The prediction of the Americans is that before the party plenum, Tato will remove the perestroika people: Petar Mladenov and Georgi Atanasov
The former played cards close to his chest, the embassy said
November 10, 1989 could have been just another day on the calendar. Yes, then the Berlin Wall fell, but in Bulgaria things could have continued as before. Todor Zhivkov was warned by the Soviet ambassador that his stay in office was undesirable, but the Prime had his own plan for survival.
It is clear from the new US documents that Zhivkov was counting on the great powers to be engaged with Germany and that he could once again “go through the cracks”.
Until another storm passes. At that time, France, the United States and Great Britain had a serious problem: they were against the fall of the Berlin Wall. A too strong Germany could once again become a security threat and an unwelcome economic competitor.
In contrast, Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev have another game – to unify Germany and upset the balance of the world to open a new position for Eastern Europe and the USSR – together in a new Europe where a united Germany will dominate.
A few years earlier, West Germany, mainly through Bavarian Prime Minister Franz Josef Strauss, had circled Eastern Bloc leaders and made friends among socialist leaders. Together with Zhivkov, Strauss plans a different transition for Bulgaria: the Bundestag approves a huge loan for the country, joint ventures are agreed, privatization and the most heretical idea are discussed – Zhivkov’s request for Bulgaria to be accepted into the Community European economy.
There he would have felt safe from his enemy Mikhail Gorbachev. The Soviet leader hates Zhivkov and doesn’t hide it. He doesn’t believe in the old socialist leaders, his thesis is that they should be kicked out so that there is democracy and everyone can freely express their opinion. For Gorbachev everything starts with freedom and he doesn’t want to listen to theories about how the current cadres will carry out the reforms.
Zhivkov is racing against time. Unfortunately, his friend and ally Strauss dies mysteriously: he gets on his plane safely to leave Bulgaria, but there is an accident in the sky and he dies a few days later. Many are still convinced that the problem was not accidental and that Strauss was hated by the Soviet secret services. They viewed him as a hawk and a serious threat to Moscow’s security.
