BULGARIAN NEWS CONFERENCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01070R000100490003-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 13, 2007
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: December 17, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2007/03/14: CIA-RDP88-01070R000100490003-9
RADIO TV REPORTS, INC.
4701 WILLARD AVENUE, CHEVY CHASE, MARYLAND 20815 656-4068
The Today Show
STATION W R C T V
NBC Network
December 17, 1982 7:10 AM CITY Washington, D.C.
Bulgarian News Conference
JANE PAULEY: As NBC News first reported in Marvin Kalb
documentary earlier this year, Italian officials say the Bulgarian
government was involved in a plot to kill the Pope. This morning, in
a rare move, the Bulgarian government held a news conference to tell
its side of the story.
NBC News correspondent Keith Miller is with us now live in
Sofia, Bulgaria.
Keith, good morning.
deny it?
Did the Bulgarians refute the evidence or did they merely
KEITH MILLER: I would say that they denied it. Certainly,
they wanted to refute it. They brought out two members of the
Bulgarian Embassy staff that were in Rome at the time of the shooting.
We think that they weren't involved in the case. These two men are
being sought by the Italian judiciary officials.
The thing is, they did not have specifics. They were very
upset at the world's press, at the kind of coverage they've gotten.
Certainly, any time Bulgaria or any country is implicated in trying to
take the life of the Pope, it's going to cause great problems.
They're under tremendous pressure to try to clear up the case. But I
think they're having difficulty at this point.
PAULEY: Keith, do the Italian officials have specifics in
their charges against these two Bulgarian officials?
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Approved For Release 2007/03/14: CIA-RDP88-01070R000100490003-9
 Approved For Release 2007/03/14: CIA-RDP88-01070R000100490003-9
MILLER: Well, they have the charges against the two that are
now in Bulgaria which they would certainly like to have these men
taken back to Italy. But there is a Bulgarian now in custody for
complicity in the attack on the Pope. He went before a court which
decided that there was enough evidence to hold him. So certainly, if
the Italian judiciary system is saying we have the evidence then you
have to assume that they're certainly telling the truth.
PAULEY: How much of that evidence is public? What do you
MILLER: Well, we know a few things, not all those things can
be mentioned where we're sitting right at the moment. Certainly the
most important one is the fact that Ali Agca, the man convicted of
shooting the Pope, gave a sealed confession to a very important judge
who has been on this case for years, indicating that he had help from
three Bulgarians on the day that he shot the Pope, including
transportation and the fact that the Bulgarians were going to take him
out of the St. Peter's Square to help him escape.
Obviously, he didn't escape. He was arrested. He is the one
who has now implicated three Bulgarians and five Turks in the entire
plot to assasinate the Pope.
PAULEY: Keith, given your reading of the other western
reporters who were at that extremely unusual news conference, did the
Bulgarians seem to raise more questions than they answered?
MILLER: I would say they raised quite a few. I think
especially the Italian journalists were quite strong on asking for
specifics: that if you are denying this, then tell us why. And they
got into a short shouting match at a certain point.
Also, it must be understood that two weeks ago, two Italian
tourists were picked up and charged with spying. And many people
believe that was in retaliation for the accusations against the
Bulgarians.
PAULEY: Keith, thank you; from Sofia, Bulgaria.
Approved For Release 2007/03/14: CIA-RDP88-01070R000100490003-9