740.00119 EW/10–2844: Telegram
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Kennan) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 29—12:46 a.m.]
4131. ReEmbtel 4124, October 27, midnight. At last night’s meeting with the Bulgarians the question arose as to the completion by [Page 481] Bulgaria of the preliminary condition for the presentation of armistice terms. Before the meeting began, Molotov handed to me a letter enclosing for the information of the United States Government a copy of a communication which Marshal Tolbukhin had received on October 26 from the Bulgarian Prime Minister Georgiev, stating that on October 25 at 7 p.m. all Bulgarian forces in Belomore, which was described as comprising western Thrace and eastern Macedonia, had been withdrawn to the old Bulgarian-Greek frontier.
It was agreed at the meeting that the circumstances of completion of the preliminary condition required no alteration of the accepted wording of the armistice terms. The Soviet view, namely, that all Bulgarian forces of occupation have been withdrawn from both Greek and Yugoslav territory and that Bulgarian forces now in Yugoslavia are not occupying forces but are operating there under the orders of Marshal Tolbukhin, seemed to meet with general understanding. In view of the presence of General Gammell as military adviser, there was no need for me to comment on this phase of the discussions.
Sent to Department as No. 4131, repeated to AmPolAd Caserta as No. 5.
[The armistice agreement with Bulgaria was signed at Moscow, October 28, at 3 p.m., and the accompanying protocol was signed in the evening of the same day. Texts were released the next day and printed in Department of State Bulletin, October 29, 1944, pages 492–494; printed also as Department of State Executive Agreement Series No. 437, and 58 Stat. (pt. 2) 1498.]