BEHIND THE HEADLINES IN RUMANIA
Markham, R. H.
Behind The Headlines In Rumania By R. H. MARKHAM RUMANIA has just undergone an acute political crisis, a by no means unusual occurrence for that country. It has been passing steadily from crisis...
...At that time Bulgarian Fascists let Germans enter their country, but they never declared war on Russia...
...The attempt immediately collapsed, and after other futile endeavors, the King gave in...
...His action recalled the vain Rumanian armistice negotiations in Cairo...
...Others brought Rumania into the war on the side of Germany...
...it ganged up with Germany to recover Bessarabia...
...This group was led by a distinguished, progressive, and very honorable statesman, Juliu Maniu...
...Acquiescence to Hitler was, of course, a pusillanimous act...
...Imposing A Regime It must also be pointed out that Russia showed considerable patience before imposing the present regime...
...So King Mihai acquiesced—and remained on the throne...
...The fact is also important that the new cabinet is by no means democratic and not at all representative of the nation...
...Since Maniu and his whole party leadership refused to take the National Peasant Party into the new government, Groza went in as a figure-head Prime Minister, and as self-appointed representative of the Peasants, whose leaders had repudiated him...
...The Red Army entered Rumania last August, moved rapidly through the country into Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Hungary, constantly fighting Germans...
...And, in addition to all its disqualifications, it was created solely by unilateral action...
...Completely freed from the Turks less than 70 years ago, it adopted a good constitution, erected a beautiful Parliament, organized vigorous political parties, and tried to set up a people's government...
...One was the National Liberal Party, which may be compared with the American GOP...
...It claims to represent "the people...
...The Rumanian Communist Party there is going to execute bourgeois chiefs...
...This naturally was a coercive act...
...Even the press continued with some freedom and papers, both new and old, appeared on the streets with only occasional suspensions...
...It was dynamic and sometimes held great mass meetings, but the leaders were rather moderate...
...The new government was simply made by Moscow...
...The Communists began to take over, piecemeal...
...Vishinsky recalled that a few days ago when, before crowds in Bucharest, he extolled his new government and boasted of Russia's liberating Rumania and Europe...
...Who's Who In The Cabinet The new Rumanian government presents itself as a democratic creation...
...But whether good or bad, it was one of the chief political instruments of the Rumanian people...
...Certainly no one in the crowd cared to contradict him—publicly...
...Nevertheless, for nearly 6 months it put up with a pretty inefficient, largely bourgeois, and decidely anti-Communist cabinet...
...From February almost to August, last year, Rumanian representatives puttered about carrying on hush-hush talks with the British and Americans...
...This will remain as one of the most striking dramas in the history of Bulgarian jurisprudence...
...Also, Stalin and Hitler together had partitioned Rumania...
...They cover both the army and civilians...
...Finally, there was a small, moribund Socialist Party and a still smaller Communist Party, composed largely of non-Rumanians...
...Rumania is one of the world's many countries that have been striving, with only partial success, toward democracy...
...In fact, America had quite solemnly quoted the Atlantic Charter to that effect...
...The Russian commanders took everything they wished, exercised all authority they deemed necessary, and used any required public or private facility or possession...
...However, that proved very difficult even before the last World War, and still more difficult afterwards, and in 1930 the country passed under the autocratic rule of a single man...
...Now Russia has gone still further and made America look still funnier by demonstratively effecting the promised restoration of Transylvania as a gift to the Groza government—as emperors once gave principalities to their favorites...
...And now the new government of Rumania announces that a purge is to take place there, also...
...Thus, anti-Communist chiefs are being eliminated from all of the Balkans except Greece...
...I suppose Mr...
...It is not a juridical or military act, but a political conspiracy, designed to make the Bulgarian Communists masters and prepare the way for "free, democratic elections," with the political opposition executed or in prison...
...Vishinsky, ever yelling for the people...
...Russia was sending supplies to Germany and making concessions to Hitler everywhere in the Balkans...
...It occurred in 1941...
...It is very difficult to see how any informed observer with integrity and self respect could call this government democratic...
...And the aims of the purge are mostly political...
...George Tatarescu, a notorious Rumanian time-server, who tried to bring to the Communists a faction from the Liberal Party...
...He also completely ignored the Allied Control Commission...
...Now those Rumanians responsible for that are to be purged—according to the Moscow-dominated new government...
...Some have committed flagrant crimes in Russia and grave injustices in Rumania...
...At that stage, one of Marshal Stalin's strongest and most expeditious agents, Andrei Vishinsky, who may be called the assistant Secretary of State, flew to Bucharest and imposed his regime...
...For example, executions in Bulgaria are approaching 1,000 and trials by People's Courts are continuing...
...It is as autocratic as Carol and has far less of a following even than the bloody Iron Guardists...
...Then he flopped, as Tatarescu, to serve autocratic King Carol and help him wipe out the Peasant Party...
...But sad to say, some Americans applaud everything Russia does, even if it entails the humiliation of America and the flouting of our promises...
...Added to these is a dissident from Juliu Maniu's Peasant Party, namely, Peter Groza, who has never played a political role of any importance...
...France had collapsed...
...To do this the Army had to maintain long vital lines of communication and naturally wanted a subservient, compliant Rumanian government...
...Russia also lauds it as a "people's government...
...After snuggling up to Juliu Maniu and Fascistic King Carol, he is now snuggling up to Mr...
...In February and March of 1941, when the Bulgarian Fascists allowed Germans to enter their country, Russia was actually cooperating with Nazi Germany...
...Then, finally in 1941, Rumania, plundered by Hitler and Stalin alike, did exactly what Russia had done in 1940...
...Now he has offered his services to Russia and will help purge, meaning kill, his colleagues in the name of democracy and a brave new world...
...At Paris, after the Crimean War, Britain said to Russia, "Get out of Rumania," and Russia had to get...
...Tatarescu first won notoriety in Rumania as an anti-Semite pogromist, that is, as a Jew-killer, added to his fame by condoning Iron Guard-ists, dismissed from office the pro-Russian Titulescu, and helped his autocratic master wipe out parties along with all semblance of democratic life in Rumania...
...This does not mean that the recently deposed ministers seriously hampered Russian action, resisted Russian decisions, endangered Russian lines, or to any appreciable extent restricted the authority of the occupying Red Army...
...In addition, there was a People's Party, the relic of a Conservative Party, a terrific and terrible Iron Guard Party, composed of murderous and dynamic Fascists, and a few other splinter groups...
...But already before 1941 Russia had been cooperating with Nazi Germany for nearly seventeen months...
...I am not discussing whether it was a good party or bad...
...More than any other Rumanian politician he prepared the way for rank, stark, Jew-killing Nazism, which of course reached its climax when Russia and Germany, were collaborating...
...The other main political group was the National-Peasant Party, made up of the old National Party of Transylvania, of the Peasant Party in the "Old Kingdom," and of the Peasant Party in Bessarabia...
...With them is the "Liberal" Mr...
...Let us see whether this claim has any base...
...But was little Bulgaria supposed to be braver than great big, powerful Russia, who for a year and a half had already been actually helping Germany...
...Yet, at present, those Russians who in 1941 had been with Germany and thus against England, are now instigating the liquidation of Bulgarians who also gave way to Nazi pressure...
...The chief item in the program of the new government is a radical and fundamental purge...
...It represented the middle class of the cities, was long led by the Bratianu family, tended to control industry and finance, and was responsible for much of Rumania's modern progress...
...Working with Hitler, Stalin had partitioned Poland and Molotov had said that the Polish state had vanished forever...
...Having the power in their hands and a blanket justification—war crimes or Fascism— they are wiping out the leaders who have checkmated them during 25 years of bitter political strife...
...Of course, war criminals are being punished and Nazis are being put out of the way, but chiefly the Bulgarian Communists and other extremists are liquidating political opponents...
...That was one thing the Rumanians made very plain...
...Thus, present happenings are only the continuation of an old story...
...Communists everywhere were denouncing England and indirectly aiding Germany...
...Indeed, the premier himself became helpless—a virtual prisoner of the opposition...
...And even before that there was much governmental instability...
...Britain and America signed and sent notes to Moscow...
...Sad to say, some Americans unblushingly claim that this is all according to Hoyle...
...It emanates from the "Democratic Front...
...However, both the Russians and the Russian-favored Communists finally reached the limit of endurance, demanded preemptory changes, permitted or incited vehement popular demonstrations leading to bloody clashes, and by radical acts practically paralyzed normal government action...
...Communists are in the extremely vital position of exercising control over the whole security system and the courts, so they hold the life and property of every Rumanian in their hands...
...However, the situation has a radically new aspect, namely, that the new government has been imposed by Russia, which causes consternation in Rumania and dissatisfaction in England and America...
...It was partly bourgeois, but mostly peasant and could be compared with our Democrat Party...
...But they did allow Rumanian life to go on without drastic political changes...
...Russia had taken northern Bukovina and Bessarabia, which by all accounts contains more Rumanians than Russians...
...In spite of the Yalta agreement, Russia's delegate took Rumanian matters into his own hands and acted without consultation with his Allies...
...Also, in this government is a Mihail Rallea, who used to be a minor figure in the Peasant Party...
...One must hasten to add that this statement should not be interpreted as meaning that the ousted government was democratic or that Rumania has recently been accustomed to governments of, by, and for the people...
...This party promised extensive and radical reforms, but when in power made a disappointing record...
...Now he has split the Socialists and is taking the fag end of a tiny, moribund faction into the "People's Government...
...Rumanian political life was sad, turbulent, and rather futile, with much yearning, considerable killing, and quite general frustation, with distressing mass poverty and vast potential wealth, yet in this kaleidoscope of changes one thing was clear: the Rumanians were not Communists...
...But under what circumstances did that last act happen...
...The new Rumanian government, therefore, is made up solely of the representatives of fag ends and splinters, representing little, as individuals, and still less as tribunes of the people...
...It was a case of accept—or else...
...Among them are war criminals, and Fascists, who certainly deserve punishment...
...But now the Rumanians have a Communist-led government...
...Notes To Moscow In those terms Russia returned Transylvania to Rumania, even though the American government had assured the world a dozen times that territorial settlements would be made after the war, and that populations would not be shifted about for the sake of diplomatic gains...
...Gallows have been raised in most Bulgarian cities, many of the towns, some of the villages...
...Later, he flopped to the Socialists...
...Plainly there was no ideal democratic system in Rumania to fall beneath the steam roller of the present Communist-led dictatorship...
...That the King tried to stall is shown by the fact that he asked the old friend of his Grandmother, Prince Stirbey, to form a government...
...Then by a mighty push Russia took Bucharest and called Rumanian, American, and British delegates to Moscow where Marshal Malinowsky signed in the name of the Allies, the terms dictated by Russia...
...If we may judge from Russian and Rumanian declarations and from examples in Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, this may mean the physical elimination of most bourgeois leaders...
...Corruption has been prevalent and popular discontent rife...
...Liquidating Opponents The royal acquiescence inaugurated a drastic turn in Rumanian developments...
...And along with their pro-Nazi collaborators are to be liquidated political opposition to the Communists...
...Before autocratic King Carol liquidated all political organizations several years ago, confiscated their property, and stopped their paper, 2 parties dominated the country...
...There is no appeal from the courts, execution is immediate...
...It brought Rumania squarely into line with Partisan-dominated Bulgaria and Yugoslavia and opened the way for the definite subjugation of the bourgeoisie...
...It has been passing steadily from crisis to crisis ever since 1930, when Prince Carol returned from exile to become king...
Vol. 9 • April 1945 • No. 14
