874.00/7–146: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Caffery) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received July 2—6:05 a.m.]
3239. Following is summary of conversation between the Secretary and Kolarov, President of Bulgarian National Assembly.
Kolarov maintained that the Bulgarian people had been completely unwilling to participate in the war against the Allies and had in fact made a considerable military contribution to the war against Germany after the September 4 coup d’état. He felt that that entitled Bulgaria to favorable treatment in the peace treaty and specifically felt that Greek territorial claims should be rejected and that no further reparations would be exacted. He also felt that the Bulgarian Army should not be limited. He insisted upon Bulgarian desire for friendship with western countries and stated anxiety for the resumption of trade with USA and for American economic help in the industrialization of Bulgaria. He insisted that the Bulgarian Government represented an overwhelming majority of the Bulgarian people and maintained [Page 111] that the election held last Fall was considered by the foreign press to have been free. The Opposition had declined an opportunity offered them to participate in the government. He wished a full resumption of normal friendly relations with the USA.
The Secretary in reply spoke generally of the friendship of the American people for the Bulgarian people and stated that even though Bulgaria had declared war on the USA we had no feelings of revenge. The Secretary stressed the great importance attached by the USA to the maintenance of civil rights for all the population, adding that the USA could not understand or approve any system of government where the opposition is permitted to have no press, where political arrests are continually taking place and where there is no possibility for people freely to express their will in elections. The Secretary stated that he was unable to accept Kolarov’s contention that the Bulgarian elections had been regarded by foreign correspondents as free. The Secretary also referred to the Ethridge report23 which showed that the opposition were not given full civil rights. He stated that he had understood that Stalin and Molotov were going to exert influence to bring about conditions in Bulgaria under which the opposition could have such rights, but his understanding on this point had not been fulfilled. Secretary stated he wanted it clearly understood that USA was not asking for reparations. In regard to the limitation of Bulgarian Army Secretary remarked that if Bulgaria had no aggressive intentions against its neighbors as Kolarov declared, its future security would depend not on its Army but on the United Nations. Secretary stressed fact that USA would support the United Nations with all of the forces at its command.
In conclusion Kolarov stated that he would promise that within 3 months Bulgaria would hold free and open elections with adequate guarantee for a Constituent Assembly.
Secretary stated that this promise of free elections made him happy and that he looked forward to its fulfillment and the removal of obstacles to normal friendly relations which now exist not only between the Bulgarian and American people but between their Governments.
Sent Department 3239, repeated Sofia 18.
- In October and November 1945, Mark Ethridge, at the request of the Secretary of State, visited Bulgaria and Rumania in order to ascertain the representative character of the Governments in those countries. For text of Ethridge’s summary report to the Secretary, dated December 7, 1945, see Foreign Relations, 1945, vol. v, p. 633.↩