761.71/6–1546: Telegram
The Representative in Rumania (Berry) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 17—7:25 a.m.]
605. There are no facts at my disposal to contradict Barnes92 analysis (his tel June 12 to Dept repeated Bucharest as 1893) and many to confirm it.
In political field Soviet or Soviet backed Rumanian activities in last few weeks have been intensified in atmosphere already overcharged with bitterness and violence.
Spearhead of this attack has been directed against America and its Missions in Rumania. It has sought first to reduce our powers of observation by every means notably ordering summarily Markham to leave Rumania, refusing clearances for Americans desiring to visit Rumania, delaying clearances for airplanes and obliging them to use corridors. It has sought secondly to reduce means of making our [Page 605] presence felt by stepping up general campaign of violence hoping to intimidate our friends, threatening officials of Society of Friends of US, arresting member of my staff, member of Gen Schuyler’s, and kidnapping second member of his staff and censoring increasingly newspapers of opposition which would like to carry full statements of Secretary Byrnes and other American statesmen.
Campaign has sought to paralyze growing conviction that Rumania’s survival depends on strength of its ties with western democracies. Soviets and their Rumanian Quislings are frantically seeking to blast Rumania free of such ties. A recent broadside of three anti-American articles in single issue of Red Army newspaper opened latest phase of this campaign.
In military field there is evidence of increasing Soviet activity particularly in air section which is not of defensive character. Many new planes are arriving daily. The influx reached its peak first week of June. Now an estimated 6,500 to 7,000 Soviet military airplanes are in Rumania. 50% are fighters, 30% assault and 20% light bombers. Rumanian airdomes now occupied or being prepared for Soviet occupancy number 141. In Transylvania are 71. Buildings of all sorts and shops near airports have been requisitioned in large numbers. Fuel dumps maintained at capacity level. In Lugoj area, departure point for Yugoslavia, there are now 400 to 600 Soviet aircraft and at Arad there are 400.
General Schuyler has reported recent Soviet troop and material movements south and west. Although number of Soviet troops in Rumania is less than 6 months ago, there has been gradual shifting of troops throughout country toward concentration southwestern area. Rumanian Army is being coordinated with Red Army through better liaison and supervision.
Such facts are impressive and in present atmosphere give cause for serious concern although it must be admitted that same facts [apparent omission] be viewed otherwise if there were more evidence of Soviet intention to cooperate with western democracies in international matters rather than to act unilaterally in support of position of Communist parties in foreign countries.
I, therefore, must agree with Barnes’ conclusion that stage is set for another Soviet unilateral action in southeastern Europe. Whether such action which will tighten Soviet control of this area takes place now, I believe, will depend upon Paris rather than Balkan developments.
This is 605 from Berry. Repeated to Sofia as 17, Secdel Paris as 70 Belgrade as 17 and Moscow as 98.
[On June 17, 1946, the Rumanian Foreign Minister transmitted to the United States Representative in Rumania a note replying to the Representative’s note of June 14. The Rumanian note expressed regret that its June 3 note had not satisfied the United States Government but observed that the Soviet Government had raised no objection regarding the Rumanian Government’s implementation of the Moscow Conference decisions. For text of Rumanian note of June 17, see Department of State Bulletin, June 30, 1946, page 1125.]
- Maynard Barnes, United States Representative in Bulgaria.↩
- Telegram 437, June 12, from Sofia, repeated to Bucharest as 18, expressed the view that the Soviet Union appeared to be making military dispositions in the Balkans aimed at confronting the United States and the United Kingdom with the threat of immediate military action in southeast Europe to assure Soviet objectives in advance of final discussions at the forthcoming Council of Foreign Ministers meetings (740.00119 Control (Bulgaria)/6–1246).↩