740.0011 European War 1939/4408: Telegram
The Minister in Rumania (Gunther) to the Secretary of State
[Received 5:24 p.m.]
337. In a conversation which I have had with the new Minister for Foreign Affairs, Argetoianu, I found him fairly optimistic that Russia [Page 491] now had what it wanted and would not venture to encroach further in the light of German objection and that Germany could hold both Hungary and Bulgaria in check. He frankly admitted that the declaration67 which I mentioned in my 326, July 2, paragraph 2, meant that Rumania was now definitely aligned with Germany. I said that I assumed naturally that such a statement would not have been issued without prior satisfactory assurances of support from Germany and he assented that that was so—adding that he himself had always been for such a policy; that the Franco-British guarantee had become quite meaningless and had been only a matter of unilateral prestige anyway. He used the usual arguments in defense of rapprochement with Germany, characterized the Russian Government as their principal customer, only Germany which had made a serious endeavor to arm Rumania, etc.
The Under Secretary whom I saw later was much more skeptical; long experienced in foreign relations, far-sighted and shrewd he was not at all sure that Russia would stop where it is, pointing out that a much straighter and more easily defended line would be that of the Siret taking in all of Moldavia. Although each complaint is made [Although each made complaint?] about Hungary and less so about Bulgaria, and [they?] said that it remained to be seen once embarked upon an attack on England whether Germany could continue to restrain these two.
I tried to draw both of them out as to the nature of German promises of support but without much success. I am inclined to suspect that plans for military cooperation are still in the embryo. The Under Secretary for instance doubted whether if England is to be attacked a very appreciable [number of?] German aeroplanes could be designated for the protection of the Rumanian oil fields. I pointed out that very serious lasting damage could be done by Russia in just a few raids. He admitted this but countered that Russia would hardly take this step as it would be a casus belli with Germany. He was also concerned with the possibility of a Russian move southward over the mouths of the Danube to meet with the Bulgarians in the Dobrudja with the attendant menace to Turkey and the Straits.
- A more complete expression of this statement is given in despatch No. 1478, July 6, from the Minister in Rumania, as follows: “In the foreign field the Government expects to follow a policy of sincere integration in the system created by the Rome-Berlin Axis, and this not only as an expression of political realism, but also as a logical consequence of the ideological and political conceptions of its members, just interpreters of the sentiments of the nation.” (740.0011 E. W. 1939/5095)↩