had concluded an armistice with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Great Britain and the United States of America, representatives of these powers who constituted the Allied Control Commission for Rumania should have been restored to control of property belonging to their citizens. This was a matter of concern both to the Government of the United States and to American citizens directly concerned with the ownership and management of the RomanoAmericana Oil Company.

The Rumanian Government can have no legitimate complaint regarding any steps taken by American officials and American officers of that company to keep informed about American property and about operation of that company in the years 1945, 1946, and 1947, years in which a state of war still existed between Rumania and the United States of America. American owners had every right to know of the state of production of their company, its activities, personnel, financial status, sales, etc. Moreover, there were at that time no such laws concerning "state secrets" as now exist in Rumania, as substantially all of the information about which such slanderous statements have been made in connection with the Ploesti trial, was openly published in the Monitorul Petrolului Roman. If the Rumanian Government is not already aware of the fact, the Government of the United States takes this opportunity to inform it that all of the socalled espionage information of the type involved in the Ploesti trial is, insofar as the American petroleum industry is concerned, freely available in published form in the United States and can thus be openly obtained by the Rumanian Legation in Washington.

It is clear that no "sabotage" could or did take place under the auspices of the managerial staff of the oil companies. The operations of such companies in Rumania after the war were an open book in which all details were known to the three elements (Soviet, British and American) of the Allied Control Commission and to the Rumanian Government. It is true that crude oil production declined after the war and reached its lowest point in 1947. There are two reasons for this, however, neither of which has any connection with falsely alleged "sabotage" by the management of the oil companies.

The first and main reason is military. In November and December 1944 alone, Soviet occupation authorities seized about 48,000 metric tons of tubular goods such as casing, tubing, drill pipe and line pipe. This amount represented sixty (60) percent of the stocks on hand. Stocks left in the country amounted to less than that needed for one year's amount of normal drilling. Furthermore, destruction of railway and tank car equipment as well as other petroleum equipment during the fighting and bombing in 1944 sharply reduced possibilities. From the petroleum output that continued, 1,080,000 metric tons of petroleum products were taken by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as reparations between September 1944 and March 1945 alone. During 1945 the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics took

1 Armistice agreement of Sept. 12, 1944; A Decade of American Foreign Policy, pp. 487-491.

sixty-eight (68) percent of the total petroleum output and seized exclusively for its own use the majority of available tank cars.

Faced with such a situation, the only way to rebuild the industry out of damages resulting from over-exploitation by the Germans during the war, from military operations, and from Soviet seizures, was investment of large amounts of new capital for repairing existing plant, for replacing lost equipment, and for exploring for new fields. This capital did not exist within Rumania in sufficient quantities, a fact which the present government admits when it claims that large quantities of equipment have been imported since 1948 from the Soviet. Union at the price of giving that nation a major share in the ownership and management of the industry through so-called "Sovrom Petrol" and "Sovrom Utilaj-Petrolifer" corporations. However, in 1945, 1946, and 1947, the only practicable sources of foreign capital were the United States and Great Britain who already had invested so much to give Rumania as large a petroleum industry as it then had. Instead of encouraging American-owned companies to invest new funds in Rumania where risk was high, the Rumanian Government in connivance with the Soviet authorities in Rumania, after formation of Sovrom Petrol in May 1945, instituted a deliberate policy of harassing the operations of all privately owned enterprises. The Rumanian Government took no steps to assist such enterprises in the importation of desperately needed equipment, it failed to grant realistic prices, it barred, for purely political purposes, financial advances from the National Bank, it levied arbitrary taxes, forced qualified workers to resign, interfered needlessly in the day-to-day conduct of business, and allowed the General Confederation of Labor and the Communist Party to foment pointless strikes. In addition to such harmful practices it soon became painfully obvious that the ultimate intention of the Rumanian Government was to expropriate and nationalize all industrial enterprises except those that were Sovietowned. When on June 11, 1948 the Rumanian Government did in fact pass legislation for the nationalization of industrial, banking, insurance, mining, transportation and other enterprises, with the exception of those having a Soviet interest, the United States Government pointed out that the legislation, being seriously discriminatory, was expressly prohibited by Article 31 (c) of the Treaty of Peace between Allied and Associated Powers and Rumania signed at Paris on February 10, 1947. It was further pointed out that the nationalization legislation failed to provide for equitable valuation and prompt, adequate and effective compensation. In view of the hostile attitude. of the Rumanian Government after March 1945 and its obvious intentions it is not surprising that the production of American companies. declined. To place the blame for such a decline on sabotage is, however, a patently obvious falsification of history.

The Rumanian Government may seek to delude its people into believing that the shortages of petroleum products in Rumania in the years 1945, 1946, and 1947 were caused by the actions of the manage

1 TIAS 1649; 61 Stat., pt. 2, p. 1757.

ment of the oil companies. In fact, as has been shown above, they were due to seizures of equipment and forced exports of such products to the Soviet Union. The government will have a more difficult time explaining why in 1953, when production, according to official claims, is at the highest level in history, gasoline, oil, and lighting and heating fuels are still rationed in the country, farmers must often wait for hours in line to purchase two liters of kerosene for lighting purposes at an exorbitant price, and city residents receive only two liters of kerosene per month.

The Government of the United States can arrive at no other conclusion except that the Government of the Rumanian People's Republic has deliberately attempted by the so-called Ploesti "trial" and the propaganda connected with it to add to its general campaign of misrepresentations against the Government and people of the United States. The American people, including in their midst many thousands of Rumanian descent, have always had and continue to have friendliest feelings for the people of Rumania and the desire to contribute to their welfare. They deeply regret that the Government of Rumania does not share that desire and persists in taking actions and promoting calumnies and slanders which only aim at destroying the historical friendship between the two peoples.

63. CESSATION OF DISTRIBUTION OF THE ROMANIAN NEWS AND NEWS from amerICA: Note From the Secretary of State to the Rumanian Minister at Washington, 1 December 31, 1953 2

1

The Secretary of State presents his compliments to the Honorable the Minister of Rumania and has the honor to refer to the dissemination of publications within the United States at the instance of the Rumanian Legation. Special reference is made to the periodical bulletin entitled, The Romanian News.

As the Legation is doubtless aware, the Rumanian Government has requested the American Legation at Bucharest to cease further distribution in Rumania of a periodical issued by that Legation entitled News From America.

Accordingly, the Department of State requests the Rumanian Legation to cease forthwith the publication and distribution in the United States of The Romanian News. The distribution in the United States by the Rumanian Legation of other similar pamphlets published at the expense of the Rumanian Government or its organs should also be terminated.

1 Marin F. Ionescu.

Department of State Bulletin, Jan. 11, 1954, p. 48.

64. ANTI-SEMITISM IN RUMANIA: Statement by the Deputy Under Secretary of State to a Delegation From the American Jewish Committee, June 3, 19542

In recent months the Rumanian Communist regime has brought to trial and sentenced to long prison terms scores of Rumanian Jews. Many of these recently sentenced have been held in prison without trial for several years, their only crime being that the regime considers them undesirable. The fate of the victims of this widespread persecution is cause for deep concern on the part of the Department of State as well as the American Jewish Committee.

The conduct of the Rumanian Government in this instance is but. one more example of its callous disregard for human rights and fundamental freedoms. In order to instill fear in the hearts of the 250.000 Jews in Rumania that Government has found it necessary to sentence leaders of the Jewish community so that they might be held as hostages. Such conduct is not only in violation of the provisions of the Treaty of Peace with Rumania but also ignores the dictates of justice and humanity.

I am deeply moved by the tragic plight of these unfortunate Jewish leaders and sympathize with the feelings expressed by members of the delegation from the American Jewish Committee.

65. TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COMMUNIST SEIZURE OF POWER: Statement by the Secretary of State, August 23, 1954 3

Ten years ago today the Rumanian people, under the leadership of their King and of the heads of the country's democratic parties, freed themselves from Nazi domination and joined the Allies in the final decisive struggle for liberty. In the Royal Proclamation of August 23, 1944, King Mihai I stated that "the new government marks the beginning of an era in which the rights and liberties of all citizens will be respected."

These promising beginnings were halted on March 6, 1945, when the Soviet Government, in violation of its solemn undertakings, intervened in Rumanian affairs and installed the first of a series of puppet governments which have existed in that captive country until today.

The Communist rulers of Rumania have persistently sought to take over this national holiday and make it their own. The grim irony of this attempt is evident when it is recalled that not only did the Communists contribute nothing to the courageous action of August 23, 1944, but also that they have exiled or imprisoned all the

1 Robert Murphy.

2 Department of State Bulletin, June 14, 1954, p. 914.

Ibid., Sept. 6, 1954, p. 339. See also Secretary Dulles' statements of May 8, 1954 (ibid., May 17, 1954, pp. 755-756) and May 10, 1955 (ibid., May 23, 1955, p. 842).

political leaders who organized and carried out that historic step and have systematically suppressed all human rights and freedoms. The travesty which the Communist regime seeks to perpetrate cannot deceive the people of Rumania. Likewise, it should not blind the free world to the true significance of this date, or prevent our paying tribute to the fortitude and deep love of liberty of the Rumanian people.

66. RESTRICTIONS ON PHOTOGRAPHY AND SKETCHING: Note From the Secretary of State to the Rumanian Minister at Washington, June 9, 1955 2

1

The Secretary of State presents his compliments to the Honorable the Minister of the Rumanian People's Republic and has the honor to state that the following regulations have been instituted and will apply until further notice to photography, sketching, and the execution of works of plastic art in the United States by Rumanian official personnel and their dependents.

1. Rumanian official personnel and their dependents in the United States may execute works of plastic art, take photographs, or make sketches of historical and architectural monuments; the buildings of cultural, educational, and medical institutions; theaters, museums, city, state or national parks; stadiums; and urban and rural scenes in the background of which there are none of the objects listed below in points 3a through 3g.

2. Within the premises of economic enterprises and organizations engaged in the manufacture of civilian goods, as well as in cultural institutions, Rumanian official personnel and their dependents in the United States may, in individual cases, execute works of plastic art, make sketches, or take photographs provided that they have first obtained the permission of the administration of these institutions and organizations.

3. Rumanian official personnel and their dependents in the United States may not execute works of plastic art, make sketches, or take photographs of the objects listed below. This provision is also applicable in cases where the specified objects are under construction:

a. Areas where Rumanian official personnel and their dependents do not have free access.

b. Industrial enterprises of any kind.

c. Fuel storage depots.

d. Military objects, installations, technology and armaments. e. All water ports; airfields and airports; hydro-electric, thermoelectric or nuclear power installations; bridges; railroad junctions and terminals; tunnels; reservoirs and dams; silos; and water towers. f. Scientific research institutions, offices and laboratories.

g. Radio, television, telephone and telegraph stations or facilities.

1 Anton Moisescu.

2 Department of State Bulletin, July 18, 1955, pp. 105–106.