874.00/5–2545: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the United States Representative in Bulgaria (Barnes)
143. Reurtel 268, May 24. Your action has the Department’s entire approval. We consider that through your prompt notification to the Bulgarian authorities and your action in obtaining their declaration of intention to work out a solution for Dimitrov’s safety you have kept within reasonable limits as regards the application of the principle of asylum, and at the same time have placed the ultimate responsibility for the protection of Bulgarian political leaders on the Bulgarian Government where it belongs.
We should prefer not to exact guarantees that Dimitrov would remain abroad for an indefinite period and refrain from political activity. Until, however, the principal Allied Governments have determined their respective responsibilities in the “second period” of armistice control and have come to an agreement on the application of the Yalta principles to the internal situation in Bulgaria, it would probably be unrealistic to expect that Dimitrov’s personal safety or [Page 225] the political interests of his supporters can be safeguarded by the assurances of officials whose authority is nominal while the real power of Dimitrov’s enemies remains unchecked.
We accordingly think that, if the Bulgarian authorities find that they can assure Dimitrov’s safety by no other means than arranging for his departure, such action should be taken by them and not by you or General Crane, in order not to prejudice the position of this or any other government party to the Yalta Declaration on Liberated Europe in reviewing the incident together with other recent political events in Bulgaria. With these factors in mind you are authorized to press for what seems on the spot the best assurances for Dimitrov’s safety.
We hope that Bulgarians are coming to realize the impression on world public opinion made by the succession of uncontrolled acts by elements whose excesses the Bulgarian Government seems unable to hold in check.
For the event that the Soviet authorities or others may assert the right of the ACC to dispose of the Dimitrov case, we are sending in a separate telegram56 a discussion of certain questions of asylum which have arisen in Rumania, although the circumstances in the present case are not parallel.
- Infra. ↩