740.0011 European War 1939/10562: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Rumania (Gunther)
235. Your 394, May 2, 5 p.m.77 The Department is interested in the comments of the Rumanian press regarding the relations of the United States with Great Britain during the present conflict. In this general connection it is thought that you may be interested in the text of a highly confidential telegram which we have sent to our missions in several neutral European countries. I feel that you may perhaps be able to apply the directives contained in this message in Rumania:
“At this crucial period in the struggle against totalitarian world aggression, I wish to emphasize the obligation resting upon every representative of this Government abroad to contribute in every way within his power to the success of that struggle. The Government [Page 310] and people of the United States have made it abundantly clear that we do not intend to stand on the sidelines, but that on the contrary we do intend to play our part in resisting the forces of aggression. It is therefore incumbent upon every representative of this Government, and in fact upon every American citizen abroad to reflect in his own bearing and in his conversation with whomever he may come in contact the absolute determination of his Government and country to see this thing through to a successful conclusion.
The President relies upon you to make clear the scope of our national effort and determination to resist aggression to the civil and military leaders of the Government and of public opinion in . . . . . I am confident that you will lose no opportunity in conversation with these leaders, and by every other means within your power, repeatedly to bring home the significance of our position and to stress our absolute conviction that the forces of aggression will be checked and defeated. You need have no hesitancy in expressing our determination and our convictions in the strongest terms.
I desire you to bring these considerations immediately to the attention of the members of your staff and of all our consular officers under your jurisdiction. At the same time every effort should be made to see that authoritative statements of our position, such as the declarations of the President in his speech of March 15,78 are given the widest possible circulation. We are convinced that a continuous, forceful presentation of our position and of the scope of our national effort to resist aggression at this time will have a salutary effect upon official and public opinion in countries such as . . . . . which have not yet been drawn directly into the conflict, and will help greatly to counteract the cumulative effect of totalitarian propaganda.
I shall appreciate continuing suggestions from you looking toward the most effective presentation and dissemination of our position in . . . . .”