tions of its solemn obligation to guarantee human rights and fundamental freedoms to its citizens, has by this new act proved again how justly its vicious tyranny deserves the condemnation of free men everywhere.

18. BULGARIAN SUGGESTION FOR RENEWAL OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS: Statement by the Department of State, September 10, 1953 1

1

The Department has noted with interest the recent statement of the Bulgarian Prime Minister regarding the present lack of diplomatic relations between his government and the United States. It would not serve any useful purpose to review at this time the actions which led to the suspension of relations in 1950. The Department would like to take this opportunity, however, to reaffirm the sentiments of deep and abiding friendship which the American people and Government have toward the people of Bulgaria.

19. DESTRUCTION OF ISRAELI AIRCRAFT: Note From the United States Government to the Bulgarian Government (Transmitted by the Swiss Chargé d'Affaires at Sofia), August 2, 1955

The United States Government protests emphatically against the brutal action of Bulgarian military personnel on July 27, 1955 in firing upon a commercial aircraft of the El Al Israel Airlines which was lawfully engaged as an international carrier. This attack, which resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and the death of all personnel aboard, including several United States citizens, constitutes a grave violation of accepted principles of international law. The Bulgarian Government has acknowledged responsibility for this action. The United States Government demands that the Bulgarian Government (1) take all appropriate measures to prevent a recurrence of incidents of this nature and inform the United States Government concerning these measures; (2) punish all persons responsible for this incident; and (3) provide prompt and adequate compensation to the United States Government for the families of the United States citizens killed in this attack.

1 Department of State Bulletin, Sept. 21, 1953, p. 375.

2 See the U.S. note of Feb. 20, 1950, to the Bulgarian Government; supra,

doc. 16.

3 Department of State Bulletin, Aug. 15, 1955, p. 264. See also the statement of Aug. 2, 1955, by the Department of State; ibid. The Swiss Government represented United States interests in Bulgaria. In a note of Aug. 4, 1955, the Bulgarian Government expressed "profound regret for this great disaster which has caused the death of completely innocent people," promised to punish “those guilty of causing the catastrophe," pledged to take preventive measures against recurrences of such incidents, and indicated readiness to compensate the families of the victims as well as to give partial compensation for the material damage; ibid., Aug. 29, 1955, pp. 354-355.

20. EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EXECUTION OF NIKOLA PETKOV: Statement by the Under Secretary of State,' September 22, 1955 2

Eight years ago tomorrow Nikola Petkov, a great Bulgarian patroit, was hanged in Bulgaria. After a trial which made a mockery of justice, he was judicially murdered on September 23, 1947, in order that communism in his country might triumph.3

Nikola Petkov was a courageous liberal and a valiant defender of democracy in his country. His countrymen will never forget the boldness and selflessness with which he and his colleagues fought Communist injustice even after their cause seemed lost. That the Communist press in Bulgaria should finally have described his death as an "imperative state necessity" is striking evidence of the vigor of his struggle.

Although Nikola Petkov's voice and pen have been silenced, his spirit still lives. His devotion to the cause of justice and democracy will ever serve as inspiration to his countrymen and to all libertyloving people who look forward to the day when the captive peoples can once again live in freedom under governments of their own choosing.

E. CZECHOSLOVAKIA

21. CLOSING OF UNITED STATES INFORMATION SERVICE LIBRARIES AND THE CZECHOSLOVAK CONSULATE GENERAL AT CHICAGO: Note From the American Embassy at Prague to the Czechoslovak Foreign Ministry, April 21, 1950 *

5

The American Embassy presents its compliments to the Czechoslovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has the honor to refer to its note dated April 19, 1950 demanding that the United States Information Service libraries of the Embassy in Praha and the Consulate General in Bratislava be closed immediately and that the United States press attaché, Joseph C. Kolarek, be recalled.

The United States Government considers the demand for the closing of the United States Information Service libraries and the recall of the United States press attaché as utterly unwarranted and based on demonstrably untrue charges. These offices of the Embassy and Consulate General have confined their cultural and information

1 Herbert Hoover, Jr.

* Department of State Bulletin, Oct. 3, 1955, p. 529. See also Under Secretary Smith's statement of Sept. 22, 1954, on the seventh anniversary of Petkov's execution (ibid., Oct. 4, 1954, p. 490).

See A Decade of American Foreign Policy, pp. 1178-1182.

4 Department of State Bulletin, May 1, 1950, pp. 684-685. 8 Not printed.

activities to efforts to promote mutual understanding and friendship between the people of Czechoslovakia and the people of the United States. Such activities have departed in no way from the legitimate functions of diplomatic and consular establishments in the cultural and information fields.

The United States Government, therefore, strongly rejects the allegations of the Czechoslovak Government made directly or indirectly that Mr. Kolarek, other American official representatives, or Czechoslovak employees were engaged in any improper activities in the pursuit of their duties. Mr. Kolarek concerned himself only with his official functions relating to press, information, and cultural affairs and never acted in any way which might be regarded as abuse of his diplomatic office. In view of the allegations of the Czechoslovak authorities, the United States Government can only conclude that the Czechoslovak Government does not adhere to the diplomatic practices normally observed by the community of nations.

The methods employed by the Czechoslovak authorities to obtain a pretext for this provocative action will themselves refute the charges before the judgment of world opinion. Thus, the statements of the Czechoslovak citizens, Ivan Elbl and Ruzena Soumarova, against the United States Information Service library in Praha were produced and cited by the Czechoslovak authorities only after these two former local employees of the library were arrested on April 6 and subjected to police pressure for 36 hours prior to their resignation. The Czechoslovak authorities also cited the declarations of Lubomir Elsner and Dagmar Kacerovska, two other Czechoslovak citizens formerly employed by the library, who were convicted of espionage and plotting against the Czechoslovak Republic in a so-called trial and sentenced to 18 and 15 years of imprisonment respectively. Such "confessions" as were obtained from these unfortunate victims of police action resulted only after they had been arrested and processed for approximately one month prior to the trial.1

The complete worthlessness of such charges as are contained in these statements is demonstrated by the facts set forth in the affidavit of the director of the United States Information Service library at Praha, Miss Katherine Kosmak, a copy of which was enclosed in the Embassy's note of April 17.2 This affidavit makes abundantly clear how the Czechoslovak police tried to intimidate an American citizen in the official employ of the Embassy and exploit a personal relationship in the effort to build a propaganda case, by any means whatsoever, against the United States Information Service and the Embassy. This affidavit reveals the hollowness of these charges and the improper conduct of the Czechoslovak police.

1 See (1) the note of Apr. 12, 1950, from the American Embassy at Prague to the Czechoslovak Foreign Office (Department of State Bulletin, Apr. 24, 1950, p. 632) regarding Elbl's statement, and (2) the statement issued to the press by the Department of State Apr. 14, 1950 (ibid., pp. 632-633) regarding the Czechoslovak propaganda attack against the U. S. information Service in Czechoslovakia. 2 Note and enclosed affidavit, regarding the efforts of Czechoslovak security agents to persuade Miss Kosmak, on the basis of her marriage plans, to renounce her United States citizenship and live in Czechoslovakia; ibid., May 1, 1950, pp. 685-686.

The note of the Ministry asserts that the United States Information Service libraries have functioned without legal title. The United States Government does not accept this unusual conception of international relations. The United States Information Service libraries of the Embassy in Praha and the Consulate General in Bratislava were established in Czechoslovakia as in other countries as an integral component of the official representation of the United States. Such cultural and information functions are carried on without special agreement as a universal element in the diplomatic life of nations today.

The Czechoslovak Government never contested this principle until it felt obliged to seek excuses for its attempt, in accordance with an emerging pattern of procedure among the Communist-dominated countries of Eastern Europe, to isolate the Czechoslovak people from the outer world. The United States and other countries can only infer that the present government by its demand to close the libraries reveals its fear of the free exchange of information and the maintenance of free cultural contacts with other peoples. It is only too evident that the present government is moved by fear to impose barriers to the entry of truth from abroad and to the free inquiry of minds at home. This obvious fear of truth is not in the tradition of the Czechoslovak people, who have shown throughout their history a stubborn aversion to attempts at thought control. The Government and people of the United States are convinced that such efforts of the Czechoslovak Government to repress freedom of thought and the desire for impartial information will never stand the test of time in the modern world.

It is, likewise, obvious that the Czechoslovak Government's professions in behalf of world peace and mutual understanding between nations lack any meaning and constitute, on the contrary, a systematic campaign to mislead the public of Czechoslovakia and other countries. The United States Government is reluctantly obliged to conclude that the Czechoslovak Government no longer cares whether it observes diplomatic principles and the convention of courtesy in international life.

The United States Government is obliged to comply with the Ministry's demand that it close its information libraries in Czechoslovakia and recall the press attaché, Mr. Kolarek. The Czechoslovak Government must, however, expect that its action cannot escape serious consequences affecting various aspects of the relations between the two governments. The attitude of the Czechoslovak authorities compels the United States Government to review the scope of activities, of Czechoslovak establishments in the United States. Since the Czechoslovak Government has unjustifiably insisted on the curtailment of the normal diplomatic and consular functions of the United States in Czechoslovakia it will understand the request made herewith, as an immediate result of that review, that it close its Consulate General in Chicago, Illinois, not later than May 1, 1950.

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22. REDUCTION OF UNITED STATES REPRESENTATION IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA AND CLOSING OF CZECHOSLOVAK CONSULATE GENERAL AT NEW YORK: Note From the American Ambassador at Prague to the Czechoslovak Foreign Minister,2 May 27, 1950 3

1

I am directed by my Government to state that it cannot admit as conforming to the generally accepted principles and practices of international comity that a receiving state shall attempt arbitrarily and unilaterally to determine the composition of the diplomatic missions of a state with which it maintains relations. Moreover, my Government has previously rejected, and rejects once more, the allegations the Czechoslovak Government has put forward as a pretext for the reduction of United States representation in Czechoslovakia. The United States Government, furthermore, has continuing confidence in the good will and traditional feeling of friendship of the people of Czechoslovakia toward the United States despite the efforts of the Czechoslovak Government to sever friendly contacts between the American and Czechoslovak people.

In view, however, of the repeated provocations and groundless attacks against the United States and United States representatives in Czechoslovakia during the past few weeks, it is clear that the Czechoslovak Government has belied its stated intention of promoting peaceful relations among nations and has made clear that it is no longer interested in maintaining normal diplomatic relations with the United States. The United States Government therefore, while reserving its rights and customary privileges, intends to reduce its official representation to conform with conditions arbitrarily imposed by the Ministry's note under reference.

In view of the forced reduction of its personnel in Czechoslovakia and in recognition of the curtailed relations between the two countries imposed by the Czechoslovak Government, the United States Government hereby announces its intention to close its Consulate General in Bratislava and requests the Czechoslovak Government to close within two weeks its Consulate General, including the office of the commercial counselor, in New York.

1 Ellis O. Briggs.

2 Viliam Siroky.

3 Department of State Bulletin, June 12, 1950, pp. 974-975.

A Czechoslovak

note of May 23, 1950 (not printed) had requested the United States to reduce its official personnel in Czechoslovakia to 12 persons. See also statement of May 13,

1950, by the Department of State; ibid., p. 974.