Britons in Rumania
The arrest, on no specified charge, of five British subjects in Rumania (one of them a woman), their brutal maltreatment in prison, and the evasion of Rumanian Ministers when pressed for explanation by the British Minister, are further evidence of the Nazification of Rumania and the fact that the country is now completely under German domination. The arrests were made by members of the Iron Guard, who openly admitted their affiliation with Nazi Germany, and were doubtless acting upon German instructions. There have been indications of a trumped-up charge of " attempted sabotage " brought by the Iron Guards, the responsible Ministers weakly attempting to shirk responsibility by avoiding interviews with the British Minister. Lord Halifax has promptly registered his protest to the Rumanian Chargé d'Affaires in London, and the Rumanian Prime Minister has promised an inquiry. But the German plan to get rid of all British subjects engaged in business in Rumania is evidently unresisted by the Rumanian Government, which is showing itself to be scarcely less a tool of Germany than is the Vichy Government in France. No wonder that the British community in Bucharest is demanding effective reprisals in a form which the Rumanian Government can appreciate. It would be well that it should be made clear where that Government stands. Is it neutral, or does it intend to act against us under hostile instructions from Germany?
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