Bulgaria: Bulgarian Security Services and Kintex: Alleged Bulgarian Involvement in the Attempted Assassination of Pope John Paul II, 13 May 1981

A file of correspondence and reports concerning the involvement of Bulgarian security services in the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II. The documents cover the arrest of a Bulgarian airline official, Sergei Antonov, who has been accused by Italian authorities of being involved in the attempted assassination; Italian claims that two Bulgarian embassy officials, who have since returned to Bulgaria, were also involved; and the denials of the Bulgarian regime and the Bulgarian press, which have condemned the West for mounting a "slanderous" campaign against them. Other documents in the file cover accusations against Bulgaria published in the Western press; U.S. claims that the Bulgarian Committee for State Security has colluded in drug-smuggling; and further cases involving the Bulgarian intelligence services being investigated by the Italian judiciary, concerning drugs and the infiltration of a trade union. The file also covers claims that the Soviet Committee for State Security (K.G.B.) was involved in ordering the assassination; and Soviet press commentary on the allegations against Bulgaria.