POLITICAL - TRIALS, ANTI-SEMITISM, PERSONAL PASSPORTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600150142-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 15, 2011
• Sequence Number: 142
• Publication Date: August 12, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/06/16: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600150142-7 --
?Oj ;C CLASSIFICATION SL -f E-T
!`ENTRRSL iNTMU ELIC G CY
SUBJECT Political - Trials, anti-Semitism, personal
~f. n arnrts
OP Tsf W.ITOO o.ATit. ?IT.F? TatNf.... 6 C. TITS' Is i s CTIOn6 Tot
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DATE DIST. /d Aug 1953
NO. OF PAGES 4
SUPPLEMENT ; T?
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
50X1-HUM
thorities ordered a rapid examination of a large number of r4ew Political cases
which were pending for trial. The fit ... of the cases were fu.rni,e'ied to the iu-
dicisl authorities.
All those held in the Belene concentration and forced-labor caw were :~en-
tenced, and the situation was thus "legalized." As a consequence, the courts
ware overworked with political cases which had to have senteir%es pronounced on
them before the end of last year.
ir_ unconfined report says that those condesmeL to d*_ath but whose sen-
tences had not been carried out up to the and. of 1952, were executed on the
night of 30 December - 31 Decetaoer 1952.
coy'IItQ., r#TICTALS CELT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/06/16: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600150142-7
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R-a-C-R-.E-T
The Jewish Question
el
Mi
i
lishe
e I
miss"
-
+
i
ss
on
",
in Sofia has regular
and numerous contacts with Bulgarian Jews at a time When
the Western legations have no contact with the local population.
the anti-Semitic campaign
which is rust b
i
t
t
,
e
ng s
ar
ed by
the a s, bas as its goal not only the serious and effective frightening of
the Jews but also the prevention of any contact between them and Western diplo-
vatic representatives.
in Bulgaria. if it is so effective for B .- - I-- l.ll 4ZlaU way
aria has a small Jewish popu
population, then it can be effective in other ccoounn
trieshwhich have hundreds of -
thousands of Jevs.
There is the question of dismissing Jews from high positions, for every
one of theca has relatives or friends in Israel or other Western countries,
which constitutes for Communist dictatorial regimes too much of a possibility
of espionage.
At a time when they are liquidating those who have served the party a life-
time, they cannot have any confidence in those who have Western contacts, even
if these contacts are denied.
Of tr,e approximately 50,000 Jews who were in Bulgaria before World War II,
trerf, - main now only about 6,500, which is nothing compared to the masses of
:T^a: 1 living in the other Satellite countries.
-iu.pratinn is not entirely suspended, and Jews continue to depart, although
in snail contingents.
It is not known if emigration will continua to he the same in the futu^a
r as Seychev promise . ffLus fad Almost four fifths of the Jewish population
has succeeded in .ixving tae country.
If the Prague trial has nit :yet ham. ai -zffect or, a ,2.ea; ati c. of Bulgarian
Jews, one cannot deny that it struck a herd blow at the Jeve who are still In
the country.
For those wishing to depart, there is always the fear that the authorities
will charge their minds and consider them traitors, because they wish to leave
their adrpted socialist country.
For those who, for family reasons or because of their Ccoaunist convic-
ticns, decided to retain in the country, the situation is not much better, be-
c6use there is always the poesiwiz i ty th t t, y :.. - z be
--?-.r --~ - .7 +~s 'ac ?usa lanai fY'ce lbQlr
r.?ositiors. 't'his is especially true of the Jsvish ptertf ashbers who occupy
norm o-- less important posts in the administration.
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50X1-HUM
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Moscow's anti-Semitic policy
welcome in Bulgaria from both party and nonparty members.
Anti-Ser,^.itism was attractive to very few at the tLoe of the German occupa
on, and it is certain that a press campaign would have no.chance of success,
the Soviet ~orrrrr.mnist Party in Moscow last October returned to Sofia much dish-
~uaiooed. They noticed in the course of their taiks with their Soviet friends
that a general uneasiness had fallen on the USSR, and the announcement of this
plot confirmed their :ears.
Local public opinion, always ready to flare up, has reacted the same way
to a considerable extent. It was judged that the Soviet regime had to fight
again against a serious internal opposition which appeared elowly during the
postwar years. Wishful thinking has led to the conclusion, naive, to say the
least, that there is an imminent Bulgarian liberation, and rare indeed have
been those who have seen a cause and effect relationship in the present rein-
forcement of the "revolutionary vigilance" of the Sofia government.
9owever that may be, the Chervenkov government is visibly attempting to
avoid involving itself in ar?' large-scale anti-Semitic operation, except pith
c'ution. The affair of the operetta "Delyana" once again showed the Prime Min-
ister that the Russian policy in Bulgaria is "divide and rule," and that his
rival, DanVanov, is still in favor with the Kremlin, Because of this, he has
been inclined to be quite modest about showing off the front which the Russians
hav.t given him: officially, Ruben Levi he.s remained chairman of the Co=ittee
of science, Art, and Culture, and only after several weeks viii it be learned
that he has received a new post.
The purge of the militia, in which the Jewish element oectwies an ir r-
tant place, is moving very slowly. The deputy director of the militia, a Jew,
has not been dismissed from his duties in accordance with Xoscow'3 demands. In
R?ruement with the Minister of Interior, Prime Mi.ister Chervenkov sent him
tic eputy director of the militia.7 to Moscow at the beginning of January to
?.lead his personal cause and that of his fellow Jews. Thus, the party and its
sec-etary?general will be able to say, if need be, that they had to act accord-
s n,; to orders.
The government attitude toward Jews who wtah to emigrate is inspired by
the same directives. The militia received instructions to artvise those inter-
_vted to hasten their departure, and there is ao difficulty in getting an exit,
Mc fact Is '--`
?- L t11oV tL~ -.Cl of departures
Pi 'r Tercel were few in the
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S-E-C-R-E-T
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 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/06/16: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600150142-7
Personal Passports
It appears from the confidential instructions
The privileged class and merbbers of the community who are no longer able
to work will receive a lifetime passport.
Workers and civil servants Jill get a 5-year passport.
idly, by administrative decision, the surplus population in cities, especially
labor camp, gives the government a powerful weapon for asserting its discretion-
ary power over all subjects and also for strengthening its control in time of
peace, as veil as during war.
Furthermore, in. Bulgaria, as in the USSR, all men and women in a position,'.,
to do manual or intellectual work will be counted and will have to be given a
work book. This measure, alarming to many Bulgarians, will allow thepar?ty to
introduce forced labor in factories or on the collective farms, because the
Bulgarian nationals who have only provisional certificates can see that they
may be assigned to forced residences at any time.
This new legislation, which transforms the country into an immense forced-
to be useful to the eoa unity.
The "Bulgareks?Fotografiya" (Bulgarian Photography) State Enterprise,
which is attached to the Committee for Cinematography, places its permanent
and t,mp+orarv photo studios at the disposal of the local, population to have
passport photographs taken. The photographs vill be taken in accordance with
who directions given by the )(inistry of Interior on 29 Lauber 1952. Photo-
grepra will be taken in a' ordence with 4.ie d+,receiUn.s given by the Ministry
of Interior on 29 December 1952. 3q?ho1 ugraphs not :aDCen in ancordanso with
specifications may be refuses by the passport office. The takf,r_g of ,passport
phot aphe will be organized by primary OF (Otechestien Front, Fatherland
Front) organizations.
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