871.00/3–646: Telegram

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

secret

148. Urtel 246, Feb. 28. In regard to King Michael’s inquiry I feel views of this Govt as to desirability of concerted Soviet, U.S. and U.K. policy and action and our wish to see established democratic Governments truly representative of will of people expressed through free elections have been so frequently stated as to make reiteration unnecessary. The same can be said for position this Govt that rehabilitation of economy of those nations which have suffered as result of war and establishment of normal commercial relations throughout world are cornerstones of a stable peace. As indicated my address Feb. 2850 Great Powers have no right to keep troops in territories of other sovereign states without their approval and consent freely given and must not unduly prolong making of peace nor continue to impose troops upon small and impoverished states.

Concerning Rumanian-Hungarian frontier it will be recalled that in negotiations preceding signature of Rumanian armistice U.S. Govt, in line with its general belief that all territorial questions should be postponed until final peace settlement, took position that matter of Rumanian-Hungarian frontier should be thus deferred (urtel 271, March 6). While we do not believe that any useful purpose will be served by hypothetical discussion at present of matters to be taken up in connection with peace treaties, it may be stated that U.S. Govt will approach each question of this nature at appropriate time with utmost sympathy toward wishes of the inhabitants of area involved and with most careful attention to ethnographic, economic and political aspects of problem.

You may inform King Michael orally of foregoing.51

Byrnes
  1. For text of the Secretary’s address to the Overseas Press Club in New York, February 28, 1946, see Department of State Bulletin, March 10, 1946, p. 355.
  2. Telegram 327, March 20, from Bucharest, reported that Mr. Berry had delivered the Secretary’s message verbally to King Michael on the afternoon of March 20. During his one and one-half hour conversation with the King and the Queen Mother, Mr. Berry was told “feelingly the melancholy story of the deteriorating relationship between the King and Groza Government as well as the malignant details of projected but unsuccessful assassination plan.… It is sufficient to say that I found both King and Queen Mother distraught and visibly showing the effects of the government’s war of nerves directed against them.” (871.00/3–2046).