Evening star., 1946-10-26
Truman Removes Duty Bu|garians will Hold
On imported Wood 10 First Election Under
|SpurHousine Program Republic Tomorrow
BY the Associated Press


SOFIA, Oct. 26. - Bulgaria,
one-time Axis satellite and Bal
kan hotspot, will elect the first
republican government In her
history tomorrow in a climax to
months Of pulling and hauling
between the powers of the east
and the west.
Some 100000 citizens-all men
and women over 18-are eligible to
vote by secret ballot for 465 MEM
bers OF the National Assembly of the
new republic, proclaimed on Sep
tember Is after a provisional consti-
tuition which the current assembly
drew up after plebiscite dethron-
ing King Simeon II. Voting will be
for party lists rather than indi-,
viduals. .-.r.
First Clear Cut Opposition.
The election will see the first
clear-cut opposition challenge to the
Communicated Fatherland Front,
which took over the government and
put Bulgaria on the Allied side two
years ago. Opposition leaders, who
boycotted an election the Father
land Front won last November Ii,
will contest tomorrow's balloting.
The Allied Control Commission
for Bulgaria - representing the
United States, Britain and Russia
will be watching the result closely.
Bulgaria fronts, with Russia, on
| the Black Sea and borders Greece.
where Britain has troops, and is not
far from the Dardanelles, whose de-
Ifense Turkey has refused to share
with Russia.
The government has told oppo-
sition parties they may have
watchers at the polls. But the
Russian on the control commission
has blocked two United States
plans for the commission to take
hand in conduct of the campaign
and the election.
Correspondence Published.
Bulgarian newspapers yesterday
published-for the first time-cor-
respondence between United States
Secretary Of State Byrnes and Bull
garian Premier Kimon Georgiev
and between the American and Rus
stan on the commission-Maj. Gen.
w. M. Robertson and Col. Gen.
Sergei s. Biryusov-in regard to
the first plan.
(The State Department said
the United States had proposed
steps in the first plan to assure
the opposition freedom OF the
press, radio and assembly, free
| dom from militia interference
and freedom from any threat OF
post-eIection reprisals and steps
to bring about release of political
prisoners held without charge.
"a Washington announcement
yesterday said the Control Com
mission Thursday decided, on
Gen. Biryusov's motion, to order
publication of the five docu-
| ments in the correspondence.
ION Wednesday, the State De-
partment had said that Gen.
Biryusov, without consulting the
other commissioners, had told
Bulgarian Foreign Minister
Georgi Kulishev to suppress all
the letters.
yesterday, however. the de-
partment reported that Gen. Bir-
y,isov had explained that he had
meant only the correspondence
between himself and other SomAn
mission members, had qdenied
ordering suppression Of the other
.pptes and had moYed, for pub
Ication Of the whole file. T..a,..
- CThe EiisSian said, THE State
Department account continued,
that he would demand an apology
from Mr.. Kulishev for saying that
he had ordered all the CORE
,spondence withheld.
(The State Department said
Gen. Biryusov had blocked COM
mission action on the second
American plan simply by declin-
ing to commit himself Unanim-
ity is required in all commission
oCIkolOliSs
(The American commissioner
had proposed in that plan that
| ballots be counted and returns
made public at individual polling
stations instead of at a central
counting place and that elections
commissions representing all
| political parties observe the vote
and the count0
Premier Georgiev turned down an
opposition demand for postpone
ment of the election, but guaran-
teed each opposition party one pre-
election broadcast on the govern
ment radio.
In the Fatherland Front are the
Bulgarian Workers (Communist) :,
Republican (ZvenO, Government
Agrarian and Government Social
Democratic Parties.
Two party lists will oppose the
front-one put up by the Bulgarian
Democrats and the other by a coali-
of the opposition Agrarian and
Social Democratic Parties.