BULGARIA'S REPLY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 288, 17 September 1941, Page 5

BULGARIA'S REPLY

ATTITUDE TOWARD RUSSIA. AGGRESSIVE DESIGNS DENIED. ' ' " . / ACTIONS ENTIRELY INTERNAL. (United Press Association—Copyright.) (Roc. 10 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 16. The Bulgarian Note in reply to Russia’s warning denies aggressive intentions against Russia and declares that she has taken only defensive precautionary measures. Bulgaria pro* tested against the assertion that the change in the penal regulations was preparation for an attack against tho Soviet. “The change is entirely of-in-ternal significance, and it is regretable that the Soviet misconstrues the facts of Bulgaria’s domestic life, otherwise she would not have ground for complaining of Bulgaria’s disloyalty to Russia,” says the Note “Tho statement that Bulgaria lias become a German and Italian base for hostilities against the Soviet especially surprises the Bulgarian Government, which knows nothing of provocative action against the Soviet on Bulgarian soil.” The Note alleges that bombs dropped over Bulgaria proved to be of Soviet origin. i RUSSIAN EVACUEES IN TURKEY DIPLOMATIC BREACH EXPECTED. (Rec. 11.45) ISTANBUL, Sept. 16. Nearly 100 Russian evacuees have arrived from Bulgaria. They include .the wives and children of the staff of the Russian Embassy at Sofia. Many of the evacuees express the opinion that Russia will shortly break: off relations with Bulgaria. The Berlin radio declared that the purge of the Communists is proceeding throughout Bulgaria.