The guarantees of April 13, 1939 and their validity against the Soviet threat to Romania at the beginning of the Second World War: new sources (part I)

Abstract

The Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact and the Soviet-Nazi invasion of Poland brought the issue of Bessarabia to the forefront for Romania. While the Soviet Union and Germany entered World War II, the Western Allies were in a difficult position, not being at war with the Soviets but feeling the impact of their actions. Romania perceived the Soviet Union as a threat, and the Romanian government tried to calm the public about the imminence of a Soviet attack. In the context of uncertainty and the signing of the Soviet-German Treaty, Romania sought Western support to counter a possible Soviet aggression. However, the Western Allies were unwilling to engage in hostilities with the Soviets to support Romania, despite previously given security guarantees. Meanwhile, the issue of how to communicate the refusal of support became crucial for the British, who sought to coordinate the response with the French. The Romanians formally raised the question of the validity of the guarantees in the context of a possible Soviet aggression, and the British and French decided that they could not provide the requested support. The security guarantee was initially offered to protect Romania from German aggression, and a Soviet aggression represented a fundamentally different scenario. The refusal was communicated in diplomatic terms to minimize the impact on relations with Romania. The Romanian society began to realize the fundamental divergences between Romania’s position and that of the Western Allies, further straining relations. This is the first part of an article regarding the validity of Western security guarantees given to Romania on April 13, 1939, against the Soviet threat. The publication of the second part will follow.