RUMANIAN CRIME.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 253, 25 September 1939, Page 7

RUMANIAN CRIME.

NAZI INFLUENCE HINTED. PRECAUTIONS IN CAPITAL. LONDON, Sept. 23. The body of the murdered Prime Minister of Rumania (M. Calinescu) is lying in state at the military hospital. The entire Government attended a memorial service to-day. A port-morten examination revealed that 23 bullets entered the body. All forms of public entertainment have been suspended for three days as a sign of the nation’s mourning. The country is quiet, though armed troops are patrolling Bucharest. The Bucharest correspondent of the New Y T ork Times states that before being executed M. Calinescu’s assassins admitted tbeir guilt witli bravado and gave details, but they did not name the higher-up influences, who are believed to be Germans and who are understood to have fled the country. It is learned that their leader, the lawyer Dumitfescu, on .Monday met a student called Ccsare Popescu, who revealed that lie and four other students from Ploesti had organised a plot to kill the Prime Minister. Dumitrescu took over the direction. He examined the place where'the murder was to be carried out. paid all the expenses, and bought the car used for the assassination. Though he was an unemployed refugee, he spent over 40,000 lei, a large sum for Rumania. Despite the severe measures against the Iron Guard, it is clear that many members are still active and are obtaining money from a secret source. GERMAN DEMANDS.

One explanation of M. Calinescu’s assassination given by the radio was that he refused delivery of Rumanian goods to Germany without cash payment.

It is recalled that Rumania was forced'into a treaty last March promising Germany 25 per cent of Rumania’s oil production, but Germany sought the entire output and it is learned that she informed Rumania at the end of August that she expected to receive the six months’ quota of oil within six weeks, necessitating the whole of the Rumanian production going to Germany till October 15. Thereafter Germany would not receive any more, Rumanian oil for several months, one inference from this being that Beilin expected either that the war would he ended, or that by the middle of October she would be able to seize the oil. It is not known whether Rumania complied, but heavy shipments have gone to Germany. There has been a fear that' Germany would land a force by air and seize the oil wells before tliev could be sabotaged—a course on which is it believed the engineers were determined. A Rumanian battalion was stationed at Ploesti as a precautionary measure.