Stranica 1 [1]
OCR
8. for J 95 PORT FROM BULGAR In regent weeks, Bulgaria has beyome once more the center of attention for those who follow evolution and symptoms as they appear in communist-led Europe, On May 9th, the Cominform . officially admitted a far-reaching purge that had expelled over 17 thousand members from the Bulgarian Party and added to this ee statement the critical question of how it was possible that so many enemies of the regime could have penetrated into the party rani= — and-file and even into leading posts. On May aay a govermmental. regulation decreed an important monetary reforme inally the new ecclesiastibel law, just promulgated by the Bulgarian goverment e. all confessions and Churches under the legal tutelage of the tate e These three facts put together prove that there is more movement inside this satellite country than is usually admitted, Absolute communist control over Bulgaria is of course a vital issue for Moscow, Bulgaria indeed has only Rumania as Cominform neighbor. In the West and the South, it is surrounded by Yougoslavia, Greeee and Turkey; ih the Bast it is opened on the Black Sea. Very vulnerable in case of war, it is also for the Soviet Union an extremely important base for military action. Moscow therefore is primarily involved in the Bulgarian situation, The result of such Russian interest is constantly inereasing pressure on the Sofia govermment and on its head, the 52 years old leader Vulko Chervenkoy, His task is to repress any opposition movement and to ged up the complete re-organization of the country along the pattern of the Soviet Union. Chervenkoy, haunted by the precedence ease of his onee powerful brother-in-law Georgi Dimitroy, = most eager to accept forceful suggestions that come from 'oscoWe — > = gy "ik as © Tirst great wave of purges swept satellite countries in the years of 1948-49, It was conneeted with the Tite crisis in the Cominform blocks in Bulgaria more specifically with the death of Georgi Dimitroy, At present another such movement has gripped the Cominform Worlds news of recent purges come from Albania, Bulgaria and Rumania and intense rumors speak of similar events preparing in Czecho-Slovakia and Hungarye In Bulgaria, the present purge had been prepared by several months of most consciencious work, carried out all over the country by hundreds of special investigating commissions. ‘The reorganization started at the top. In February, goverment, Central Party Committee and Parliament were cleaned out; all those communists who had too much Dimitroy and partisan past were replaced by — elements better trained in Moscow submission. Then came the purge among loeal leaders and in the rank-and-file. The number of 17.500 " expelled is striking proof of the thoroughness with which the
