Office of the Historian

871.002/12–1844: Telegram

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

Bucharest, December 18, 1944—3 p.m.
[Received 10:56 p.m.]

66. Radescu Government in Cabinet session has decided to order arrest of all ministers and undersecretaries that served as Cabinet members between December 1937 and August 23, 1944.

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Those to be arrested are placed in two categories:

1.
Those that served between 1937 until the Gigurtu Government in June 1940 will be tried as persons responsible for preparing Rumania for war at the side of Germany. There are 32 former ministers and 28 former undersecretaries in this group.
2.
Those that served from June 1940 until the coup de war are designated as war criminals and will be charged according to international law as later determined. In this group are 41 former ministers and 25 former undersecretaries.

Additionally included are 5 royal counselors under the Carol regime who participated without portfolio in the Christea Cabinet that annulled the democratic constitution and introduced the King’s dictatorship.90 The decision previews 131 arrests excepting 7 former ministers and undersecretaries who are refugees in Germany. The Council of Ministers has also ordered the arrest of 154 Nalists who urged war at the side of Germany and closely collaborated with the above Governments.

Present politicals affected by this law include former premier Gheorghe Tatarescu and Misrjalea91 who recently merged his party with the Plowman’s Front of Vice President of the Council Groza.92 The full list will be forwarded by pouch.

The above step of the Radescu Government is considered significant of its intention to execute as far as possible the terms of the armistice.

Repeated to Moscow.

Berry
  1. Following suspension of the constitution, the King dismissed Octavian Goga as Premier and appointed Miron Christea, Patriarch of the Rumanian Orthodox Church, to head a Government of National Union on February 10, 1938; political parties had been suppressed.↩
  2. Mihail Ralea, of former dissident Socialist Peasant Party.↩
  3. Petru Groza.↩