On March 7, 1941, Bulgaria issued its "Proclamation to the British People." That day, countless leaflets rained from the sky, carrying the news to London.
What the London government found even harder to accept was that Bulgaria had even made public its plan for dealing with Britain, chiefly as follows:
1. Admit defeat in the war and assume responsibility for this world war;
2. Hand over war criminals for trial before an international tribunal; (still being prepared)
3. Cede all overseas colonies;
4. Allow the Irish to become independent and establish their own state;
5. Confiscate all British overseas assets as war reparations; (including Britain's overseas claims—all debts involving the victorious nations would be wiped clean)
6. Disband the Royal Navy, with all warships and military bases handed over to the Holy Alliance for disposal;
7. Disarm Britain, leaving only a police force to maintain public order. The Holy Alliance would be responsible for Britain's national security; (Note: military expenses would still have to be paid)
8. Prohibit all military-industrial production and research and development; all weapons were to be imported from abroad;
9. From the date of this proclamation, the British government was ordered to surrender immediately and unconditionally. For every day of delay, an additional five tons of gold would be added to the war reparations.
Once Bulgaria's Nine Articles were released, the British Isles erupted in uproar. If they accepted such terms, they could forget about ever rising again.
Ceding the colonies was one thing. With the war having reached this point, everyone knew that the overseas colonies could no longer be held.
Confiscating overseas assets and wiping out debts was also something they could do nothing about. Who told them to be the defeated side?
Disarmament and the ban on military industry, however, were utterly fatal.