The Danger to Rumania The open seizure of Bohemia and
Moravia, and the veiled seizure of Slovakia, by Germany inevitably focused attention on Rumania, and alarm regarding that country's lot was accentuated by reports widely published at the week- end that a German ultimatum had been delivered at Bucharest calling on Rumania to sell the whole of her exports —including, of course, primarily oil—to Germany, on a barter basis, and to dismantle certain of her industrial con- cerns and rely on Germany to supply her with the goods they had hitherto produced. It is clear that the report went beyond the facts, though a South-Eastern European State may be forgiven for discerning little difference between a German proposal and a German ultimatum at the present time. But alarm in Rumania itself was great, and it was largely responsible for the initiative taken by Great Britain in proposing a defensive pact whose signatories would join in opposing by all means in their power a German military advance beyond the western frontiers of Poland, Rumania and Jugoslavia. Much depends on the attitude of Russia, whose reply that a nine-Power conference should at once be called did not completely commend itself to Lord Halifax, on the ground that delay and possible disagreement would be involved, and that what was needed was an immediate declaration. Unfortunately the immediate declaration has not materialised at the time of writing. If it does a con- ference will still be necessary, and the sooner it can assemble the better.
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