871.00/5–2647

The Acting Chief of the Division of Southern European Affairs (Barbour) to the Second Secretary of the British Embassy (Solly-Flood)

secret

My Dear Peter: With reference to your letter of May 26, 19471 requesting our views on suggestions by your Foreign Office as to desirable action by the US and UK Governments in connection with the intensified persecution of the political opposition in Rumania, we now propose that a communication along the lines of the text quoted below be addressed by the Acting US Political Representative to the Rumanian Minister for Foreign Affairs in this connection. We have requested the comments of our Embassies in Moscow2 and London3 on this, course and will appreciate an indication of the Foreign Office’s reaction, with particular reference to the Foreign Office’s disposition to instruct the British Representative in Bucharest to take parallel [Page 491] action.4 It would be our intention to publish the text of our communication shortly after delivery. I may add that we are now suggesting this formal action instead of the informal approach which the Foreign Office originally had in mind, in as much as we feel that intervening developments have now made formal action desirable, at least for purposes of record.

[Here follows the proposed text of the note to the Rumanian Foreign Minister which was subsequently delivered on June 24. See the editorial note, page 492.]

Sincerely yours,

Walworth Barbour
  1. Ante, p. 488.
  2. Telegram 2171, June 16, from Moscow, not printed, stated that it was desirable to keep the American record straight on Rumania but believed that nothing further could be expected from the protest in the absence of sanctions (871.00/6–1647).
  3. See telegram 3298. June 17, from London, infra.
  4. The British Embassy subsequently informed the Department that the Foreign Office agreed with the proposed American representations and that parallel British action would be undertaken.