THE IMPORTANCE OF RUMANIA
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR] SIR,—In connexion with your article in your issue of Novem- ber 18th, 1938, entitled " The Importance of Rumania," may I point out that Dr. G. Schacher, the author, is mistaken in many of his affirmations ? For instance, regarding the land reform in Rumania, Dr. Schacher's statement that it " only affected a very small proportion of the great estates, the ownership of these estates has remained in the hands of a caste of mainly Greek origin, whose interest is to sell corn, maize and soya beans to Germany," I only can say that it is amazing how such a false statement can be made. I would like to invite Dr. Schacher to Rumania to show me these great estates and their Greek owners.
There are also contradictions in Dr. Schacher's article ; he says, for example, that- Germany is able to exercise a powerful economic influence on Rumania, and a few lines afterwards he affirms that Rumania refused a German tender for a big consignment of wheat and delivered the wheat to England, although the price offered by Germany was well above the general world market level.
The geographical, ethnical and historical knowledges of Dr. Schacher are pitiful. He speaks about the " strategically indefensible " plain of Rumania, but one look on the map of Rumania shows that before this plain there are the Car- pathians, backbone of the country, and on the west frontier the important chain of mountains called " Muntii Apuseni."
The west ptoVirice of Transylvania, cradle of the Rumanian nation, is one of the best natural fortresses in the world. From a racial point of view, Rumania has more than 78 per cent, ethnical Rumanians (not 6o per cent., as Dr. Schacher says). The Magyar minority is not in the west, as Dr. Schacher wishes, but in the very centre of Rumania, and in some big towns, surrounded everywhere by millions of Rumanians. Basarabia has 8o per cent. of the popula- tions ethnical Rumanians and so Dr. Schacher's affirmation that the " Russians form almost the entire population of Basarabia " is absolutely untrue. Russia never pretended that the population of Basarabia are Russians. More than that, bordering the Rumanian province of Basarabia, on the left bank of river Nistru, Russia has created a " Moldavian Communist Republic " for the approximately 600,000 Rumanians who are still in Russia. '
The German minority in Rumania (of colonist origin) is doing well and we are on the best terms with them. Their leaders are against the Hungarian claims of revisionism. As regard Turks, Greeks, Serbs (Dr. Schacher did not mention Italians, French, English, &c.) they are absolutely unimportant and have no claims whatsoever.
Dr. Schacher says then that Bulgaria lost Dobrogea in the Balkan War ; I invite Dr. Schacher to open a book of elementary history before he starts writing articles in serious papers.
Rumania (20 million inhabitants) follows a policy of peace. We have important minorities of Rumanians in Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Russia, but Rumania has never made a point of this; perhaps we are wrong. Nowadays it is better to claim and make as much noise as possible. One thing is sure: Rumania will oppose with arms any attempt against her frontiers. Incorrect articles as that of Dr. Schacher promote the possibility of such attempts.—Yours faithfully, ION I. AGARBICEANU.
14 Buckingham Street, London, W.C. 2.
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