740.00119 EW 1939/9–144: Telegram
The Ambassador in Turkey (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 3—6:30 p.m.]
1620. The following telegram is sent to Department and repeated to London as No. [39?] and Moscow:
Ankara, August 30, 1944. To His Excellency Mr. S. Vinogradov, Ambassador of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in Turkey:
Mr. Ambassador: I have the honor to request Your Excellency to be good enough to inform the Government of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics that I received yesterday a telegram from my Government expressing its regret that the Rumanian fleet at the Danube delta had been forced to capitulate as the result of an ultimatum received from a Soviet admiral.
[Page 208]My Government hopes that a similar occurrence will not take place in connection with the Rumanian Black Sea fleet which is at Constanza.
The Rumanian Government emphasizes as a matter of fact that it can only be a question of a local misunderstanding in view of the declaration of August 26 [25?]7 in which His Excellency, Mr. Molotov, stated that the Rumanian forces would not be disarmed in the event that they would fight by the side of the Soviet Army in order to liberate Rumania. But Rumania is in a state of war with Germany since August 24, the date on which the Rumanian Government gave the order to commence hostilities against the German troops. Moreover, this has been officially proclaimed by a public declaration of the Rumanian Government under date of August 26 last.
It is thus certain that independently of the fact of the formal signature of the armistice between the two states, there exists from the present time an understanding that the Rumanian troops will not be disarmed as long as they are fighting against Germany.
The Rumanian Government has the honor to emphasize at the same time that the Rumanian Army has already by its own efforts liberated almost all Rumanian territory and that there remain only a few points of resistance which are in the process of being liquidated. The majority of the German troops are already disarmed and interned.
On the other hand, the Rumanian emissaries who were at Cairo have left by plane for Moscow in order to sign the armistice there.
In informing the Government of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics of the above, the Rumanian Government has the honor to request:
- (1)
- That the Rumanian troops at the front should no longer be disarmed and that they may unite [with] the Soviet troops in the struggle against the common enemy. This request obviously includes also the fleet at Constanza.
- The Rumanian Government hopes that the rearmament of the Rumanian troops who have already been disarmed can take place as soon as possible.
- (2)
- That the movements of the Soviet troops in Rumanian territory will be effected only in the spirit of Mr. Molotov’s declaration and keeping in mind the fact that the Rumanian Government has shown itself in a position to liquidate by its own forces the German troops inside Rumania.
Please accept, Mr. Ambassador, the assurances of my very high consideration.
The Rumanian Minister: (Signed) Al. Cretzianu.