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September 23, 1985

Telegram, Dimitar Stoyanov to Comrade Mielke

This document was made possible with support from The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Telegram

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Sender: Sofia – Stojanow [Dimitar Stoyanov]

Recipient: Berlin – Mielke (Kiszezak, Vajnar, Kamara, Valdes)

Sofia, September 23, 1985

Dear Comrade Minister!

Corresponding to the agreement about cooperation between our reconnaissance agencies, we are transmitting you the following information:

The first step in the court process in the so-called Antonow [Sergei Antonov] case, which lasted from May 21 until July 19 of this year, did not achieve the results desired by the organizers of the anti-Bulgarian and anti-socialist campaign. Neither during the pre-investigation nor in the legal main trial was evidence found against the Bulgarian citizen Antonow, XXXX and XXXX [redacted] found. The additional investigations of the court chairman XXXX and of the state prosecutor XXXX as well as their attempts to mobilize new witnesses who confirm the slanderous statements by Mehmed Ali Agca, were thus far inconclusive. Because Ali Agca was often convicted of lying as well as making contradictory statements, he has been completely discredited as a believable witness. He became more unbelievable still through his declarations that he is Jesus Christ as well as through other mystical statements in front of the court and before journalists.

The interrogation of Agca revealed however a range of new facts and further accomplices from the circles of the “Grey Wolves.” The “Turkish trail” has clearly become apparent, even though no questions have been asked regarding Agca’s connections to the Turkish secret service, to which he had confessed in the pre-investigation.

In light of these new moments, which were provided by the court examination, the basis for a guilty verdict by the court for our citizen is not present. The development of the case forced the court and the prosecution to search for new witnesses. The trips by state prosecutor XXXX to Turkey, the Netherlands and other countries as well as the interrogations conducted along with XXXX afterwards achieved no essential results. According to available information, Western intelligences services are providing support in the search for and processing of new witnesses. A typical example is the pressure on XXXX from the secret services of the FRG and Turkey. In his interrogation by XXXX, he was threatened with being convicted due to his false statements, since he did not confirm one part of the statements that he made to XXXX. In order to place him under additional pressure and to influence him correspondingly, it was said to him that he would be convicted for previous crimes committed in Turkey, for which the FRG investigatory leader traveled to Rome and interrogated Agca. XXXX did not say anything more substantial against the assertions of XXXX, for which reason his processing will be continued.

The analysis of the court proceedings indicates that the chairman, XXXX, demonstrates a sham objectivity. Under the pretense that that is his working method, XXXX interrupts Agca when he begins to speak of his connections to the Americans, to XXXX, and to Camorra (Neapolitan Mafia). The court rescheduled completely groundlessly the interrogation of the contrite Camorrist XXXX, who had stated in an interview with the magazine “Espresso,” that Camorra boss Rafaelo Cutolo and some carabinieri had, under pressure from General Musomecci from SISMI, pestered Agca into showing contrition and making slanderous statements.

Agca’s letter, which he wrote in prison to the Turkish newspaper “Tercüman” on November 17, 1981, is a clear confirmation of these statements. In this letter, he complains that he was placed under pressure to become a slanderer. The behavior of state prosecutor XXXX, who in a manner damaging the norms of court proceedings asked suggestive questions of Agca, carried out additional investigatory measures and engagement in verbal duels with the court chairman, is undisguisedly tendentious.

In the investigation documents from General XXXX and XXXX XXXX, who have created a parallel service in SISMI (Super-SISMI), indications are contained about an involvement of CIA associates (XXXX, XXXX, XXXX) as well as the involvement of further USA secret services in operations to fabricate slanderous accusations against the PRB and other socialist countries.

Proceeding from the information presented above, we request that support be provided to us in the following aspects, according to feasibility:

- corresponding to the available capacities, exerting influence on the court and appropriate political, state and societal institutions in the interest of an objective examination of all facts in connection with the “Antonow case”;

- the transmission of information regarding efforts by Western secret services in the search for and influencing of false witnesses of Turkish, Italian, and other nationalities;

- the activation of propaganda activities abroad for the purpose of exposing the enemy actions with the aid of capacities for the carrying out active measures.

Using this opportunity, I would like to thank you for the thus far fruitful cooperation and express the conviction that this cooperation will soon deepen and intensify.

Nr. 911/85                                                                              

With socialist greetings

Stojanow

The head of the Bulgaria's Ministry of the Interior informs Erich Mielke of developments in the criminal case against Sergei Antonov.



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Document Information

Source

BStU, Berlin. Translated by Samuel Denney.

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2022-11-01

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Telegram

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Record ID

291301

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