REMEMBRANCE IN TIME - Index of

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Remembrance in Time
seek his exclusion from the organization. He refered to the “supporters of cooperation
with the agrarians, socialists and other democratic and progressive parties, movements
and individuals who believed and blamed Bogdan as a traitor for his cooperation with the
Americans and “Zveno”. Rachev asked them if they know that along with the agrarians,
members of the Bulgarian National Committee were also the members of “Zveno” as
Vasil Yurukov and Prof. Dolapchiev. He noted that there are “dictatorial, reactionary,
anti-popular, anti-anarchy, Bolshevik and fascist elements and acts in BAPU (Bulgarian
Agrarian People’s Union). He concluded with the rhetorical question: “Doesn’t the ideas
and actions of anarchists as G. Hadjiev, Dinyu Dinev, Zhelyazko Milanov contain
authoritarian, totalitarian, dictatorial, anti anarhistic elements"? I. Rachev found strange
that "opponents of any cooperation with the Americans and others” consider it
worthwhile to receive U.S. grants to live, study, visit cinemas and theaters, to drink coffee
or wine in Strasbourg, Paris etc. But at the same time they declared as a terrible crime and
betrayal taking weapons, clothes and food from the Americans and "Fascists". Moreover
this was the beginning of fighting and dying without any derogatory statements and
commitments to renounce our ideas and our right to live according to them freely and
criticize others' ideas and actions". His clear position was: “Bogdan has not committed
any offense or betrayal of the ideas, organization, friends, associates and movement. If he
has done something, he has said and done it himself and with the knowing of our friends
but not against any people and institutions and without involving them in any conflict
situations” 22 .
The ambition of H. Nestorov to seek and establish connections with other immigrant
communities and thereby to materially, financially and military provide mission in
Bulgaria was unconditionally supported by I. Rachev, but not by all the other immigrant
anarchists. The evaluation of the critics of the three in Nesterov’s group was expressed in
the opinion of I. Drandov who called them "national heroes of the U.S. office” 23 . Despite
the negative attitude of some of the anarchists immigrants, Hr. Nestorov, D. Karaivanov
and M. Ivanov were convinced of the need to take immediate, decisive action to return to
Bulgaria and participate in the fight against the communist regime. They connected with
associates of U.S. intelligence, pass a special training course and then were transferred to
Bulgaria in September 1953.
Some of the documents stored in the private archive group of V. Momchev relate to the
group Anarchists in Bulgaria. Among them is a report from July 1954 24 by D.
Karaivanov. He and his wife managed to escape the blockade, leave the country and go
back to Paris. The report describes the activities of the three emigrants from the parachute
descent near the village of Pavel banya, Kazanlak, and the events of March 24, 1954,
when an operation for their detection and eradication was deployed. The detailed
statement of the facts related to the preparation and implementation of the mission aims
to be a basis for the conclusions of D. Karaivanov regarding the dramatic turn of events
that led to the tragic end of H. Nesterov and M. Ivanov. The report of D. Karaivanov
reveals that that prior to the organizing of the team another action was planned but was
never held. It was planned to be again under the leadership of Bogdan (Hr. Nesterov), but
with two other young men 25 .
According to the original plan, the entry in Bulgaria from Greece should have taken
place in May-June 1953, but it did not happen. Heavy rains and flood of the Dospat river
didn’t allowed the transfer of the group in Bulgaria. Meanwhile the American instructor
Radley indicated another reason for postponing of the action. He stated that another