Ext 6116/46(S) 'Secret Weekly Political Intelligence Summaries, nos 356-416, August 1946-November 1947' [‎80r] (159/978)

15
cernecl about the possibility that they may
be charged with sabotage for failing to ful
fil the new production targets which are
impossibly high.
The Professorship of English at Bucha
rest University appears likely to lapse,
unfortunate consequences for British
pi^stige. It is reported that the present
holder of the Chair, Professor Pro-
topopescu, is shortly to be purged, and the
British Council has been unable to find a
suitable candidate to replace him.
1 he most disquieting new internal
development is the proposed reform of the
judicial system “ in accordance with demo
cratic progressive principles.” Mixed
tribunals are to be introduced in which
C£ popular elements ” are to sit side by side
with professional judicial personnel. These
elements are to be “ people’s assessors ”
drawn by lot from lists of persons sub
mitted by rural communes in the country
side and trade union organisations in the
towns. These new “people’s judges ” are
to be installed in time for the trial of the
National Peasant Party leaders early in
October, in order to give the impression
that the sentences that will inevitably be
passed on M. Maniu and his followers are
the result of outraged public opinion.
Much publicity is being given to Greece
in the press, the attention of Roumanian
readers being called to the affinities between
Greek “ traitors ” such as MM. Tsaldaris
and Maximos and their own £ ‘ traitors ’ ’
of the National Peasant Party. It was
stated that in Greece the foundations were
being laid for an aggression which might
affect her democratic neighbours including
Roumania. To forestall this danger a
Committee has been formed for he’ping the
Greek people in their ££ fight for freedom ”
under the Chairmanship of G. Apostol,
President of the Confederation of Labour.
One of the principal organisers is said to
be Chi§inevsky, member of the central
Committee of the Roumanian Communist
Party.
Traffic through Roumania of illegal
Jewish immigrants bound for Palestine
continues. A total of 3,000 have recently
left in three trains bound for Giurgiu;
arms and explosives are reliably reported
to be included in the luggage.
It is estimated that the maize crop is
well above the average, and that large
quantities will be available for export.
This may facilitate the negotiations of the
Ministry of Food representative now in
Bucharest trying to secure arrangement for
supplies of agricultural products.
A delegation led by M. Profiru, Minister
of Transport and Communications, has just
left for Moscow. According to a Dacia
Romana broadcast he is to make a contract
with the U.S.S.R. for the production of
a considerable amount of rolling stock in
Roumania in connection with the proposed
widening of the gauge of the Roumanian
railways to fit the Soviet track. This state
ment, if true, is surprising, as such a gauge
widening would not be in accordance ,vith
Soviet railway policy in the satellite coun
tries during the past.
(See also under ££ Turkey ” and last week
under ££ Bulgaria.”)
Yugoslavia
A protest delivered by H.M. Ambassador
and the Ambassador of the United States
to the Yugoslav Government about Yugo
slav behaviour in Venezia Giulia (reported
in last week’s Summary) on the coming into
force of the Italian Peace Treaty was
received by the Assistant Foreign Minister
in a conciliatory manner. He stated that
his Government did not desire unpleasant
incidents on the Trieste frontier any more
than H.M. or the U.S. Governments.
Nevertheless, the Yugoslav press and
radio, and the political leaders, have been
pouring forth accusations of a kind now too
familiar against the brutality of the
American troops during the withdrawal,
of provocation on the frontier, and of
terrorism employed against their “ Slovene
brothers still unliberated.” A Yugoslav
protest in Washington against the
behaviour of American troops was met with
the bare statement by the U.S. Government
that the allegations of the Yugoslav
Government against American troops were
not worthy of comment.
The aggressive actions of Yugoslav
troops on the Italian border have been fol
lowed by a protest by the Yugoslav Minis
ter in Rome on 20th September against
the Italian treatment of its Slovene
minority. “This,” the note stated, “is
the first diplomatic step of the Yugoslav
Legation . . . before submitting the dispute
to the Committee of Ambassadors of the
Four Great Powers in Rome.” It informs
the Italian Government that “ the inci
dents and the Fascist terror against the
Slovenes in the part of Venezia Giulia
under Italian rule are creating an atmos
phere of pogrom and represent a violation
of the Peace Treaty.”
On the 22nd September—the day on
which the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry
assured H.M. Ambassador of the Yugoslav
Government’s desire to avoid any incident
on the Trieste frontier—a U.S. patrol, con
sisting of one officer and four men on horse,