Bulgarian Crisis Becoming Serious

Northern Advocate, 14 December 1943, Page 3

Bulgarian Crisis Becoming Serious

(Received 11.30 a.m.)

LONDON, December 13

Riots and disturbances are spreading throughout Bulgaria because of the Bulgarian Government’s continued collaboration with Germany, say reports from Ankara. Cairo radio stated that the Bulgarian crisis has reached a new climax. Frequent conferences have been held in the past few days. Present events resemble the period before the Bulgarian break-up in 1918, and anti-German feeling is becoming more apparent.

Ankara messages say that the Ger-< mans are desperately trying to increase their grip on Bulgaria and to prepare, the country’s defences to resist an Allied invasion. They are demanding greater military measures and explicit assurances of loyalty from the Bulgarian Government. On the other hand the Bulgarian army is believed to. be demanding assurances from the Germans that it will not. be drawn into war against the Russians.

Brazzaville (French Equatorial Africa) radio stated that the Germans are feverishly building new aerodromes and improving communication lines in Bulgaria. The Ankara correspondent of the Associated Press reports that within the last two weeks. Bulgarian troops have refused to fight against Yugoslav partisans. Partisans said that a whole company of Bulgarian troops came over to their side. It is reported from Budapest that the Germans’ chief negotiator for South-eastern Europe (Dr. Neubacher) arrived at Budapest unexpectedly. His visit has attracted the greatest attention. Threat of Civil War Bulgaria is now faced with definite threat of civil war if her leaders continue their pro-German policy, says the diplomatic correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph." Bulgarian partisans, openly fighting against the Germans, control large areas of the mountain ous districts and acts of sabotage are becoming frequent. v The course which the Premier (Bojilov) is most likely to choose as things stand now, is to form a new Ministry of men who. though fundamentally pro-German, are not so clearly identified with pro-German policy as their recent colleagues. The threat of Allied invasion, although steadily growing, is not immediate, and Bojilov may try, under German pressure, to keep Bulgaria warring on the German side as long as possible. According to the Berlin pews agency, the Bulgarian Ministers for Education and Railways addressed a Sofia meeting summoned by the Government-, controlled League of Bulgarian Workers, and called on workers not to let the enemy influence or divert mem from their work. The Madrid correspondent of the “Daily Mail” reports that the “peace or war” struggle' has spread to Rumania. Supporters of Maniu. leader of the Peasant Party, are forcibly resisting conscription for the army. The Istanbul correspondent of ' the “Daily Telegraph” says that huge demonstrations are reported ’to have been held in Bucharest and other chief towns of Rumania on the anniversary of cession, to Hungary of the Rumanian province of Transylvania. The increasing violence of newspaper polemics is sharpening the tension between Rumania and Hungary and causing much concern in Berlin which is unable to restrain its pugnacious satellites. Cairo radio stated that the Hungarian peace party has flooded Hungary with pamphlets urging the people not to help the war effort, but to help the peace party to power. The Government is holding' a meeting after a meeting of Cabinet.

_ Turkey’s Position Uneasy Axis newspaper correspondents who spent half an hour with the Turkish Foreign Minister (M. Mcnemencoglu) after his interview with Allied correspondents, apparently bombarded the Minister with insistent queries as to whether (lie Cairo conference meant that Turkey was about to enter the war, says the Ankara correspondent of the Associated Press. M. Menemenooglu. as with Allied correspondents, maintained that Turkey’s policy was unchanged and according to an official transcript of the interview just released, also said that Turkey’s policy to the Axis would remain unchanged. . One German correspondent asked whether M. Menemencoglu's statement that relations with Russia were now almost the same as with England, was based on new communications concerning Marshal Stalin’s conception of future order in Europe and the Near East. M. Menemencoglu replied: “We exchanged views upon a combination of problems for which President Roosevelt and Mr. Churchill had a special Russian mandate. We have never experienced any friction in our relations with Russia. Those relations have emerged strengthened from Cairo conference.” The Associated Press comments that this has sounded the knell to von Papen’s diplomatic move which at one time seemed likely to succeed, to paralyse the Turko-British alliance by embroiling Turkey with Russia. The German new agency states that the Turkish Government is giving a detailed statement regarding the Cairo conference at a meeting of Government Party’s Parliamentary group on Tuesday.