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1978

Bulgarian General Stoyanov Meets KGB Geneneral Bobkov to Discuss Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty

[excerpt]     

Top Secret!

 

rePort
From Lt. General Petur Stoyanov,
Chief of VI
th Directorate – DS [State Security]

 

Regarding: the visit to the USSR of a Bulgarian delegation from VIth directorate – DS [State Security]

 

At the invitation of the leadership of KGB’s Vth directorate, a delegation from VIth Directorate DS [state security] stayed in Moscow from the 4th to the 9th of July 1978, in order to accept and sign a plan for collaborative counter-intelligence activities [to be carried out] by VIth Directorate DS and KGB’s Vth Directorate for the period 1978-1980.

 

The delegation from VIth directorate ds consisted of: Lt. Gen. Petur Stoyanov—head, Colonel Naiden Petrov—Chief of Department I, Colonel Angel Tzenov—Chief of Department V, and Colonel Christo Lazarov—Chief of Department VII.

 

The delegation from KGB’s Vth Directorate consisted of: Lt. Gen. F.D. Bobkov—head, Major Gen. Markelov—First deputy chief of KGB’s Vth Directorate, Colonel B.C. Strunin—Chief of the Department I, Colonel Olovyanikov—Chief of Department X, Colonel Chertishev P.I.— Chief of Department VI, and Colonel E.D. Zyazin—Deputy Chief of Department.

 

The comprehensive activity of the Committee of Radio Liberty and Radio Free Europe, which unites all enemy forces against the USSR and other fraternal countries, can be felt. Comrade Bobkov emphasizes that, for now, the KGB is falling behind in denouncing this committee. Not a single collaborator of Radio Liberty has been denounced as being recruited by the enemy’s secret services. RL’s subversive propaganda has been exposed, but its intelligence activity has not. RL collaborators have been identified and monitored, but they always come up under a different flag, under a different cover. The mechanism of the committee’s subversive activity of has not been unveiled and presented. For now, this is an important task facing the KGB. With regard to that, Comrade Bobkov recommended that these questions be put forth for clarification at the trial “Deklarator—78.” On the basis of the available data, KGB’s Vth directorate will make an analysis of [RFE/RL’s] activity directed against all fraternal countries.

 

They recommended discussing the possibility of summoning an international court of justice for a trial against the “committee” along with Radio Liberty and Radio Free Europe.

 

The subversive nationalist activity undertaken by Ukrainian and Baltic nationalists, Zionists and Dashnaks, is very acute and dangerous. After the conference in Budapest, a number of their emissaries, who were in affiliation with the Ukrainian and Baltic nationalist centers or [supporters of] Zionism, were convicted and denounced.

 

The foreign nationalist centers and the Committee on “Radio Liberty” and “Radio Free Europe” actively work to stir up nationalist sentiments, aimed at destroying the unity and solidarity of the nationalities comprising the soviet union, and causing dissent among socialist countries.

 

Measures taken by the KGB

 

The main direction of KGB’s activity remains prevention, especially through the influence of the intelligence apparatus.

 

It is very important to conduct joint activities aimed at denouncing the enemy, in order to expose its concrete actions, established centers and individuals who carry out or inspire these activities; by publishing books, using press material, and making documentary and feature films to show on TV and in movie theaters, [it is important to] raise the vigilance of our citizens and to protect many people who are not acquainted with the essence of the enemy’s subversive actions.

 

The soviet comrades have published around 15 books denouncing RL and RFE, and the “National Labor Union” on human rights. The books are written by good journalists.

 

Books can be compiled and published jointly, and books published in a given fraternal country can be translated in all fraternal countries.

 

RL and RFE get very nervous when their collaborators are denounced in the press.

 

On our Collaboration

 

Our evaluations coincide. The main thing is that our collaboration is becoming more concrete, and it is yielding tangible results. KGB’s leadership gives the same evaluation of our joint work. Our joint plans [help] discipline us and thrust our work forward.

 

It is necessary to broaden our collaboration in the following directions:

 

– Closer joint work on cultural and scholarly exchange channels.

– Joint campaigns to denounce the Committee on RL and RFE and other subversive centers.

– Joint work on monitoring individuals suspected of anti-Soviet actions.

 

Various counter-measures against RFE and RL were discussed in this meeting, including a possible international trial of the “committee” supporting RFE and RL.


Document Information

Source

Bulgarian Subject Collection, Box 12, Hoover Archives. Obtained by A. Ross Johnson. Translation by Sveta Milusheva; edited by Kristina Terzieva.

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Original Uploaded Date

2014-12-19

Type

Meeting Minutes

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Record ID

121520