811.91274/7–745: Telegram
The United States Representative in Bulgaria (Barnes) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 8—12:50 p.m.]
342. In connection with our unsuccessful efforts thus far to obtain entry for United States correspondents into Bulgaria, believe that following reply to [of] Bulgarian Ministry of Propaganda to a protest from the one American journalist here, Constantine Poulos, Overseas News Agency, about the strict censorship to which his messages are subjected while those of Russian and Yugoslav correspondents are not censored, will be of interest to the Department:
“Your statement concerning sending despatches by Russian and Serbian correspondents without being conformed (sic) to the censorship regulations, cannot be investigated for the simple reason that there are no such correspondents in Sofia.
If you have in mind the agencies Tass and Tanjug we would like to inform you that they are government institutions enjoying full diplomatic privileges provided by the international relations [apparent omission].”
Repeated to Moscow as 185.