Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, Europe, Volume IV

740.00119 Control (Bulgaria)/2–2445: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State

Moscow, February 24, 1945—4 p.m.
[Received February 25—4:07 a.m.]

541. Copy of telegram of British Foreign Office to British Embassy, Washington of February 21, concerning Bulgarian Control Commission has been made available to me by British Ambassador here. I note that British Embassy, Washington is instructed in that message to seek support of our Government for a further approach to the Russians on this subject.

I wish to make the following observations on these British suggestions:

(a) I do not feel that it would be wise for us to try to use the arrangements arrived at in the case of Hungary as a lever for improvisement [improvement?] of treatment of our representative on the Bulgarian Control Commission. If we are dissatisfied with the treatment General Crane is getting (and the telegrams received from Sofia seem to indicate that we still have cause to be) let us take the matter up firmly with the Russians on its own merits without reference to Hungary, in the light of discussions that preceded conclusion of Bulgarian armistice, and insist on what we consider ourselves to be entitled to. I think we should do this independently of the British. When we negotiated with the Russians the terms to be presented to Hungary we were envisaging specifically the situation in that country and we did not take position with the Russians that any arrangement we might make with respect to Hungary would automatically become valid for other countries. I think that it would be inappropriate and add to unavailing argument if we were now to attempt to claim for the Hungarian arrangements applicability to the situation prevailing in another country. (Please see in this connection Embassy’s 279, January 30, 11 a.m.)

(b) I do not have a copy of the British proposals for the second period contained in the note circulated to American and Soviet delegations at Yalta.⁷⁷ I see no reason, however, why we should not demand that during the second period, regardless of presence of Soviet troops in Bulgaria, no policy decisions should be taken by the Commission without concurrence of our representative, leaving to the Soviet chairman the exercise of executive power.

Sent to Department as 541, repeated to Sofia as 14.

Harriman

77. Circulated on February 10, Foreign Relations, The Conferences at Malta and Yalta, 1945, p. 889.