871.6363/177: Telegram
The Minister in Rumania (Jay) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 7—10:35 a.m.]
29. Your 19, July 3, 4 p.m. The increasing weakness of its credit abroad, as indicated by the recent fall of exchange, seems to have impressed the Rumanian Government, and the Minister of Commerce has tried to allay the fears of the foreign oil interests by informing them that the Rumanian authorities will not be unreasonable in enforcing the mining laws and has sought to comfort them in other ways. Apparently the Rumanian Government is trying to combat unfavorable reaction abroad and violent criticism within the country [Page 615] against this final act in the antiforeign policy of the Minister of Finance.
I believe, therefore, that the action contemplated by the Department would be a severe shock to the Liberal Government and would come at a particularly embarrassing time.
I recommend that I be authorized to have a frank talk with the Minister of Foreign Affairs in which I would tell him that the general attitude of the Rumanian Government was viewed by my Government with so much concern that I had been instructed to return to Washington for consultation and that I had been directed to make public the reason why I was leaving. If the Minister of Foreign Affairs should offer serious propositions I would tell him that acting on my own responsibility I would transmit them to my Government and delay my departure until I received further instructions. I also recommend that if you approve this course you notify the Rumanian Minister at Washington …
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, unfortunately, leaves the day after tomorrow for Prague to attend the semi-annual conference of the Little Entente and will probably be away for ten days. As Parliament has adjourned, the Prime Minister is temporarily in the country, but presumably I could see him. I would rather have the Minister of Foreign Affairs present, however, as he has a lively appreciation of and respect for the power and influence of the United States in the world and has before this given impression of trying to support American interests against Vintila Bratiano. I desire finally to remove any impression I may possibly have given that American interests here already received [worse?] treatment than others. All the foreign representatives here and their nationals are making bitter complaints. In some cases, however, their governments, notably the French, hesitate to take extreme measures, presumably for purely political reasons.