740.00119 European War 1939/9–344: Telegram
The Ambassador in Turkey (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 5—3:45 a.m.]
1639. A translation of the Rumanian note reads as follows:
Mr. Ambassador: Following the conversation which I had with Your Excellency this morning, I have the honor to enclose the following texts:
- 1.
- Copy of a telegram No. 44 of August 31 signed by the Rumanian Minister for Foreign Affairs pursuant to which I am instructed to see Your Excellency and to point out to you the serious difficulties being occasioned by the delay in signing the armistice as well as the uneasiness caused by the situation thus created.
- 2.
- Copy of a telegram No. 55 of September 1 signed by the Rumanian Minister for Foreign Affairs pursuant to which I am instructed to emphasize to Your Excellency that the Soviet troops are giving [Page 215] the impression that they consider Rumania to be an occupied country, and setting forth the acts committed by Soviet troops which appear to be contrary to the declaration made by Mr. Molotov on August 25, 1944.
- 3.
- Copy of note No. 1385 of September 2, 1944 which I have addressed to His Excellency, the Soviet Ambassador, requesting him to intervene with his Government on the subject of the matters referred to in telegrams Nos. 44 and 55 referred to above.
- 4.
- Copy of a note No. 1383 of September 2, 1944 which I am sending to His Excellency, the Soviet Ambassador to protest against the action of Soviet General Tevcenkov in having taken into his custody certain detained Rumanian politicians (Marshal Antonescu and several other members of his Government) who are now under guard by Soviet troops.
- 5.
- Copy of note No. 1384 of September 2, 1944 which I am sending to His Excellency, Mr. Vinogradov, to bring to his attention that the Commander of the Soviet Navy has blockaded the Rumanian oil depots and has insisted that there should be delivered to him immediately the German depots captured by Rumanian troops.
I should be most appreciative if you would bring to the attention of the Government of the United States of America the contents of telegrams Nos. 44 and 55 (enclosures 1 and 2) as well as note No. 1383 (relative to seizure by Soviet troops of detained Rumanian politicians).
In thanking in advance, please accept, et cetera, (Signed Cretzianu).
A translation of the telegram No. 44 referred to above reads as follows:
To Cretzianu: I beg of you to see the Ambassador of the United States and the Ambassador of Great Britain and to point out to them the inextricable situation which has been created in Rumania by the delay in signing the armistice. The Rumanian Government finds itself in the greatest perplexity by reason of the fact that the armistice has not yet been signed, although it has been informed by you and directly by its emissaries in Cairo that complete agreement had been reached on the subject of its contents.
The Soviet Army in Rumania continues its advance with the probable intention of occupying the greatest part, if not all of our territory, under the pretext that the armistice has not yet been signed. However, this advance of the Soviet troops in Rumania is not justified in view of fact that the Rumanian Government had already liquidated entirely through its own means all centers of German resistance.
Public opinion in Rumania is seriously uneasy as a result of this situation. The impression is beginning to spread that the delay in the signature of the armistice is being caused by the desire to occupy all Rumanian territory by Soviet troops.
It is unnecessary to emphasize the consequences which this regrettable state of affairs could have on the development of Rumanian-Soviet relations—relations to which the Rumanian people would like to give a character of sincere friendship.
I recall that among the conditions of the armistice in respect of which the Soviet Government declared itself to be in accord, there is the stipulation that there shall be created a zone in which Soviet troops may not enter. If the present condition continues it is obvious that [Page 216] this clause will become a dead letter which could not fail to cast a shadow on our relations with the Soviet Union. Please make a similar démarche—in appropriate terms—to the Soviet Ambassador in Turkey.
At the same time you will request him to intervene insistently with Moscow to the effect that the Soviet Government will authorize coded telegraphic communications between the Rumanian Government and the Rumanian Delegation in Moscow. The management of the Rumanian postal telegraphic service is in a position to immediately reestablish such if the Soviet Government gives its consent. (Signed) Niculesco-Buzesti.
A translation of the telegram No. 55 referred to above reads as follows:
To Cretzianu: With further reference to my telegram No. 44, I inform you that the Soviet troops [are] under the impression that they consider Rumania as an occupied country.
Certain generals with whom furthermore it has been very difficult to make contact directly (with certain of them the Rumanian Government has been unable to make contact although they are in Bucharest), state that they have received no instructions of any kind from Moscow.
Although the disarmament of Rumanian troops is no longer taking place en masse it continues nevertheless in certain cases. The Soviet troops have demanded today that an ordinance should be proclaimed similar to that proclaimed in the occupied regions of Moldavia. The Soviet military authorities are directly requisitioning vehicles, automobiles and other things. The Soviet commanders give the impression that the war material taken from German troops captured or disarmed by us belong[s] to them. Certain communications by railroad have been interrupted by the Soviet Army which prevents the concentration of Rumanian troops which the Rumanian general staff desires to send to Transylvania to engage in the battle with the German and Hungarian troops which are there.
I beg of you to bring the foregoing to the attention of the Soviet, American and British Ambassadors and express to them at the same time the astonishment of the Rumanian Government that the armistice has not yet been signed although its terms have already been definitely established and our opinion that these events are contrary to the declaration of Mr. Molotov of August 25.
In conformity with that declaration the Soviet Union has no intention of interfering with the internal affairs of Rumania and will respect its sovereignty and independence and will permit Rumanian troops to fight for the liberation of Transylvania.
This declaration constitutes an engagement irrespective of whether the armistice has or has not been signed. The condition pronounced by Mr. Molotov that this engagement should become effective was to know that the Rumanian troops have begun the fight against the Germans and was realized the moment Rumania was officially in a state of war with Germany which has been since the 24th of August.
The Rumanian Government is convinced that the facts set forth above are the result of delaying the receipt of message by the Soviet troops in Rumania from Moscow.
[Page 217]The Rumanian Government does not doubt that the Soviet engagements will be carried out. It requests however that message should be given urgently [so that?] Rumania shall not be treated like an enemy country but like a friendly country fighting alongside of the Red Army against the common enemy.
Postscript: At the moment of sending this telegram the Soviet generals in Bucharest have made an official declaration to us according to which they are not authorized to deal with the Rumanian Government. Negotiations can only be carried on directly by the Rumanian Government and the Soviet Government through the intervention of the Rumanian delegation now in Moscow. (Signed) Niculesco-Buzesti.
A translation of the note No. 1383 referred to above reads as follows:
To Vinogradov: I have the honor to bring to your attention pursuant to instructions contained in a telegram which I have received from my Government that the Soviet General Tevcenkov has requested in a most exigent manner that he visit the detained politicians who are in the hands of the Rumanian Government in order to assure himself in carrying out the mission with which he is charged by the Soviet Government that they are well guarded and that there is no danger of their escape.
The Rumanian Government having complied with this request, General Tevcenkov went to visit the detained politicians accompanied by the Minister of Internal Affairs.13 But on arriving at their destination the Soviet General took the detained politicians into custody and removed them to a locality near Bucharest giving as his reason that they should be better guarded.
In consequence the detained politicians who are Marshal Antonescu, Mihai Antonescu, (?) Pantazi14 and Vasiliu15 and Colonel Elefterescu are now guarded by Soviet troops to which there have been added some Rumanian elements.
General Tevcenkov has stated that he holds these detained individuals at the disposition of the Rumanian Government.
However, the Rumanian Government has the honor to invite the attention of the Soviet Government to the foregoing in protesting against the procedure of General Tevcenkov which constitutes an obvious interference with Rumanian Sovereignty.
The Rumanian Government has the honor to request the Soviet Government that the detained politicians in question be returned to be guarded exclusively by the Rumanian authorities.
Please accept et cetera. Signed: Cretzianu.
A translation of the note No. 1384 referred to above reads as follows:
To Vinogradov: I have the honor to request you to transmit to the Rumanian Delegation which is now in Moscow the following communication which I have received today September 2 from the Rumanian Government.
[Page 218]- 1.
- The oil depots of the Rumanian Navy belonging to both the Rumanian State and private companies have been sequestrated by the Commander of the Soviet Navy. The Rumanian Navy is obliged to request oil fuel of the Soviet Commander.
- 2.
- The Commander of the Soviet Navy has demanded that there shall be delivered to him immediately without any formality the German depots captured by Rumanian troops.
Please accept, et cetera. Signed: Cretzianu.
Note No. 1385 addressed to Vinogradov and signed by Cretzianu is substantially similar to the note addressed to me set forth above but merely couched in different language.
Repeated to Moscow.