PRESENCE OF SOVIETS IN BULGARIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700120504-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 14, 2011
• Sequence Number: 504
• Publication Date: August 11, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700120504-7
CLASSIFICATION RESTRICTED
uECURITY IPIFORI?fATION
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS
REPORT
CD NO.
COUNTRY
SUBJECT
HOW
PUBLISHED
Bulgaria
Political - Soviet representatives
Military
Economic
Semiweekly newsletter
DATE OF
INFORMATION 1953
DATE DIST. f ~ 953
WHERE
PUBLISHED Vienna
N0. OF PAGES
2
DATE
PUBLISHED 6 May 1953
LANGUAGE
German
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
Soviet troops are no Longer seen in urban or rural areas of Bulgaria.
Soviet civilians, however, are very conspicuous. They include about 200,000
former Bulgarians who have arrived from the USSR since 1946, either because
they were forced to return to Bulgaria or because they were offered great
incentives to return. They constitute the privileged class, and occupy the
.most responsible and profitable posts in the government. In addition, Soviet
industrial and military delegateE ~dvisers7 are present in Bulgaria. Al-
though the latter are not humble, they are .wre reserved than the former Bul-
garians.
Many of the Soviets are observed traveling by trail to Dimitrovgrad and
Kurdzhali, where the "Rudozem" mines are located.
When Soviet ships anchor in Burgas harbor, the entire harbor authority
is taken over by Soviets and the harbor area is closed so that sailors and
shore workers cannot go to their posts. When Soviet ships are unloaded, all
traffic in the harbor stops. This is one of the feu occasions when Soviets
appear in uniform.
The concentration points for Soviet pilots are the Krumovo airfield, near
Plovdiv, and the Telish airfield, near Pleven, both of which are exclusively
Soviet bases. A large air base near Tolbukhin is being developed ,jointly by
the Soviets and Bulgarians.
Each Bulgarian military unit, from a regiment up, has had Soviet "in-
atructors." These are actually Soviet commissars who are reor~,anizing the
Bulgarian Army according to the Soviet pattern. Since the summer of 1952,
former Bulgarians who returne6 from the USSR leave been replacing the Soviets
in regiments and in divisions, and have been assigned to lower units as well.
Soviet military instructors act as advisers to labor units (trudova
povinost). These labor units consist of soldiers who are ::ot considered
worthy of serving in the re;ular army and who are therefore used in the con-
struction of fortifications at the Yugoslav, Greek, and Turkish borders.
STATE
ARMY
RESTRICTED
cisTRieu~iora I i I ! I
STAT
df~~~ I~~
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700120504-7
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700120504-7
These unite include a large number of Tsrks and almost all recruited eons of
~on-Communis~ old arapr officers and intellectuals. Bulgaria's hatred of
foreigners is evidenced by the fact that tvo labor companies consist of pro-
Cominform Yugoslav refugees and tvo other companies include Greek Partisans
who have fled to Bulgaria.
STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/14 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700120504-7