Office of the Historian

501.BB/9–2048: Telegram

The Minister in Bulgaria (Heath) to the Secretary of State

confidential   urgent
niact
Sofia, September 20, 1948—noon.

1188. Deptel 568, September 13.1 We are nonplussed by opinion British Foreign Office official (London’s 4179, September 18 to Department)2 [Page 371] that Department’s proposal of publicized reply to Bulgarian Foreign Minister’s remarkable assertion of having fulfilled terms of Peace Treaty comes too late and would “muddy the waters” at this moment when question of voluntary limitation veto in procedural matters and on applications for UN membership may be under preliminary discussion in GA. I must state seriously my belief that this opinion and decision not to reply here would meet with hearty approval Kremlin and Bulgarian regime. Top Bulgarian Foreign Office officials barely conceal amused relief over recent joint decision to let treaty violations go without public protest or without invoking machinery of enforcement provided in treaty.

From here it appears impossible that Soviets will voluntarily give up veto UN membership applications unless we surrender our objections to admission satellites including Albania which I assume we have no present intention of doing.

Publication of reply to mendacious public statement of Foreign Minister would, I believe, have no effect other than salutary one of further clearly impressing Kremlin with seriousness of our insistence on observance of treaty commitments and peaceful international behavior.

As regards statement that delay of two weeks too late to reply issues presented in Foreign Minister’s statement and Department’s proposed reply have not been allowed die here witness Foreign Minister’s publicized reply to Secretary General of UN on Greek question (Legtel 1184, September 18).3

It might be more effective if both Britain and US would reply publicly to Foreign Minister’s international propaganda statement but I trust Department will go through with its original project unless higher authority in British Foreign Office advances reasons against such action more valid than those voiced by Wallinger.4 British Legation here has recommended that reply should be made to Foreign Minister’s statements.

Sent Department 1188, repeated London 88.

Heath
  1. In a statement to the Bulgarian Parliament on September 3, 1948, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kolarov, among other things, asserted that Bulgaria had faithfully fulfilled her obligations under the Bulgarian Peace Treaty and accused the United States of unjustly denying Bulgaria admission to the United Nations. Minister Heath urged that a prompt official refutation of Kolarov’s assertions might have a sobering effect on the Bulgarians. The Department felt that consideration of United Nations membership applications would not take place during the early stages of the United Nations General Assembly session scheduled to open in Paris on September 21 and that the Assembly would therefore not afford a forum for prompt refutation. In telegram 568, September 13, to Sofia, sent to London as 3616, not printed, the Department proposed, subject to British concurrence in parallel action and the comments of the Legation in Sofia, to authorize Minister Heath to seek a meeting with Foreign Minister Kolarov and make known United States views orally and to leave an aide-mémoire confirming the conversation (501.AA/9–1348). Telegram 584, September 21, to Sofia, not printed, took note of the British Government’s reluctance to make a parallel démarche to the Bulgarian Government, reaffirmed the desirability of taking cognizance of Kolarov’s statements and accusations, and authorized Minister Heath to make a unilateral representation to Kolarov as originally proposed subject to some minor revisions in the proposed draft aide-mémoire (501.BB/9–1848). Additional supplementary instructions on the proposed representation were contained in telegram 588, September 22, to Sofia, not printed (501.BB/9–2248).↩
  2. Not printed.↩
  3. Not printed; for documentation regarding the concern of the United States over the civil war in Greece and the violation of Greece’s northern frontier, see pp. 222 ff.↩
  4. Geoffrey A. Wallinger, Head of the Southern Department, British Foreign Office.↩