Guns in the Gutter

A small child in slippers drove a tinkling herd of milk goats through the streets of Sofia at dawn last week and stumbled over a rifle. A little further on lay an ancient shotgun. One of the goats nibbled at a couple of hand grenades lying in the gutter. In all Bulgarian cities similar debris littered the streets, for the cautious citizenry had suddenly decided that their new Premier, one-eyed Kimon Gueorguieff, meant what he said.

"My Government is neither to the left nor the right, but straight through the middle!" So roared Premier Gueorguieff three weeks ago after he had set up a Fascist Dictatorship following a sudden bloodless coup d'etat (TIME, May 21; June 4). Last week Through-the-Middle Gueorguieff struck straight at Bulgaria's most ancient ache, her bloodthirsty Macedonian minority, by issuing an order prohibiting private ownership of arms and munitions, and announcing that a house-to-house search would follow. Hundreds of Bulgarians did not wait; the weapons dropped mysteriously into the gutters.

Frequently attacked and suppressed in Sofia, the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization has had things very much its own way in the southern districts, collecting its own taxes, electing mayors and other local officials. Raiding parties moved on those towns last week searching for weapons. In Belitza the IMRO Mayor himself fired on the gendarmes who returned his fire and killed him. The whereabouts of Bulgaria's best known Macedonian leader, Ivan Mikhailoff, was unknown. Varying reports had him fleeing to Italy for safety or hidden away inside Bulgaria plotting revolt.

Having abolished political parties, Through-the-Middle Gueorguieff next abolished all political papers, an. order that instantly took eleven of Sofia's 21 newspapers off the streets. As an afterthought he decreed that in future all editors must be at least 30 years old.

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