Office of the Historian

85. Telegram From the Embassy in Romania to the Department of State1

9170.
Bucharest, December 26, 1981, 1214Z

SUBJECT

  • Message for President Reagan From Romanian President Ceausescu Call on Foreign Minister Andrei, December 25, 1981.

REF

  • A. Bucharest 9168,2
  • B. Bucharest 9169.3
1.
C—Entire text.
2.
I was called to the Foreign Ministry at 2000 on December 25 to meet with Foreign Minister Stefan Andrei. Also present was the Ministry’s Americas Director, Ambassador Corneliu Bogdan. Andrei said that he had just been with President Ceausescu. Ceausescu had given him a letter dealing with Poland for President Reagan. (For informal Embassy translation of full text of this letter, see Bucharest 9169).
3.
Andrei asked me to transmit the letter as soon as possible (Bucharest 9168) and then made the following oral points.
—
We are coming to you within the framework of improving Romanian-American relations and keeping close and early contact with each other. We want to inform you about our position on the Polish situation.
—
We desire a democratic and independent Poland.
—
We prefer dialogue among the parties in Poland. Including Solidarity, to resolve the crisis.
—
We consider martial law to be the lesser of evils.
—
We think that the American policy of diminished economic aid and contacts makes matters worse.
—
Solidarity was taken over by hotheads in the past two weeks.
4.
In response to my questions Andrei made the following comments:
—
I can assure you nothing was discussed regarding Poland during President Ceausescu’s December 18 and 19 visit to Moscow for Brezhnev’s borthday.
—
In any eventuality Romania will not intervene in Poland.
5.
Andrei also emphasized that the situation in Poland was at a very difficult stage and should be calmed, not further aggravated, so as to avoid a catastrophe.
Funderburk
  1. Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Country File, Europe and Soviet Union, Romania (11/30/1981–1/29/1982). Confidential; Immediate; Exdis. Printed from a copy that was received in the White House Situation Room.↩
  2. See footnote 2, Document 84.↩
  3. See Document 84.↩