874.00/7–2545: Telegram
The United States Representative in Bulgaria (Barnes) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 26—8:50 a.m.]
383. The more I deal with MinFonAff Petko Stainov the more I am convinced of his intellectual dishonesty and deceit. On July 14 I handed him a note requesting a prompt statement of steps the Bulgarian Govt is prepared to take to assure safe departure of Dimitrov from Bulgaria or would otherwise permit me to be assured of personal safety of Dimitrov if he were to depart from my house. Since then Stainov has sought by various means to impress me with the Herculean nature of his efforts with Communists in interest of satisfactory settlement of Dimitrov affair. He even went so far some days ago to have Secretary General of Foreign Office talk to me about arrangements for early despatch of Bulgarian representative to Washington (Deptel 139, May 2212) in view of bright prospects for an early agreement on Dimitrov.
Yesterday afternoon the Minister laid before me with some show of pride the miserable little mouse his labor has brought forth, namely, a draft note proposing that on leaving my house Dimitrov would be free to take up his residence where he wished in an apartment, in a villa or even in his native village where his wife and children are now installed but, of course, under the surveillance of militia. The draft also provided the Bulgarian Govt would assure the safety and well-being of Dimitrov. Before springing this draft on me, in seeking to impress me with his abhorrence for police cruelty and with his deep and abiding friendship for and efforts in behalf of such truly democratic leaders as Burov, Mushanov and Gichev, he told me with a sly wink that, of course, he could not put the full details of his formula into a note but that he could assure me if I accepted the note he had reason to believe some time later Dimitrov might hope to apply with success for permission to leave the country.
I am afraid I was not successful in hiding my disgust when I replied to the Minister that, of course, he was free to answer my note in [Page 270] the sense of whatever was the decision of the Bulgarian Govt. I referred to his protestations of friendship for democratic leaders now in prison by asking him if he had informed himself as to treatment to which they had been subjected since escape of Dimitrov. He replied these men are now being subjected merely to prison regime to which they had been condemned and that their former treatment was of a favored nature. This is a good measure of merit and worth of the Minister’s friendship. I told him Washington is aware of recent arrests and militia intimidation of political visitors to house of Agrarian Minister Petkov and I pointed out that the whole world knows about Racheva. I explained to him that living in a house having only one room not utilized as a bedroom and in constant companionship with a Bulgarian political refugee (no matter how charming and interesting) and two or more American soldiers was hardly a state of affairs that I desired to perpetuate, but that taking everything into consideration I, as a friend of Bulgaria, could only advise against the despatch of his proposed note.
It was not necessary to make specific mention of a midnight militia provocation at my property a week ago when militia learned efforts were under way again to assure safe departure of Dimitrov. On that occasion militia sought to simulate an attack on them by the American soldiers in my house. They even produced a wounded militia man next morning. Subsequent investigation by Chief of Militia revealed matters of sufficient interest to him about manner in which his own men operate as to cause him to withdraw the uniformed guard around property. Since then only a few civilian scalawags have been on watch about the place vainly trying to conceal themselves in adjoining grain fields. All of these facts were too fresh in mind of Minister to require mention by me.
The upshot of the convers[at]ion was the Minister decided not to communicate his proposed note. He did not however offer any assurance of a further and more satisfactory proposal. I therefore trust Dept will give this telegram and my earlier reports on Dimitrov case the study I believe they deserve and that it will instruct me further in the matter. There is a limit to what human nature will support and this applies not only to myself but to Dimitrov also. I have felt all along a second escape by him would be unfortunate. Perhaps I haye failed to see the woods for the trees. This has been intimated to me by non-Communist members of Govt who thus far have dealt so unsuccessfully with case.
An interesting sidelight on my conversation with Stainov is fact that Sr. Regent Ganev last night assured me that my note of July 14 has not yet been brought up in Cabinet meeting.
Repeated to Moscow as No. 198.