Drang

Bulgaria used to be the crossroads of Germany's Drang nach Osten and Russia's drive toward the Dardanelles.

Because Bulgaria was a poor guesser, and lined up with Germany in two world wars, it has become more of a Russian springboard than a crossroads. Last week Great Britain tacitly acknowledged Bulgaria's new alignment: London recognized (although Washington did not) the Communist-dominated government of oldtime Comintern Boss Georgi Dimitrov.

Although the Red Army was preparing to leave Bulgaria soon, Moscow was not taking chances on any bad Bulgarian guessing in the future. Thirty thousand Russian settlers had already moved into Bulgaria, and more were on the way. Eventually, the largest group would settle in the Dobruja area, along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast--shortest land corridor from the U.S.S.R. to the Dardanelles.

Along this same corridor lies a chunk of Rumania. Since last summer, Russians have been arriving in large numbers. Rumania's vital Black Sea port, Constanta, now has some 50,000 of them--as many Russians as there are Rumanians. They have their own schools, shops, theaters and restaurants. In most Rumanian cities King Michael's photo is flanked by those of Rumanian Premier Petru Groza and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin; in Constanta bars, shops and hotels, Stalin's photo gets the center.

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