Part of our section on the History of Rotary in Europe

In October 1940, Lesley Struthers, the Secretary of the European office of Rotary in Zurich, wrote to Chesley Perry in Chicago to acquaint RI headquarters with the situation in some of the countries in his area, including Bulgaria. The first Rotary club in Bulgaria had been opened in Sofia, being chartered on 25 May 1933. However, this club and the others in the country did not long survive the onset of the second World War, as the influence of the Nazis and of totalitarianism extended further and further into the Balkans.

When Struthers wrote to RI, he observed that a Bill before the Bulgarian legislature proposed the closure of all international groups supported from outside the country. Although the Rotary clubs were not supported financially from outside Bulgaria, there was considerable pressure to introduce this new law, the effect of which would be the closure of all Rotary clubs. A possible alternative had been suggested by certain members of the Cabinet, four of whom were Rotarians, whereby the existing Rotary clubs would cut off all outside links and continue as a purely national organisation. Although Struthers advised against this, the RI board had agreed that it might be possible 'in extremis'. However, the European Secretary wrote: "I should not be surprised and you will probably not be surprised at getting some news in November that the clubs in Bulgaria have ceased to exist."

In another report named 'Rotary Amid World Conflict', file 766, written in early 1941, the report on Bulgaria stated: "There has been no indication that any club in Bulgaria has suspended its activities. Governor Boshkoff of the 86th District (Bulgaria) is in the U.S.A. and while visiting the central office appeared optimistic about the future of Rotary in Bulgaria."

This was indeed optimistic. In April 1941, the RI board minutes record that "Due to a law which went into effect on 23 January 1941, the clubs in district 86 (Bulgaria) cease to exist on that date." So, on 7 April 1941, membership in Rotary International of the Bulgarian clubs was terminated and district number 86 was voided.

There was one interesting side comment in the letter from Struthers to the effect that Governor Boshkoff and Rtn Boyadjieff were also prominent Freemasons, something which "damages their position ...which is that Rotary as such has nothing to do with Freemasonry." In view of the trend in the Balkans to discourage or ban both organisations, it is unlikely that Boshkoff's dual membership materially affected the situation. There was also a comment in the letter that a Yugoslav District Governor had only recently learned "that Paul Harris is not a Freemason and never has been because he had always assumed that Paul is or was, on the ground that such a large proportion of the businessmen in the United States are Freemasons."
In fact, in 1937, Paul Harris had written in reply to an enquiry from Governor Popescu, DG 84, (Rumania) that he had never been a Freemason and was not then a mason.

The Sofia club finally closed on 7 April, 1941 after just 8 years. It was readmitted on 1 October 1991 and is now just one of many clubs in District 2480.

Basil Lewis with thanks to Wolfgang Ziegler and Cyndi Beck for their assistance