BULGARIA: The Dimitroffs

Even among Balkan politicians, who are much sought after by direct-actionists, Dr. Georgi Dimitroff, 43-year-old ex-Secretary General of the Bulgarian Agrarian Party, seems to bear a charmed life. Four years ago he escaped German arrest by leaving his country in a load of oranges shipped out by British diplomats. Four months ago he escaped Russian arrest, this time by falling inside the opened door of the U.S. political representative in Sofia, Maynard B. Barnes (TIME, June 11). Last week, still in the reassuring company of Mr. Barnes, Dimitroff and his wife emplaned from the capital, with Russian blessings and Bulgarian passports.

Dimitroff, whose opposition to the Communist-dominated Fatherland Front Government of Premier Kimon Georgieff started him on his enforced travels, was bound for Italy to rest up. Barnes was headed for London, to report to the Council of Foreign Ministers on the reluctantly postponed Bulgarian elections. Before he left Sofia, spunky, outspoken Maynard Barnes spent two luminous hours talking to Tsola Dragoitcheva, Bulgaria's top woman Communist and top Fatherland Front boss. In brightly lit words he made it clear that the U.S. and Britain would not recognize the new Government unless they were satisfied there would be a free election.

Demands & Promises. Promptly the opposition redoubled its activities. Dimitroff's onetime Agrarian Party colleague, General Nicola Petkoff, began to organize his own party, probably in cooperation with the opposition wings of three other parties (Radical, Democratic, Social Democratic). Opposition leaders demanded that the present election law be amended to conform with the Constitution (i.e., minimum voting age be raised from 19 to 21, minimum age for candidates from 23 to 30), insisted that the key Ministry of the Interior be transferred to a "neutral" incumbent.

The Central Committee of the Fatherland Front cordially promised to study the reforms proposed. Volko Tchervenkoff, member of the Communist Politburo, proclaimed: the Fatherland Front, having won the world's praise by agreeing to postpone the elections, would now win still more by giving the opposition every chance for a fair campaign. At week's end the Cabinet legalized the four opposition parties, promised free elections. Expected in Sofia soon from Moscow was another, better known Georgi Dimitroff, famed Communist international operative and onetime secretary of the former Communist International. Object of his mission: to organize the new Fatherland Front campaign. He would himself head the Communist slate.