874.00/4–1545: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 16—12:20 p.m.]
1182. ReEmbs 1056, April 5, midnight.20 Molotov has written me under date of April 11 in the following sense:
The Soviet Government is unaware as to what motives have provoked the American proposal, as set forth in your letter, especially as, according to its information, there is no intention to carry on elections in Bulgaria in the near future.
Should the Bulgarian Government have in mind, however, to conduct Parliamentary elections, then in that case according to Soviet opinion there would be no need for foreign interference in the holding of such elections just as there was no need for such interference in the recent Finnish elections.21 The Soviet public would be dumb-founded if such interference were found necessary in Bulgaria especially after the successful conducting of elections in Finland without any foreign interference.
The Soviet Government believes all the more that there are no reasons for interference in the holding of the Bulgarian elections since Bulgarian troops are now helping Soviet troops in the struggle against the common enemy—Germany. Bulgaria has not deserved the mistrust which runs through the proposal in your letter of April 5. Bulgaria in any event does not evoke any greater mistrust than Finland, where elections were carried on without outside interference.
It would be appreciated if you would bring these views to the attention of your government.
Sent to Department as 1182, repeated to Sofia as 28.