Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Eastern Europe; Finland; Greece; Turkey, Volume X, Part 2

42. Memorandum of Conversation⁰

Washington, September 26, 1960.

SUBJECT

• United States-Bulgarian Relations

PARTICIPANTS

• Dr. Peter G. Voutov, Bulgarian Minister
• EUR—Mr. Foy D. Kohler
• EE—Mr. Moncrieff J. Spear

Following his return from consultation in Bulgaria, Dr. Voutov called on Mr. Kohler on September 26, 1960 at his request to discuss the travel of Mr. Todor Zhivkov around the United States and to review US-Bulgarian relations. (The discussion of Zhivkov’s travel is reported in a separate memorandum of conversation.)¹

Financial and Cultural Negotiations

Dr. Voutov opened the conversation by expressing his hope for expansion of US-Bulgarian economic relations. He said that he was aware of the obstacles, including the tariff problem, which would involve Congressional action. However, he believed that first “other” hurdles should be removed. In reply, Mr. Kohler said that we had contemplated negotiations on “remaining problems”, and would start our preparations and hope to be ready for informal talks in two or three weeks, if the Bulgarians were agreeable. Dr. Voutov replied that the Bulgarians would be ready by the middle of October for preliminary discussions. At that time it could be decided whether to hold the negotiations here or in Sofia.² Mr. Kohler said that he would designate Mr. Vedeler and Mr. Katz as the US representatives, and Dr. Voutov responded that Mr. Tatev and Mr. Chterev from the Legation would be the Bulgarian negotiators.³

Mr. Kohler then added that if all went well with the economic talks, it might be possible to discuss arrangements in the cultural field some time in November, after Mr. Siscoe had returned from leave. Dr. Voutov was agreeable to this. He and Mr. Kohler then reviewed a number of recent exchanges between Bulgaria and the US, and Dr. Voutov observed that such exchanges need not always be on a basis of strict reciprocity. To this Mr. Kohler replied that as a matter of principle we had always felt that formal cultural arrangements between governments should not restrict other, private efforts in the field.

Status of Missions

Referring to the agreement which he and Mr. Kohler had signed on the resumption of US-Bulgarian relations, Dr. Voutov said that he and his Government felt that US-Bulgarian diplomatic representation at the Legation level was an anachronism and did not correspond to the state of our relations. Now that a year and a half had passed since the agreement had been signed, he felt that this matter should be reconsidered.

Mr. Kohler replied that he would take note of Dr. Voutov’s statement. Personally, he was sympathetic to his argument, and he hoped that it would be possible to consider the question before too long.

Consular Complaints

Dr. Voutov next launched into a long series of complaints about Bulgarian difficulties in obtaining US visas. He cited three specific cases:

1. The case of the Bulgarian representatives to the World Forestry Congress, who only got their visas at the last minute;

2. The Bulgarian delegate to the Cuban Communist Party Congress, who was refused a transit visa; and

3. The restrictions on a Bulgarian journalist who was given a transit visa to cover the UN General Assembly.

With regard to the last case, Dr. Voutov reported that when the Bulgarian Foreign Minister had first heard of it in New York, his initial reaction was to order the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry in Sofia to restrict American correspondents at the Plovdiv Fair to the Plovdiv area. Dr. Voutov had prevailed on him to withhold this action until the Legation could find out from the Department what was involved. It was explained to Dr. Voutov that this was required by US visa laws, but that we were prepared to take the matter up with the Immigration Service if the Legation would let us know where the Bulgarian journalist wanted to travel outside the midtown New York area. Nevertheless, Dr. Voutov objected that our restriction was discriminatory.

In a general reply to Dr. Voutov’s complaints, Mr. Kohler said that he had been unaware of any Bulgarian visa problems, and would look into the matter. In general he felt that such things should go smoothly.

0. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.69/9–2660. Confidential. Drafted and initialed by Spear and initialed by Kohler and Vedeler.
1. A copy of the memorandum of conversation, dated September 26, is Ibid., 320/9–2660. Zhivkov, First Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party, was in the United States to attend the 15th Session of the U.N. General Assembly September 22–December 20. No records of his travels in the United States or of any talks with U.S. officials have been found in Department of State files.
2. Department of State officials met informally with Bulgarian officials in Washington on November 22 when the latter stated their readiness to initiate financial claims discussions. U.S. officials suggested January 10, 1961, as a possible starting date. (Telegram 153 to Sofia, November 25; Ibid., 611.6992/11–2560) No other negotiations took place between U.S. and Bulgarian officials in the fall of 1960.
3. Christo Tatev was Counselor and Kiril Chterev was the First Secretary of the Bulgarian Legation in Washington.