740.00119 EW 1939/8–1044: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)
1907. The American Consul General at Istanbul has reported that Professor Giurescu and Colonel Teodorescu, who arrived in Turkey from Rumania about a week ago, have informed representatives of American agencies in that city that they are authorized by Marshal Antonescu and Mihai Antonescu to indicate the desire of the Rumanian Government to send another envoy to Cairo. It was stated that: Rumanian public opinion now favors Rumanian surrender more than ever before; there is a strong suspicion in Bucharest that Stirbey and Visoianu have failed in their mission; if a new emissary would be accepted he would be sent out with authorization to make whatever concessions the American and British Governments might wish in the oil, mining, forestry and other industries in Rumania in exchange for the taking-over by the Anglo-American authorities of the war indemnity demanded by the Soviet Union; and, if Allied aid in the form of planes and paratroops or naval and marine forces were forthcoming via the Black Sea, Rumania was prepared to oppose the German forces established in the country. It was added that the Rumanian Government has concentrated in and near Bucharest important forces which can be placed at the immediate disposition of the British and American forces.
[Page 188]Colonel Teodorescu left Istanbul for Bucharest on August 6. Another Rumanian source stated Marshal Antonescu had left Rumania for Germany on August 3 in order to persuade Hitler to withdraw German troops from Rumania and that Teodorescu had been recalled to participate in staff discussions of plans for active resistance to the Germans should the Marshal fail in his mission. Teodorescu stated before his departure that Rumania desired American and British participation in any negotiations and hoped that British and American forces would share in the occupation of the country.
Please inform the Commissariat of Foreign Affairs of the foregoing and say that we would be glad to know the Soviet view of this approach. You may say that it is tentatively our feeling that it probably should be considered as just one more of the many probings by which the Rumanians have endeavored to ingratiate themselves with and gain the sympathies of the Allies and at the same time to learn our thinking as to their future, whereas they have disclosed no real determination to do anything for themselves. You should add, however, that we believe the Istanbul contacts might well be told that, although we are not convinced that the Rumanians are really finally determined to take definite action to extricate Rumania from the war and terminate its association with Nazi Germany, if the Rumanian Government is genuinely desirous of making peace with the Allies on a realistic basis and desires to send a fully qualified envoy to Cairo for that purpose, the Soviet, British and American representatives would be willing to receive him and hear what he has to say.
Sent also to London.