Poison & Gypsy

Gigantic in stature and ugly as a gargoyle, Nicholas Titulescu, many times Foreign Minister of Rumania, came home to Bucharest last week from what he could call without exaggeration "the jaws of Death." Last year M. Titulescu was abroad, representing Rumania as Foreign Minister, when King Carol and Premier George Tatarescu put their heads together. The Premier handed His Majesty the Cabinet's resignation, and the Cabinet was then immediately reformed under Premier Tatarescu--without Foreign Minister Titulescu. At about the same time M. Titulescu began feeling queer, and soon eight doctors were working frantically at St. Moritz to save the great Rumanian statesman from death by poison.

They succeeded only after the most desperate measures, including three blood transfusions (TIME, Sept. 28, 1936, et ante). Since then Statesman Titulescu has kept clear of Rumania while he convalesced. Last spring he was lunched in Paris by Socialist Premier Blum, who is now Vice Premier, and French Foreign Minister Yvon Delbos. Later, stopping at the Ritz in London, he had long talks with pro-French British bigwigs such as Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, Sir Robert Vansittart, Winston Churchill and Lloyd George. Last week, 5,000 Rumanians jampacked Bucharest's dingy railway station, flaunted banners reading "Long Live Titulescu!"

Rumania is about to hold a general election, and towering Statesman Titulescu stepped from his Wagon-Lit to declare: "In this hour of gravity I have had to return to my country to take part in portentous events. I am anxious to face my foes with restraint and courtesy. However, if they compel me to do so, I shall show them I can fight not only with the weapons of Geneva but with those of a gypsy encampment!"

The fact that pro-French, pro-League Nicholas Titulescu was greeted by National Peasant Party Leader Nicolai Lupu--who declared amid cheers, "You were deprived of your Cabinet post by trickery!"--set rumors buzzing. It was said that the Peasant Party will insure his re-election to a seat in the Rumanian Chamber and generally back his political comeback, although he never has belonged to the Peasant Party.

Rumanian politics are a good deal like a gypsy encampment and, paradoxically, last week the Rumanian Iron Guard, generally considered Statesman Titulescu's poisoners, had just made a most peculiar pact with Dr. Julius Maniu, the messiah of the Peasant Party. It was described as follows by Iron Guard Leader Cornelius Zelea Codreanu: "The fact is that Dr. Maniu is for democracy and I am opposed to it. In the minorities matter, Dr. Maniu is for justice and tolerance, and I am for justice and intolerance. There is no justice compelling us to share the rule of this country with Jews.

"Dr. Maniu is for Western democracies, the Little Entente, the Balkan Entente and the League of Nations. I am utterly opposed to them all.

"I am for alliance with Germany and Italy--with the nationalist revolutionary states and anti-bolshevism. Within 48 hours of my party's achieving victory, Rumania will have concluded an alliance with Berlin and Rome!

"Finally we are determined to save our country from Titulescu Bolshevism! The Iron Guard will fight Titulescu!"

What the agreement uniting such opposites as the Peasant Party and the Iron Guard did do was suavely explained by Dr. Maniu. "The pact our two parties have made implies no abatement of their political hostility," he said. "It simply means that the Peasant Party and the Iron Guard will strive together to prevent the Government from dominating the elections."

In the Chamber today a heavy majority of deputies are supporters of Premier George Tatarescu whose National Liberal Party is nearly as reactionary as the Iron Guard. Leader of the Opposition is the Peasant Party's active Ion Mihalache. Recently Premier Tatarescu resigned, King Carol asked M. Mihalache to try to form a Cabinet, and the Opposition leader refused with these hot words: "The King and M. Tatarescu were putting on a show--actually nothing was further from their intentions than to permit me to become Premier! The offer was made under impossible conditions." Thereupon M. Tatarescu was again named Premier, and on December 20 will do his best to dominate the Chamber election, next, on December 22, the Senate election.

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