Evening star., 1941-09-19
Thot Bulgarian Navy

Inot bulgarian navy
Bulgaria's reported request to the
Turkish government for permission
| to pass a number of its warShipS
from the Mediterranean through the
Straits into the Black Sea indicates
one of the cleverest diplomatic tricks
attempted in the present war. 1t is
undoubtedly a subterfuge to slip in
Italian or German craft under Bull
gaMan colors.
Until very recently, Bulgaria's
naval establishment was almost on
par with the famous Swiss Navy.
BY the peace treaty which fixed
Bulgaria's armaments after the
Great War, that country was limited
to four miniature torpedo craft with
torpedo apparatus removed, for
coastal police duty, plus few motor
boats for similar duty on the River
Danube. Those restrictions were re-
moved by the agreement signed
three years ago between Bulgaria
and her Balkan neighbors, but the
latest edition of James Fighting
Ships, authoritative register of the
worlds navieS, lists six torpedo craft,
none of them exceeding 100 tons
register, and the same number of
motor patrol boats. This, of course,
does not include German submarines
and E-boats shipped down the
Danube or sent by rail in sections for
reassemblage in Bulgarian and
Rumanian Black Sea ports during
recent months. But it does clearly
indicate that Bulgarias own navy
has been infinitesimal in strength,
and there Is every reason to believe
that none of those small craft had
left Black Sea waters.
Now, however, Bulgaria is re-
portedly asking Ankara to pass eight
destroyers, torpedo boat, a SUBJ
marine and some E-boatS through
the Straits from the Mediterranean.
British authorities have been quick
to point out that these must be Axis
warships transferred to Bulgarian
registry, and also that they must
still be manned by Axis crews, since
Bulgaria simply does not have the
naval officers and sailors to man and
operate so Sizable squadron.
Nevertheless, though the subter-
fuge Is plain, Bulgaria seems to have
a technical case. The diplomatic
convention regulating the use of the
Straits makes several distinctions
between the navies of nations in
general and those three countries
which border on the Black Sea. This
trio, Bulgaria, Rumania and Russia,
have legal right, when non-bellig-
erents, to send through the Straits
warshipS which have been built or
purchased abroad. Doubtless, Bull
garia has purchased" those ships of
the Axis powers, even by a wash"
transaction. And Turkey still regards
Bulgaria as a non belligerent in the
war This is logical, because Britain
has never declared war against Bull
garia, though it has declared that
country xis-occupied enemy terri
tory, while Russia has not formally
severed diplomatic relations as Brit
ain did last spring.
Such seem to be the facts of a
curious diplomatic episode. Yet it is
unlikely that the problem will be
solved purely on its legal merits.
The whole situation in the Near East
is governed increasingly by power
politics" in which judicial niceties"
have Scant place. Both Bulgaria
and Turkey are in the grip of
stronger forces, ready to go to any
lengths in order to make their re-
spective wills prevail. How Turkey
will interpret" Bulgaria's request is
likely to depend on the pressures
exerted upon Ankara from Berlin,
London and Moscow. Since. the
statesmen at Ankara are stern real
lists, their decision will be determined
by vital national necessities rather
Nv,