MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION CONCERNING THE KURDZHALI AREA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A003200730001-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 27, 2005
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 11, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY Bulgaria
Miscellaneous Information
Concerning tbB Kux'dzhali Area
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CONFIDENTIAL
This Document contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
ing of Title 18, Sections 793 and 794, of the V.S. Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form is prohibited.
REPORT NO.
DATE DISTR.
NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT NO.
REFERENCES
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11 January 1954
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(Notei Washington Distribution Indicated by "X"l Field Distribution By "#".)
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5.
Transfer of
T ova to the Regular Army
On 1 August 1953, in Konaki Dol, Madan Okoliya, an order was re-
ceived from the Chief Administration of the Trudovak Service (Glav-
noto Upravlenie ma Trudovata Povinnost) ordering all Trudovak:s to
turn in their.effects and to be ready for transfer to the regular
Army by 12 August 1953, The order was osarried out. The Trudovaks
turned in their equipment, were issued K rations (dry food),, and
set out, escorted by Captain QELOV (.fn'=s) , staff officer of bat-
talion Podelenie 14-90. However, at Srednogtrtai''Madan' Okb .iya,
the director of the mining district, a Soviet, caught up with the
truck in which the Trudovaks were riding and took them back? The
Soviet directors name is not known, Capain~Angelov was arrested
by the director and turned over to the D3 (Durzhavna. Sigurnost;
State Security); he was released the same evening.
Three hundred Trudovaks from the Madan Mning Basin, of which 30-
40 were from Podelenie l4-90, were released in accordance with
the order. Most of those retained were trained machine special-
ists whose release would have had an adverse affect on the work.
Subsequently, Trudovaks in Podelenie 14-90 received letters from
Trudovak;friends serving with units in the interior of the country,
saying that they had been transferred to the r?
Purchase of Mules by thee ArmX
During August 1953, in Madan and in Ustovc, Smolyan Okoliya, the local
inhabitants were obliged to sell their largest and finest mules to
the Army. In Madan this was carried out by a commission, composed
of a Captain (Kapitan), Lieutenant (Leytenant), a Master Sergeant
(Starshina),'and a civilian (a member of the Okoliya PeopleVs Coun-
oil); the commission was assisted by five or six soldiers.
6. All inhabitants of the Okoliya were ordered to bring their mules to
the square in Madan on a given day,, On the appointed day 150 mules
25X1 had been gathered, and of these the Communists selected the larges
and best, and returned the rest
25X1 The mules wer away in the direction of
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CONFIDENTIAL
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Srednogortsia Between 2500 and 3500 leva was paid for each animal,
this was considered a completely unsatisfactory price, and the vil-
lagers from whom the mules were requisitioned loudly expressed
their indignation.
During the same period a. similar requisitioning occurred in K.rd-
zhal,i for the Kurdzhali OkoLiya, except that in this case the com-
mission was composed of three or four civilians and that oxen, not
mules, were requisitioned. Also, in this case the owners d,
but it is not
was rumofea triat the oxen
were to be sent to the ov? t o
Amnesties
S. In August 1953 there was an order amnestying prisoners
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90
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1260
prisoners from the Sliven prison were released at the same
The amnesties were completely unexpected. One day, over the loud-
speaker at the Sliven prison, the names of 260 prisoners were an-
nounced, and by evening these persons had been released
the amnesties applied p.rinai-.
pa y to criminal r, soners and to those who were sentenced for black
market activities
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25X1 The Mariyno Concentration. Camp
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11 Q The Marlyno Concentration Camp
is located approximately 100 metes.;no:rt of Cara Mariyno, D mitrov-
gra.d Okbliya, and comprises an area approximately 120 x 80 meters,
surrounded by a thick baxbed-wire fence. In the camp area there
are seven 1-story buildings of variot.s sizes, un lastered on the
outside, and roofed with red "Marseille" tiling.
12, The buildings were used by the inriattest, by the administrative per-
sonnel, and as offices, On the northern side of the area, within
the barbed wire enclosure, were two mine-shaft openings, for ex-
tracting coal Number and names of shafts not known..
i)a During 1949 there were 190 persons in the camp, However.
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14.
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persons.
the camp was built for
15. There were three or four towers, theee meters higb9 located at
the four corners of the enclosure The camp was Guarded by six
to eight Militiamen from a unit (Vehastuk) in Mariyno, The camp
was run by a director, assisted by six or seven guards and In-
struotore.
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The Kurdzhali LoriI Prison2
16? The K .rdzha1i local prison (Brdzha1iy, ki Mesten Zatvur) is lo-
cated northeast of Kurdzhalt, approximately 400 meters east of
the old road to Khaskovo, and approximately 200-300 meters from
thsMohammedan graveyard, in the midst of an agricultural farm,,
The prison is an old 2-story stone or brick building (no rein-
forced concrete) with walls one meter thick, approximately 20
x 30 meters in size; the roof is of "MErseille" tile.
17. In the basement there are three solitary cells, three punish-
ment wards (capacity three or four persons,), and a prison mess o
The first floor is comprised of 14 prison cells, approximately
4 x 3 meters9 with wooden floors, The oorridors between the
cells also have wooden floors.
18. In the prison court there were three small 1-.story buildings
which served as offices, storerooms, and workshops. The prison
and the small buildings in the court ara surrounded. by a stone
wall five or six meters high and one meter thick. The enclosed
area is approximately 100 x 50 meters. The prison could accommo-
date 460 persons (according to prisoners who had been there a long
time); however, during 1949 there was an average of approximately
200 prisoners. In the prison, there were no inmates who had re-
ceived long sentences for political offenses.
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19. The prison was run by a director and four guards it was guarded
by eight Militiamen and a sergeant,, all of whom came every day
from Ktzdzhai,io There were two guard booths (budki Za postovete),
subsequently abolished, and two Militiamen patrolled the outside
of the prison enclosure. At night, four strong electric lights
placed on 1-meter high platforms in the corners of the enclosure,
lighted the court-
20. In the prison there were no workshops for producing merchandise.
The prisoners in the cells were taught to weave sandals and make
fish netso There were small work hope for clothing and shoes,
which were worked by the prisoners. The prison had a large farm
and vegetable garden on which there were several small buildings.
Prisoners who had short sentences or whose sentences had expired
worked on the farm; some lived in the small fart buildings mentioned
above. The entire farm and vegetable garden are enclosed by a half.-
ruined wire fence,
I m. aroveme al-of the Madan K.~iraz ha. i F.o (Personal Observation)
21.. The improvement of the Madan-Kt rdz.ha.ll Road was begun in 1951. The
sharp curves are being removed and the road widened. Many of the
sharp curves are to be abandoned, since a now roadbed will out -. _.
right through elevations Where this is not possible, the elevations
are being flattened to allow for widening the road. This work is
being done in about 15 places between Byal Izvor (N 4133, E 25-05),
Ardino Okoliya, and Srednogo.rtoi (N 41-32, E 24.55), Madan Okoliya,
At the same time the entire road surface is being widened and is
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going to be 11 meters wide.
25X1 The road improvement, was Ring done by appr5
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30Q-400
vilian workmen,mostl.y from local villages,
25X1 Resistance to th_?Rehim.
22.
a partisan group of about
25X1 40 persons in the mountains around the villages of Kerezl,3, (sic),
Khaskovo Okoliya, Kyopryolya (Most N 41-44; E 25-31) K irdzhali.
25X1 Okoliya, and Per erek (N 41-41; E 25-33):, Kurdzhali Okoliye..
this mountainous area east of the Khaskovo-
25X1 Kx,r z a, ., rail ne is very suitable for a group o ? this sort,
25X1 because it offers good cover and is extremely difficult for pur.
suers, as it is covered by a large? dense forest and haft rocky
and precipitous places where one man could stop an entire company
25X1 of soldierso the group could be destroyed only
from the airo No details concerning the groups activity, or an
measures taken to oombat the grou
25X1 I ui.n August , the Militia
arrested a certain "Poturlu" (exact name not known) from Kerezll.,
25X1 Khashovo Qkoliya, for sheltering members of the group,
25X1 JC omment s
1 "Marseille" tiling is approximately 8m1O inches wide and
12-14 inches long. It is flat as opposed to the ordinary
curved, narrow tiles-,
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CONFIDENTIAL
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