CURRENT PURGES IN BULGARIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01676R003100090006-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 31, 2008
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: November 6, 1962
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2008/12/31: CIA-RDP80B01676R003100090006-5
6 November 1962
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence
VIA: Deputy Director (Plans) ,Jy
SUBJECT: Current Purges in Bulgaria
1. This memorandum is for the information of the
Director of Central Intelligence.
2. On the opening day of the VIM: Bulgarian Communist
Party Congress, seven of the Party's ranking members were
removed from their Party and Governmental posts. This purge
represents the most extensive de-Stalinization action under-
taken by the Bulgarian Government since the XX Party Congress
of the CPSU in 1956. The first step in the de-Stalinization
campaign was in April 1956 when Prime Minister Vulko Chervenkov
was replaced by Anton Yugov. Between 1956 and 1961 the Bul-
garian Communist Party took very little further action toward
de-Stalinization despite continued Soviet pressure. In
November 1961 the then Minister of the Interior Georgi Tsankov
and his two deputies were removed, given other Government
posts and the powers of the Ministry Since
then plans
for urt er de-Stalinization measures. Yesterday's action
saw the final expulsion of the former Ministry of Interior
officials and. the ouster of Anton Yugov himself. While Yugov
was ostensibly purged as a Stalinist, it is felt this was
more probably a personal power play of Todor Zhivkov, First
Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party, who used this means
of disposing of one of the Party's abler leaders. The actual
purge of Stalinists is long overdue and probably represents
the maximum de-Stalinization effort the Bulgarians feel they
can afford at this time.
Approved For Release 2008/12/31: CIA-RDP80B01676R003100090006-5
 Approved For Release 2008/12/31: CIA-RDP80BO1676R003100090006-5
Approved For Release 2008/12/31: CIA-RDP80BO1676R003100090006-5