BULGARIAN - TURKISH PROPERTY SETTLEMENT; POSSIBLE INDEMNITY PAYMENT BY BULGARIA TO ETHNIC - TURK IMMIGRANTS FOR EXPROPRIATED PROPERTY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A004300960010-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 2, 2010
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: June 16, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/03/02 : CIA-RDP80-0081 OA004300960010-8
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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 U.S. Code, as
INFORMATION REPORT 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.
CONFIDENTIAL CONTROL.-..U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
COUNTRY Bulgaria
Expropriated Property
B lgariar Turkish Property Settlement;
Possible Indemnity Payment by Bulgaria
to Ethnic-Turk Immigrants for
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 16 June 1954
NO. OF PAGES 2
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
1. In the course of the nationalization program during late 1947-early 1948, the
Bulgarian government nationalized a certain percentage of the property owned by the
ethnic Turk minority in Bulgaria. As a result of this nationalization program,,
ethnic Turks emigrating from Bulgaria to Turkey have been unable to transfer much
of their personal property or real estate or to bring much of value out of Bulgaria.
2. This hardship has put the ethnic Turk immigrants in very poor financial straits and
placed, to a large degree, the burden of their future welfare and care on the
Turkish government. Since that time the Turkish government has been carrying on
negotiations with the Bulgarian government in an attempt to obtain indemnity
payments for the expropriated property.1
3. However, in these negotiations, one of the main points of disagreement between
Turkey and Bulgaria has been the evaluation of the expropriated property. The
disagreement was to a large degree caused by Turkish government demands that the
evaluation be based on some equalization of the expropriated property to current
property values in Turkey.
4. The Bulgarian government has recently taken active interest in the settlement of
this problem and specifically in relation to the Turkish demands. The Bulgarian
government, in an effort to prepare for those negotiations.. has asked the
Political Section2 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to collect and report the
following informations
a Statistical: Evaluation in Turkish lira of various Turkish city real-estate
(improved) and various Turkish village real-estate (both improved and non-
improved). These evaluations are not to be based on property in one area9
but are to be made on the basis of property values in five or six administrative
regions such as Istanbul, Izmit and Izmir.
CONFIDENTIAL/CONTROL--U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
X)ARMY X INAVY
FBI I JAEC
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/03/02 : CIA-RDP80-0081 OA004300960010-8
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/03/02 : CIA-RDP80-00810A004300960010-8
CONFIDENTIAL/CONTROL--U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY 25X1
b. Political: Information regarding the nature and extent of Turkish
government retaliation to the expropriation of the ethnic Turk property in
Bulgaria such as the restriction of sale, purchase and exchange of property
owned by Bulgarian citizens residing in Turkey. Specifically;
(1) Are such retaliation measures carried out by law or by governmental
administrative orders.l
(2) Data regarding specific instances, wherin Bulgarian citizens residing in
Turkey have been affected by such law or orders.
c. All information obtained in fulfillment of the above, is to be classi#ied25X1
secret.
Commnt: As a result of the Bulgarian expropriation of ethnic Turk
property and subsequent Bulgarian failure to agree to some sort of settlement,
the Turkish government recently undertook retaliatory measures against
Bulgarian citizens residing in Turkey. Although these measures did not include
expropriation, the Turkish Land Registration Bureau in the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, by administrative order, has prohibited the sale, purchase or transfer
of any property owned by Bulgarian citizens residing in Turkey. This order is
still in effect. Although the Bulgarian citizens affected by this order have
been greatly upset by these retaliatory measures, they have not has yet attempted
to nullify this order through litigation or formal protest.
CONFIDENTIAL/CONTROL--U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/03/02 : CIA-RDP80-00810A004300960010-8