to see him. In this situation, I continued, the Department had felt compelled to call Dr. Voutov once again in order to make clear to him that the present situation in Bulgarian-American relations could not continue. I said that unless the Bulgarian Government made a reply in the very near future to the request contained in our note of January 20, the US would proceed to the withdrawal of its diplomatic mission from Bulgaria.
[Page 514]Dr. Voutov emphasized, as he had in his talk with me on January 20, that the Bulgarian Government did not wish to break relations with the US. Speaking personally, he said, there were two separate questions involved, that of the status of Mr. Heath and the question of the maintenance of diplomatic relations. He believed that the former should be satisfactorily settled and should not affect the question of diplomatic relations. He said that it was obvious that Mr. Heath’s situation in Sofia had become very difficult, since the recent trial had shown that he was implicated not only by Kostov but also by Tsonchev and other defendants in conspiracies of which they were proved guilty. It was, therefore, only natural that the Bulgarian Government should have requested his recall as persona non grata. However, he continued, there was no reason to break relations on this question. The Bulgarian Government would like the US to send another Minister. He, Voutov, was sure that agreement would be granted immediately for a new Minister.
I explained that we had made it very clear to the Bulgarian Government that the US Government considered the accusations against Heath to be false and such that the Bulgarian Government knew them to be false. I said that we could not accept the demand to recall Mr. Heath without tacitly accepting these charges as valid, something which the US could not do. I reminded him that the US position had been made clear to the Bulgarian Government but that the latter had nevertheless persisted in its action against Mr. Heath, thus bringing about the present difficult situation.
Dr. Voutov replied that Bulgaria wanted normal relations with the US and that it was the US which had taken the initiative in raising the question of a break in relations. Until this recent US threat, he said, relations had been normal. He noted that the US note of January 20 spoke of difficulties caused to the US Legation in Sofia by the Bulgarian Government. He, Voutov, knew of no great difficulties which would justify a break in relations.
In addition to the question of Bulgarian treatment of the Legation’s local employees, which was unjustified and inexcusable and concerning which there had been exchanges between the Legation and the Bulgarian Government, there are also many other factors such as travel restrictions, housing difficulties, and so on. I reminded him that relations between the two Governments since the war had never been really normal. High Bulgarian officials, including the Prime Minister, had made statements about the US which we did not consider compatible with the existence of normal relations. It was true, of course, that strong statements about Bulgaria had also been made in the US. However, the important thing in the present state of affairs was that [Page 515] the restrictions on and harassment of the US Legation had become increasingly severe and had now reached the point where normal diplomatic and consular activities had become impossible. The conduct of the Bulgarian Government toward Mr. Heath and the attempt to implicate him in the Rostov affair represented the culmination of a long series of acts which were not consistent with the concept of normal diplomatic relations.
Dr. Voutov again said that he knew of no serious difficulties. With reference to travel restrictions, he remarked that the same restrictions were placed on all foreign diplomats in Bulgaria, including the Soviet diplomats, and that there was no discrimination against the US. He referred also to his personal meetings with Mr. Heath in Washington last summer, which he characterized as friendly. He said that he had dined at Mr. Heath’s home and talked with him for three hours about Bulgaria, during which Mr. Heath made no complaints about the treatment of the Legation, but on the contrary said that he had had the opportunity of traveling in all parts of Bulgaria.
Before leaving, Dr. Voutov stressed once again his view that it was the US which was taking the initiative in breaking relations. I replied that it was the conduct of the Bulgarian Government which had brought on the present situation. I said that it could not be questioned that the position of the US Legation in Sofia had become virtually impossible and that we would be forced to withdraw it unless the situation were changed. I said that this was not a question of withdrawing recognition from the Bulgarian Government but of withdrawing our diplomatic Mission because the Bulgarian Government seemed intent on making it impossible for the Mission to remain. Dr. Voutov said that he saw no distinction between withdrawing the Mission and breaking relations. He then said that he had informed his Government, immediately after receipt of the US note of January 20, that he was available to transmit any further communication on the subject to the Department. However, he had received no reply from his Government. He would now send immediately a cable to Sofia informing his Government of what had been said at the present conversation. He said he understood that we expected a reply within the next few days. I confirmed to him that this was the case. I also mentioned that if he should encounter any difficulties in connection with his departure from this country, should events develop in that way, the Department would do its best to avoid any such difficulties or embarrassment to him.
- According to his memorandum of conversation with President Truman on the morning of February 16, not printed, the Secretary of State informed the President of the Department of State’s plan to see the Bulgarian Chargé that afternoon and to force some action by February 20. The President approved the Department’s course of action. (Secretary’s Memoranda, Lot 53 D 444, Memoranda of Conversation with the President)↩
- Ante, p. 507.↩
- Minister Heath’s telegrams from Sofia of February 13, 14, and 15 reporting: on his inability to secure an appointment with the Foreign Minister are included in file 123 Heath, Donald R.↩