Conspiracy theory – Assassination
In Bulgaria, the commission’s final conclusions were never published. Investigating judge Nedyo Ganchev of the Supreme Court withdrew shortly before the investigation ended and took his own life. He is said to have previously told those close to him: “I cannot do what they want.” This gave rise to a disturbing version of events which, of course, has never been substantiated…
Article from the newspaper Národ, 5 April 1991
Sofia (ČSTK) – The Bulgarian daily Trud published an article examining the unresolved circumstances surrounding the 1966 crash of a Bulgarian airliner near Bratislava, in which Bulgarian General Ivan Bachvarov was killed. The newspaper wrote that the aircraft had been guided by the Bratislava air traffic control centre onto a low flight path and then crashed into a hill.
According to General Beluhov, the former director of the TABSO airline, the Czechoslovak and Bulgarian authorities immediately covered up reports of the crash.
The Bulgarian press’s interest in this air disaster was prompted by a report from the German radio station Deutsche Welle, according to which it was an operation by the Bulgarian and Soviet secret services, which wanted to eliminate Ivan Bachvarov because he opposed Soviet infiltration of the Bulgarian security services.
The article on the Bulgarian portal dnes.dir.bg can be found here.
Theory about the death of the general and diplomat
Our ambassador to the GDR, Colonel General Ivan Bachvarov, was killed in the air disaster a few days before his 54th birthday. He was returning to Berlin after attending a congress of the Bulgarian Communist Party. The former partisan had previously served as Chief of the Army General Staff from 1950 to 1960. He later became First Deputy Minister of Defence and head of the Military Administrative Department of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party, which gave him control over the army and the Ministry of the Interior.
At the end of 1964, the general came into conflict with Todor Zhivkov. At a plenary session of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party, Bachvarov dared to propose that Zhivkov be replaced because he lacked the necessary qualities. Journalist Boris Temkov, who took part in these events, said that after this incident the State Security service began monitoring the general. During an outing on Vitosha with a friend, he noticed a man following them. They detained and questioned him, and he admitted that he was a civilian employee of counter-intelligence.
Meanwhile, an opposition group was forming around Ivan Todorov, head of the Main Directorate for Water Resources under the Council of Ministers, who was also a former partisan and was known by the nickname Gorunya. He was preparing a military coup against Zhivkov. The conspirators attempted to establish contact with General Bachvarov. He decided that it was a provocation and did not become involved. Gorunya’s group was arrested in 1965, and all its members were imprisoned.
At the same time, however, Zhivkov removed Bachvarov from his post and sent him abroad as an ambassador. Following the fatal flight, rumours therefore began to circulate that the crash had not been accidental and that its purpose was the physical elimination of the general. There is, however, no evidence to support this.
Conspiracy theory – Alcohol
On the other hand, Bulgarian officials accused the Czechoslovak investigators of spreading rumours that the crew of LZ101 had consumed alcohol while waiting in Bratislava. Dr Peichev conducted tests on tissue samples from the captain and co-pilot, using a method recently developed by NASA, and the results showed that the allegation was unfounded.
Witnesses even claimed that the Bulgarian pilots had been accused of drinking alcohol at the airport. Tests on tissue samples from the captain and co-pilot, however, proved that this was not true.
The alleged reason for drinking alcohol was the name day of one of the flight attendants, as the following day was St Catherine’s Day. None of the flight attendants, however, was named Catherine.
Stewardesses / flight attendants:
Maria Ivanova IVANOVA
Svetla Marinova GEORGIEVA
Violina Veleva STOICHKOVA
Conspiracy theory – The medium
Composer saved conductor from an air disaster.
Trifon Silyanovski predicted that Asen Naydenov would live beyond the age of 90 if he did not travel on the tour to
Bratislava.
Our celebrated conductor Asen Naydenov narrowly escaped death under mysterious circumstances. He did not travel with the opera company on its tour to Bratislava and therefore did not become a victim of the air disaster in which opera singer Katya Popova was killed. The conductor survived as if by a miracle because his friend, composer Trifon Silyanovski, had warned him in advance of the tragic events. In 1966, our National Opera was due to visit Bratislava, and Naydenov, as conductor, was on the passenger list. However, a few days before departure, Trifon Silyanovski visited him and said in a mysterious tone: “Maestro, is there any way you could avoid going?”
As a true professional, Naydenov approached his work with great responsibility and was known for never abandoning his official commitments. “There are principles in life; I cannot be absent,” Naydenov said.
“Even so, if you miss this tour, you will live to be over 90. Find some way not to go,” urged Silyanovski, who was nicknamed Fonezza.
Once Naydenov realised that his life was at stake, and knowing that his friend was said to be a medium who practised astrology and numerology, he did compromise his professional principles and did not travel.
This was precisely what saved his life. It is said that in February 1966, at the Union of Composers’ restaurant, Fonezza gave the same warning to opera singer Katya Popova, who was sitting at the next table: “Katya, do not travel by air; the earth will pull you down.” But the opera star and her entourage merely laughed. On 24 November 1966, an IL-18 aircraft operated by the Bulgarian state airline TABSO crashed near Bratislava, carrying several of our opera stars. All 82 people on board were killed, including opera singer Katya Popova. Asen Naydenov died on 10 September 1995, shortly before his 96th birthday.