Letter from Sixth Directorate of Bulgarian State Security on KGB Support

[Excerpt]

    Top Secret!

Dear comrades,

Under current conditions, ideological subversion plays a greater role in the political struggle of contemporary capitalism and in its practical-political subversive activity. The ruling imperialist circles have raised ideological subversion to the level of state policy, transformed it into an important foreign policy function of the imperialist countries. With regard to this, the adversary constantly keeps the escalation of this form of subversive activity, for which it mobilizes all the anti-Communist powers with the purpose of causing damage to the socialist states, intervening in their domestic affairs, infringing upon all the spheres of social life, forming an incorrect view about the class struggle between socialism and imperialism.

The tactical content of the ideological subversion includes the specially organized activities, measures, actions and operations of the enemy, which are of a subversive-propagandist and intelligence-organizational nature, and are directed towards exerting hostile impact and influence on the citizens of the socialist countries.

Contemporary anti-Communism and especially anti-Sovietism have become the basis and the main ideological and political content of this form of inimical subversive activity. […]

We value highly the daily, timely and competent help on the part of the head of the KGB representation in the Bulgarian Interior Ministry, Comrade Savchenko, and the representative of the Fifth Directorate of the KGB in the Sixth Directorate of State Security, Viktor Timofeevich Gostev, who share with us their rich experience and participate directly in the solving of our everyday tasks, with the responsiveness, warmth and attention so characteristic of the Soviet people.

The joint activity on the implementation of the plans for 1972-1974 and 1975-1977 has considerably enriched the experience of the state security apparatus, and has made possible the carrying out of active agent-operative measures, as a result of which important data was acquired regarding the activities, plans and intentions of the enemy, and advance operations were organized. Together with the first main directorate, we achieved certain results with regard to some 30 subversive ideological centers of the enemy, that are carrying out active inimical activity against the USSR and the People’s Republic of Bulgaria.

The joint agent and counter-propaganda measures carried out to expose the enemy radio stations Liberty and Free Europe have, to a great extent, disrupted the normal pattern of this center for ideological subversion against our countries. Enemy attempts have been foiled to instigate subversive activities on the territory of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria and abroad, during the preparation and holding of the 25^th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the 11^th Congress of the Bulgarian Communist Party. With the cooperation of state security, the Bulgarian press has published materials exposing the inimical pro-Western nature of Radio Liberty and Free Europe and their staffers. The Bulgarian TV and radio also broadcast similar materials.

The integration, and therefore the help, of the Soviet Cheka operatives has also directly affected implementation levels. The carrying out of joint measures on specific jointly developed cases has begun. In 1976 alone, KGB and state security have implemented joint measures on the operative study and development of tens of foreign citizens.

The fraternal help of the KGB apparatus and the deepening of our cooperation has found its expression in the improved results of the work in various lines and directions of the sixth directorate. […]