Secret Police of Communist Bulgaria Was Not Part of Soviet KGB

The nearly 500-page documentary collection "KGB and DS - links and dependences" covers archives from the two police from the period 1950 - 1991. Photo by BGNES

The Bulgarian communist-era secret police, the so called "State Security" (DS) was closely related to, but was not a part of the notorious Soviet KGB.

The Chair of the Bulgarian Files Commission (investigating Bulgaria's communist-era police files), Evtim Kostadinov, said this Monday at the official presentation a book that attempts to track down the relations between both police.

The nearly 500-page documentary collection "KGB and DS - links and dependences" covers archives from the two police from the period 1950 - 1991, including funds of the Interior Ministry and the National Investigative Service, a successor to the foreign policy investigating unit at the Bulgarian state security police.

This is the first event of this kind, initiated by the so-called files commission. Under local legislation, adopted in 2006, the body is entitled to publish archive documents of the repressive regime from the ruling of the Bulgarian Communist Party.

The commission, which is in charge of the declassification of the files prepared by the country's intelligence services before the fall of the regime, plans to distribute the collection on DVD and online.

The former State Security (DS) and its files are a thorny issue in Bulgaria, especially when it comes to the past of high-ranking officials.

Bulgaria's communist-era security service is believed to have remained potent after the fall of communism with the ex-operatives closely linked to the political and business establishment.

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