740.00119 Control (Rumania)/11–1444: Telegram

The American Representative in Rumania ( Berry ) to the Secretary of State

3. Late last evening I called on Foreign Minister Visoianu59 and informed him of my status. He said that he warmly welcomed the arrival in Bucharest of a representative of the American Government. Then he kept me for an hour describing Rumania’s present administrative and economic difficulties particularly with reference to application of the terms of the armistice. Throughout his talk he spoke without bitterness and even with considerable tolerance of the untraditional approach of the Soviet Command to local problems and the spontaneous actions of subordinate officers. Again and again he said that his Government sincerely desired to fulfill the obligations [Page 261] they had assumed under the armistice but that this might prove impossible if it were denied the means of fulfilling them.

The Minister said that his Government had agreed to ensure free movement as required by military authorities but it was incapable of this as in fact the control of all communications was in Soviet hands. It had agreed to compensate for losses caused the Soviet Union to the amount of 50 million dollars yearly for 6 years payable in oil products, grain and other commodities. However, the means of producing oil products were being seized [and] transported from Rumania and grain next year would be lacking as only 15% of the land normally planted with wheat had been sown this autumn. This was due in part to the fact that fuel for tractors was not transported and distributed on Soviet-controlled Rumanian railways and in part to a fear born of experience among the peasants that their animals and tractors would be requisitioned by the Soviets if exposed.

Visoianu confirmed the report that Christu60 had withdrawn as chairman and member of the Rumanian delegation to the Armistice Control Commission because of the resentment of General Vinogradov to the Rumanian reply to the Soviet note of November 2. (General Constantine Niculescu is slated to replace Christu61 but Christu because of his experience and personality will be recalled unofficially as advisor to the delegation.) The Minister added that Deputy Commissar for Foreign Affairs Vyshinski had come to Rumania, carrying a long verbal message for the King, for purpose of arranging for the better execution of the terms of the armistice.

On the way to the door the Minister stopped and once again emphasized the desire of the Rumanian Government to fulfill conscientiously the terms of the armistice, stressing the fact that the Government found no fault with the terms but did object to the way in which they had been executed until the present time. It was also unable to understand some requests made by the Soviets in the name of the Armistice Commission which he said would be humorous if the situation were not so tragic. To illustrate his point, the Minister drew from his pocket a request just received from the Soviets which according to him called for the immediate delivery of large quantities of silk of the finest quality, of underwear for soldiers, cocoa and other articles not produced in the country or available in reserve stocks.

Berry
  1. Constantin Visoianu, a friend of Iuliu Maniu, became Rumanian Minister for Foreign Affairs on November 4.
  2. Ion Serban Christu.
  3. General Niculescu, however, was appointed head of the King’s military household, and Savel Radulescu, a member of the Rumanian delegation, was promoted on November 17 to head the delegation.