840.51 Frozen Credits/709: Telegram
The Minister in Rumania (Gunther) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 16—8:44 a.m.]
608. My 605, October 15, 1 p.m. I have just come from seeing General Antonescu at his request. He spoke with considerable emphasis of the blocking of Rumania’s funds. He said that he assumed that it was due to British pressure, adding that this attitude should no longer hold as he had now reached a satisfactory solution of British difficulties in Rumania that the Minister18 and his diplomatic staff were remaining and that in turn he, the General, was releasing for deportation a number of the British civil prisoners charged with sabotage.
I am transmitting to you separately by telegraph a translation of a memorandum19 which the General handed me taking it from the hands of the Finance Minister who was present at the interview. He urged immediate release of the required funds. As he added that contrary to the insistence of his Finance Minister he was not taking the retaliatory measures urged upon him respecting the American telephone [Page 782] and oil interests in Rumania. I replied that I was very glad to hear this and that certainly I at least never anticipated for a moment that he would do such a thing. I added that, as explained yesterday to the Foreign Minister and the Finance Minister, I was personally completely in the dark as to the reasons actuating this decision, which I casually observed might not have been taken solely for military reasons but possibly also because of the seemingly increasing pressure upon Rumania’s internal economy of the German Legation’s economic centres.