WikiLeaks Show US Sought Intel on High-Level Corruption in Bulgaria

In dispatches sent by the State Department to diplomats ahead of a meeting between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Bulgarian counterpart Rumyana Zheleva in fall 2009, the cables show that the US was looking for information on "corruption among senior officials, including off-budget financial flows in support of senior leaders."

It also sought intelligence on "sources of funding for political candidates, and government plans and efforts to ensure funding transparency."

The secret memos, published by the Guardian, are part of some 250,000 that WikiLeaks, the whistleblowers' Web site, obtained and released to several international media outlets.

The US also wanted information on Bulgaria's policies and plans regarding relations with Russia, the cables that relate to Bulgaria show.

They sought "views about Russian attempts to exploit historic and current ties in order to influence internal developments and advance Russia's interests in Bulgaria and throughout the region.

The dispatches also requested "details about personal relations between Bulgarian leaders and Russian officials or businessmen. Senior leadership, intelligence officials, and ministerial-level vulnerabilities to Russian influence. Efforts to cooperate with or oppose Russia in support of, or opposition to, US policies."

The State Department asked for explanations of "leadership and public views about relations with Russia. Government and public attitudes about Russia's strategic objectives in the region, and Bulgaria's vulnerability to Russian coercion and influence."