Free Enterprise

To harried Theodore Atanasoff, Bulgarian trade representative, it seemed like a good idea at the time. His trade mission had been sent to Germany last July to buy automobiles, spare parts, shoemaking machines, airplane tires and numerous other articles difficult to acquire in Bulgaria. Not having any dollars for these purposes, but having access to a considerable quantity of fairly good Bulgarian-made cigarets, Atanasoff and his associates decided to bypass the import-export authorities, and deal "directly" on a "practical" basis. Why not? Theirs was not an official military mission such as the Dutch or Swiss had accredited to the Control Council, but simply a purchasing mission with passports visaed by the Soviet occupation authorities.

The Bulgarians sold a good many of their cigarets at 3 to 4 marks each (thus undercutting the market for some Americans who were getting 5 or 6 marks). They made the acquaintance of Germans who were delighted to sell them almost new 1946 and 1947 Chevrolets and Fords for 50,000 to 60,000 marks each. Sometimes the cars had a broken window or crossed ignition wires, which seemed to indicate that the owner had lost the key before selling the car.

The Bulgarians later admitted that the idea had occurred to them that the cars might have been stolen. But, as they were acting for the Government and were anxious to buy cars as quickly as possible, they brushed aside the unpleasant thought. They bought more than 20 German cars at prices well above ceiling prices, and some 15 American cars.

Then American Criminal Investigation agents, tracking down a dozen-odd new U.S. automobiles stolen within recent weeks, became interested. Last week Atanasoff and salesmen were resting from their labors in the Ringstrasse jail. Said Theodore Atanasoff: "I'm just a poor non-Communist lawyer. I've an old mother and father dependent on me. I still don't see how the American military court has jurisdiction, as all the transactions were carried on in the Soviet zone."

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