TO SELL RUMANIA

Waikato Times, Volume 194, Issue 22246, 15 January 1944, Page 5

TO SELL RUMANIA

GERMAN PEACE OFFER? CONCESSION TO RUSSIA BRITISH SEE ANTONESCU (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyrig-ht) (Received Jan. 15. 1 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 14 ; Three British officers were dropped by parachute in Rumania on Christmas Eve with a photo-copy of a ; German peace offer to Russia, says a Stockholm message. Under the peace proposal the Germans offered Russia the provinces of Bessarabia and Bukovina, adjoining eastern Rumania. The three officers said they had been sent on a special mission and asked to be received by General Antonescu. This was done. All the officers of the Rumanian General Staff were present. “Producing the photo-copy of the German peace proposals the officers informed the Rumanians that Germany intended to sell them out to Russia,” the report adds. “The three officers were interned.” Commenting on the report the Svenska Dagbladet’s Budapest correspondent says the Rumanians do not deny the story but state that the incident is “part of the nerve war and a British propaganda trick.” The Berlin radio quoted the Foreign Office‘as saying that British officers and high secret service agents landed in Rumania to meet the Russian authorities. The Foreign Office described the earlier “peace move” report as ridiculous, and added that the British officers and agents \ Anted to see the Rumanian authorities but the only people they saw were the Rumanian police.