M. Gafencu in Berlin M. Gafencu, the Rumanian Foreign Minister,
arrived in Berlin on Tuesday with his hand substantially strengthened for his discussions with Herr von Ribbentrop. The oppor- tune announcement last week of Great Britain's guarantee to Rumania, and the considerable clarification of Polish- Rumanian kelations which resulted from his conversation with Colonel Beck on the way to Berlin, have both protected him against having to negotiate merely from weakness. Rumania is determined to offer no offence to the Reich that she can avoid ; on economic questions, which will occupy the greater part of the Berlin discussions, there is considerable agreement between the two countries, and M. Gafencu can emphasise that the British guarantee is unilateral, and in- volves Rumania in no corresponding obligations. Herr von Ribbentrop demands an explanation of Rumania's part in the policy of "encirclement "; M. Gafencu on his side wishes to know what attitude Germany would adopt to a Bulgarian demand for the cession of the Dobrudja. A satisfactory answer would considerably increase Rumania's desire for co- operation with the Reich. Yet in the last resort the Reich is a greater danger than Bulgaria ever could be ; thus it is natural that, in Rumania as in Poland, opposition to accept- ance of Russian assistance in war has considerably weakened. Public opinion in both countries is increasingly inclined to see the Soviet Union as a possible saviour and not as a menace.
