740.00/627: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 17—5:23 p.m.]
353. The Rumanian Minister18 just called to see me. He is on his way to the Foreign Office with instructions from his Government to try and get some idea of what England proposes to do. He is going to ask them three questions: (1) Does England propose to do anything at all? If not Rumania will make the best deal she can. (2) Are they going to draw a line somewhere in Europe beyond which Hitler must not go that will just include Turkey, or will it possibly include Rumania and Yugoslavia? (3) If the Rumanians fight, will England give them any support? He said that the German demands, made about a week or 10 days ago, were economic and really meant the end of Rumania, and have been turned down by the Rumanians. The Germans ordered them (1) to stop certain industries, (2) to give them oil concessions and (3) to become nothing but an agricultural country. Germany in turn would take all their exports. He said this is an impossible situation for them and they will not agree. He also said that all their orders for armament were with the Czechs and they have all been stopped, with the result that they find themselves with practically no armaments and they are asking England to sell them some of theirs, even if they are antiquated.
I imagine you get most of the information direct from Rumania but I have asked him to keep in touch with me.
- Viorel Virgil Tilea.↩