Tamadau Affair
Encyclopedia
The Tămădău Affair was an incident that took place in Romania
in the summer of 1947, the source of a political scandal and show trial
.
It was provoked when an important number of National Peasants' Party
(PNŢ) leaders, including party vice president Ion Mihalache
, had been offered a chance to flee Romania, where the Communist Party
(PCR), the main force inside the Petru Groza
government, already had a tight grip on power with backing from the Soviet Union
(see Soviet occupation of Romania
). The affair signalled some of the first official measures taken against opposition parties, as a step leading to the proclamation of a People's Republic
at the end of the same year (see Communist Romania
).
, achieved through widespread electoral fraud
, was followed by the first attempts at anti-Communist
resistance (including large rallies, and the creation of a "military circle" led by Mihalache).
As the main adversary of Stalinism
and committed supporter of the Western Allies
, the PNŢ was the main target for PCR hostility. PNŢ party president Iuliu Maniu
was already targeted for having backed attempts (during World War II
) by the Conducător
Marshal
Ion Antonescu
to sign a separate peace
with the United Kingdom
and the United States
(see Romania during World War II
). In late October 1946, the PNŢ entered into open conflict with the authorities; the first volley was to send a Report to the United Nations
, heavily critical of Soviet policies (the text was subject to censorship
inside Romania).
The Communist press alleged that the National Peasants' Party had been organizing a wide network of armed resistance (groups cited in that context may have indeed existed as early as 1947, and probably merged into the resistance movement of the 1950s
). At the same time, the Communists approached several PNŢ politicians with offers to join the Communists in administrative positions. Similar offers were made to other parties: the PCR obtained the cooperation of Mihai Ralea, who led the Socialist Peasants' Party, as well as Anton Alexandrescu, Nicolae L. Lupu
, and Victor Eftimiu
.
, Minister of the Interior. In October 1947, Maniu declared that:
Early on the morning of July 14, 1947, at the Tămădău airfield (46 km from Bucharest), Siguranţa Statului and armed soldiers arrested a number of prominent PNŢ politicians, including Mihalache, Nicolae Penescu, Ilie Lazăr, Nicolae Carandino
, Dumitru and Eugen Borcea, all of whom were waiting for airplanes to transport them out of the country.
The scandal was centered on the charge of treason
("of the people's interests"), provoked by the allegation that those arrested had attempted to establish a government in exile
. At that time, however, it was not illegal for a citizen of the Kingdom of Romania
to leave his country of birth, and there was no official policy hostile to the Western Allies. Calls for a trial of the entire party were voiced by the Communist press (notably, by Silviu Brucan
), and Maniu himself, although not present at Tămădău, was argued to have planned the escape. Arrested while under treatment in a sanatorium
, Maniu later admitted to the fact, and indicated that he was prepared to assume complete responsibility:
He denied, however, any subversive goal:
voted to outlaw the party press (including Dreptatea
), and to lift the parliamentary immunity
of PNŢ deputies — the entire party leadership was arrested on the same day, and the party was banned on July 30 (on the basis of a report filed by Teohari Georgescu). In parallel, Soviet authorities handed Teohari Georgescu the handwritten testimony of a former Abwehr
agent, Alfred Petermann, who alleged that Maniu had worked as an agent for the British
Secret Intelligence Service
during the war, keeping contact with Alfred Gardyne de Chastelain
.
All those involved and those judged to have been involved were sentenced to harsh penal labour
sentences: Maniu died in Sighet prison in 1953, and Mihalache in Râmnicu Sărat
ten years after. Most other important party activists were sentenced with or without trial in the following years; Corneliu Coposu
, who was to lead the reestablished party after the Romanian Revolution of 1989
, was also arrested and imprisoned in connection with the Tămădău Affair.
Constantin Titel-Petrescu, leader of the independent branch of the Social Democratic Party
(one which had refused cooperation with the Communists), was also implicated in the trial — it was concluded that he had participated in planning the Tămădău episode, and was himself later tried and convicted on the basis of this and other accusations. The diplomat Neagu Djuvara
, who was present at the Romanian Legation
in Sweden
, was mentioned in one of the testimonies at the trial, and opted not to return to his country.
The episode was soon after used against the Foreign Minister, Gheorghe Tătărescu
, leader of the National Liberal Party-Tătărescu (which, although aligned with the Communists, had by then criticized several Communist policies). He was attacked by the PCR newspaper Scînteia
for having allegedly failed to act against a pro-Maniu conspiracy
inside his ministry, unceremoniously demoted, and replaced by the Communist activist Ana Pauker
.
, "Pedeapsa trebue să fie maximă!" ("The Penalty Must be the Maximum One!"), article of November 10, 1947, republished by Adevărul
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
in the summer of 1947, the source of a political scandal and show trial
Show trial
The term show trial is a pejorative description of a type of highly public trial in which there is a strong connotation that the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt of the defendant. The actual trial has as its only goal to present the accusation and the verdict to the public as...
.
It was provoked when an important number of National Peasants' Party
National Peasants' Party
The National Peasants' Party was a Romanian political party, formed in 1926 through the fusion of the Romanian National Party from Transylvania and the Peasants' Party . It was in power between 1928 and 1933, with brief interruptions...
(PNŢ) leaders, including party vice president Ion Mihalache
Ion Mihalache
Ion Mihalache was a Romanian agrarian politician, the founder and leader of the Peasants' Party and a main figure of its successor, the National Peasants' Party .-Early life:...
, had been offered a chance to flee Romania, where the Communist Party
Romanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party was a communist political party in Romania. Successor to the Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to communist revolution and the disestablishment of Greater Romania. The PCR was a minor and illegal grouping for much of the...
(PCR), the main force inside the Petru Groza
Petru Groza
Petru Groza was a Romanian politician, best known as the Prime Minister of the first Communist Party-dominated governments under Soviet occupation during the early stages of the Communist regime in Romania....
government, already had a tight grip on power with backing from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(see Soviet occupation of Romania
Soviet occupation of Romania
The Soviet occupation of Romania refers to the period from 1944 to August 1958, during which the Soviet Union maintained a significant military presence in Romania...
). The affair signalled some of the first official measures taken against opposition parties, as a step leading to the proclamation of a People's Republic
People's Republic
People's Republic is a title that has often been used by Marxist-Leninist governments to describe their state. The motivation for using this term lies in the claim that Marxist-Leninists govern in accordance with the interests of the vast majority of the people, and, as such, a Marxist-Leninist...
at the end of the same year (see Communist Romania
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
).
Background
The PCR victory in the 1946 general electionRomanian general election, 1946
The Romanian general election of 1946 was a general election held on November 19, 1946, in Romania. Officially, it was carried with 79.86% of the vote by the Romanian Communist Party , its allies inside the Bloc of Democratic Parties , and its associates — the Hungarian People's Union , the...
, achieved through widespread electoral fraud
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
, was followed by the first attempts at anti-Communist
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
resistance (including large rallies, and the creation of a "military circle" led by Mihalache).
As the main adversary of Stalinism
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
and committed supporter of the Western Allies
Western Allies
The Western Allies were a political and geographic grouping among the Allied Powers of the Second World War. It generally includes the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth, the United States, France and various other European and Latin American countries, but excludes China, the Soviet Union,...
, the PNŢ was the main target for PCR hostility. PNŢ party president Iuliu Maniu
Iuliu Maniu
Iuliu Maniu was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian politician. A leader of the National Party of Transylvania and Banat before and after World War I, he served as Prime Minister of Romania for three terms during 1928–1933, and, with Ion Mihalache, co-founded the National Peasants'...
was already targeted for having backed attempts (during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
) by the Conducător
Conducator
Conducător was the title used officially in two instances by Romanian politicians, and earlier by Carol II.-History:...
Marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu
Ion Victor Antonescu was a Romanian soldier, authoritarian politician and convicted war criminal. The Prime Minister and Conducător during most of World War II, he presided over two successive wartime dictatorships...
to sign a separate peace
Separate peace
The phrase "separate peace" refers to a nation's agreement to cease military hostilities with another, even though the former country had previously entered into a military alliance with other states that remain at war with the latter country...
with the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(see Romania during World War II
Romania during World War II
Following the outbreak of World War II on 1 September 1939, the Kingdom of Romania officially adopted a position of neutrality. However, the rapidly changing situation in Europe during 1940, as well as domestic political upheaval, undermined this stance. Fascist political forces such as the Iron...
). In late October 1946, the PNŢ entered into open conflict with the authorities; the first volley was to send a Report to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, heavily critical of Soviet policies (the text was subject to censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
inside Romania).
The Communist press alleged that the National Peasants' Party had been organizing a wide network of armed resistance (groups cited in that context may have indeed existed as early as 1947, and probably merged into the resistance movement of the 1950s
Romanian anti-communist resistance movement
An armed resistance movement against the communist regime in Romania was active from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s, with isolated individual fighters remaining at large until the early 1960s. Armed resistance was the first and most structured form of resistance against the communist regime...
). At the same time, the Communists approached several PNŢ politicians with offers to join the Communists in administrative positions. Similar offers were made to other parties: the PCR obtained the cooperation of Mihai Ralea, who led the Socialist Peasants' Party, as well as Anton Alexandrescu, Nicolae L. Lupu
Nicolae L. Lupu
Dr. Nicolae Lupu was a Romanian politician and medical doctor, active in the National Peasants' Party....
, and Victor Eftimiu
Victor Eftimiu
Victor Eftimiu was an Albanian-Romanian poet, playwright, and a contributor to Sburătorul, a Romanian literary magazine. His works have been performed in the State Jewish Theater of Romania....
.
Events
Several details of the Affair are still unclear. The offer to flee Romania was either quickly discovered (as the PCR alleged), or had already been investigated, and, in the hope of discrediting the opposition party, partly facilitated by agents of Teohari GeorgescuTeohari Georgescu
Teohari Georgescu was a high-ranking member of the Romanian Communist Party.-Life:Born in Bacău, he was the third of seven children of Constantin and Aneta Georgescu. Georgescu, whose formal education ended after the fourth grade, began his career as an assistant in his father's store...
, Minister of the Interior. In October 1947, Maniu declared that:
"The idea for Mr. Mihalache and a few friends to go abroad was an older one and I had decided at some point to leave myself, in case Mr. Mihalache would not allow himself to leave. This discussion between us lasted for a while, and we were thinking how we could find a means of locomotion. When the question was being debated between the two of us with no one else aware of it, Dr. Emil HaţieganuEmil HatieganuEmil Haţieganu was a Romanian politician and jurist, a prominent member of the Romanian National Party and of its successor, the National Peasants' Party ; he was physician Iuliu Haţieganu's brother...
came to see me. [...] He said: I have two aviators who have a plane at their disposal and have let me know that they have secured 3-4 seats, as they are to leave on an official military mission to IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. I said that I was satisfied by the offer and I that I would designate 3-4 persons to leave."
Early on the morning of July 14, 1947, at the Tămădău airfield (46 km from Bucharest), Siguranţa Statului and armed soldiers arrested a number of prominent PNŢ politicians, including Mihalache, Nicolae Penescu, Ilie Lazăr, Nicolae Carandino
Nicolae Carandino
Nicolae Carandino was a Romanian journalist, pamphleteer, translator, dramatist, and politician.He was born in Brăila into a family of intellectuals. After completing high school in Brăila in 1923, he went to college in Bucharest, graduating in 1926...
, Dumitru and Eugen Borcea, all of whom were waiting for airplanes to transport them out of the country.
The scandal was centered on the charge of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
("of the people's interests"), provoked by the allegation that those arrested had attempted to establish a government in exile
Government in exile
A government in exile is a political group that claims to be a country's legitimate government, but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power, and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usually operate under the assumption that they will one day return to their...
. At that time, however, it was not illegal for a citizen of the Kingdom of Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
to leave his country of birth, and there was no official policy hostile to the Western Allies. Calls for a trial of the entire party were voiced by the Communist press (notably, by Silviu Brucan
Silviu Brucan
Silviu Brucan was a Romanian communist politician. Though he disagreed with Nicolae Ceauşescu's policies, he never gave up his communist beliefs and did not oppose communist ideology...
), and Maniu himself, although not present at Tămădău, was argued to have planned the escape. Arrested while under treatment in a sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
, Maniu later admitted to the fact, and indicated that he was prepared to assume complete responsibility:
"[After Haţieganu's offer] I spoke to Mr. Mihalache, I specifically asked him to make use of this opportunity and he accepted. Indeed, the moral and political responsibility for the departure of Mr. Mihalache and our friends is mine."
He denied, however, any subversive goal:
"The purpose as designed by me was that, through going abroad, they were to inform foreign countries of the situation in Romania."
Outcome
Later the same day (July 14, 1947), authorities stormed into the PNŢ headquarters and confiscated all documents held in the archive, a move followed by other searches for documents in various locations. On July 19, the Assembly of Deputies of RomaniaParliament of Romania
The Parliament of Romania is made up of two chambers:*The Chamber of Deputies*The SenatePrior to the modifications of the Constitution in 2003, the two houses had identical attributes. A text of a law had to be approved by both houses...
voted to outlaw the party press (including Dreptatea
Dreptatea
Dreptatea was a Romanian newspaper that appeared between 17 October 1927 and 17 July 1947, as a newspaper of the National Peasants' Party. It was re-founded on February 5, 1990 as a publication of the Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party ....
), and to lift the parliamentary immunity
Parliamentary immunity
Parliamentary immunity, also known as legislative immunity, is a system in which members of the parliament or legislature are granted partial immunity from prosecution. Before prosecuting, it is necessary that the immunity be removed, usually by a superior court of justice or by the parliament itself...
of PNŢ deputies — the entire party leadership was arrested on the same day, and the party was banned on July 30 (on the basis of a report filed by Teohari Georgescu). In parallel, Soviet authorities handed Teohari Georgescu the handwritten testimony of a former Abwehr
Abwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
agent, Alfred Petermann, who alleged that Maniu had worked as an agent for the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Secret Intelligence Service
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
during the war, keeping contact with Alfred Gardyne de Chastelain
Alfred Gardyne de Chastelain
Alfred George Gardyne de Chastelain, DSO, OBE was a British businessman, soldier, and secret agent, noted for his actions during World War II...
.
All those involved and those judged to have been involved were sentenced to harsh penal labour
Penal labour
Penal labour is a form of unfree labour in which prisoners perform work, typically manual labour. The work may be light or hard, depending on the context. Forms of sentence which involve penal labour include penal servitude and imprisonment with hard labour...
sentences: Maniu died in Sighet prison in 1953, and Mihalache in Râmnicu Sărat
Râmnicu Sarat
Râmnicu Sărat is a city in Buzău County, Romania. It was declared a municipality in 1439. On December 21, 1994 it celebrated its 555th anniversary....
ten years after. Most other important party activists were sentenced with or without trial in the following years; Corneliu Coposu
Corneliu Coposu
-Early life:Coposu was born in Bobota, Sălaj County to the Romanian Greek-Catholic archpriest Valentin Coposu and his wife Aurelia Coposu...
, who was to lead the reestablished party after the Romanian Revolution of 1989
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
, was also arrested and imprisoned in connection with the Tămădău Affair.
Constantin Titel-Petrescu, leader of the independent branch of the Social Democratic Party
Romanian Social Democratic Party (defunct)
The Romanian Social Democratic Party was a social-democratic political party in Romania. It published the magazine România Muncitoare, and later Socialismul, Lumea Nouă, and Libertatea.-Early party:...
(one which had refused cooperation with the Communists), was also implicated in the trial — it was concluded that he had participated in planning the Tămădău episode, and was himself later tried and convicted on the basis of this and other accusations. The diplomat Neagu Djuvara
Neagu Djuvara
Neagu Djuvara is a Romanian historian, essayist, philosopher, journalist, novelist, and diplomat.-Early life:A native of Bucharest, he descended from an aristocratic Aromanian family...
, who was present at the Romanian Legation
Legation
A legation was the term used in diplomacy to denote a diplomatic representative office lower than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an Ambassador, a legation was headed by a Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary....
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, was mentioned in one of the testimonies at the trial, and opted not to return to his country.
The episode was soon after used against the Foreign Minister, Gheorghe Tătărescu
Gheorghe Tatarescu
Gheorghe I. Tătărescu was a Romanian politician who served twice as Prime Minister of Romania , three times as Minister of Foreign Affairs , and once as Minister of War...
, leader of the National Liberal Party-Tătărescu (which, although aligned with the Communists, had by then criticized several Communist policies). He was attacked by the PCR newspaper Scînteia
Scînteia
Scînteia was the name of two newspapers edited by Communist groups at different intervals in Romanian history...
for having allegedly failed to act against a pro-Maniu conspiracy
Conspiracy (political)
In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'état or through assassination....
inside his ministry, unceremoniously demoted, and replaced by the Communist activist Ana Pauker
Ana Pauker
Ana Pauker was a Romanian communist leader and served as the country's foreign minister in the late 1940s and early 1950s...
.
External links
Silviu BrucanSilviu Brucan
Silviu Brucan was a Romanian communist politician. Though he disagreed with Nicolae Ceauşescu's policies, he never gave up his communist beliefs and did not oppose communist ideology...
, "Pedeapsa trebue să fie maximă!" ("The Penalty Must be the Maximum One!"), article of November 10, 1947, republished by Adevărul
Adevarul
Adevărul is a Romanian daily newspaper, based in Bucharest. Founded in 1871 and reestablished in 1888, it was the main left-wing press venue to be published during the Romanian Kingdom's existence, adopting an independent pro-democratic position, advocating land reform and universal suffrage...