BALKAN EMERGENCY

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 18, 16 October 1940, Page 9

BALKAN EMERGENCY

Measures Taken By Many Nations THREE RUMANIAN OIL WELLS AFIRE (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—-Copyriglr.) Received October 15, 7 p.m. LONDON, October 15. Troops of many nations are concentrating in the Balkans. Shiploads of Italians are being transported across the Adriatic Sea from Barii and nndisi to the Albanian ports of Durazzo and Valona. Turkey has concentrated 400,000 troops on her Bulgarian border. Messages from Athens reflect the alarm that is felt in Greece at the German and Italian moves in the Balkans; Greece fears an Axis pincers movement from Albania and Bulgaria. Italians have been warned to leave Greece immediately. British Associated Press messages, referring to Russian troop concentrations on t e Soviet Union’s Balkans border, say that civilians have been evacuated from Cernauti (Bukovina), and 300 Russian fighter planes have arrived in Buxovina, where many new hangars have been built, in addition to the measures in Bessarabia. Concentrations of river craft capable of carrying 20 and 30. men each are massed on the Pruth Rivei, and laige XsTruX naval vessels have also been gathered in the Pruth and Danube

On the other hand, Colonel Ratay, United States military attache in Bucharest, declared that there was nothing to justify reports of vast Russian troop movements, and that none had occurred in the past few weeks. ' A mssage from Bucharest stated that three oil wells have been destroyed by fire near Baicot. The Rumanian censor suppressed reference to the cause German firefighters went to the scene after Rumanians had brought the fires under control. Bucharest rfdio later reported that the fires were extinguished in 45 minutes and work was proceeding normally. Reports generally do not agree. Two news agencies state that all three wells were destroyed after fires lasting three hours. According to German circles the German troops m Rumania will soon number 10 divisions (considerably over 100,000 men). The number at present in Rumania is believed m London to be upward of 30,000. . . f About 3000 more Germans, mostly belonging to anti-aircratt units, have arrived at Galatz, the important Danubian river port near the delta. Hungary reports that columns of Germans passed through the outskirts of Budapest in the weekend on their way to the frontier. . . . The military and naval attaches at the British Legation, together with their staffs, left Bucharest yesterday. The British Legation will remain for the time being under the British Minister. It is expected that the 20 members of the skeleton legation staff will be the only British subjects left in Rumania by the end of the week

Budapest reports that a mission comprising Italians and Germans will arrive in the Hungarian capital tomorrow to begin arbitration of the Ruman-ian-Hungarian dispute over their minorities in Transylvania. A Rumanian representative arrived in Berlin and was received by Herr von Ribbentrop. It is also reported that the former Rumanian Foreign Minister, M. Manoilescu, lias arrived in Rome to plead Rumania’s case. The Bucharest wireless stated that it was revealed in Rome that the State led by General Antonescu will be considered a State within the framework of the Axis policy. Rationing is being instituted in Rumania and the eating of meat is forbidden on three days of the week. Bread of inferior quality is being sold at twice the usual price, and no butter is obtainable from one province, because the Germans want it. Other foodstuffs and fuel are also affected. One Rumanian newspaper has been suspended for publishing articles which

are alleged to have been inciting to arbitrary acts and disorders. Moscow is reticent about the recent developments, and statements are confined to a repetition of American reports of German troops arriving in Rumania. Turkish newspapers stress the possible German threat to Russia. The official newspaper “Ulus” suggests that Germany is possibly preparing a base to strike north of Rumania to check any Soviet move southward. Another newspaper states: “By the occupation of Rumania Germany has reached the Black Sea and pushed herself like a dagger into the flank of the Soviet Union.” The Soviet Ambassador in Ankara is reported to have arived in Istanbul on a short visit. Sources in Tokio sfate that Germany, alarmed at British diplomatic moves in Russia, is sending a mission to Moscow.