Bucharest,
Roumania
Dear Frank,
Yesterday
England declared war on Germany and not one of the Roumanian papers bothered to
put out an "extra." Despite the fact that the flamboyant headlines of
the Roumanian press have been shouting or asking war (Razboi! Razboi?) for the
past few weeks, its actual outbreak couldn't start the newspaper presses
turning or the linotype clicking on a Sunday.
Rumors that
England had actually declared war began to circulate yesterday afternoon about
2 o'clock, but Bucharest has always been a city of harrowing hearsay and the
war-talk whispers were generally dismissed. Other Rumors said that France had
declared itself neutral, that London was under bombardment, that India had revolted,
that Goering was assassinated, that Mussolini had been stabbed by the Prince of
Piedmont, and that King George was abdicating. By four o'clock the story of the
outbreak of war had gained general credence. It spread like brushfire from
coffee house to coffee house, down the Caliea Victoriei, up the Boulevard
Elisabetta, down the Boulevard Bratianu.
Boulevard Bratianu, 1930s
https://unknownbucharest.com/old-photos-of-bucharest/#jp-carousel-75617
credit: Cristina
Iosif, unknownbucharest.com
Rosa and I
heard it in three different coffee houses where we stopped for chocolate
viennoise during our Sunday promenade. Deciding that there must be something in
it, we finally hurried back to the little pension where with another young
American and an Australian couple we form an English language minority.
Already at
the pension when we arrived were Howard and Judy, the Australians, and Paul,
our fellow American, who played half at Ohio State not so long ago. While we
were twisting the dials another English speaking pair dropped in: Jack and
Mary, as English as roast beef, whom we had met in Transylvania. The first
words we heard from the B.B.C. announcer were:
"There
was no reply to the demands of His Majesty's government. Consequently, since 11
o'clock this morning, a state of war has existed between Great Britain and
Germany."
It had
started. We all looked at each other in amazement for somehow the calm of the
Roumanians and our own innate capacity for self-deception had convinced all of
us that the war would not break out. Even the bombers over Warsaw had not
convinced us that war was inevitable. We were stunned.
Then Paul
broke the silence.
"Nuts,
boys. Let's go to bed and grow beards for duration of the war." [Paul Hampton
Morrill served in the U.S. Army Air Corps and later published a book on
psychological interpretations of Edward Arlington Robinson and became president
of Park College in Missouri.]
Jack pulled
a sick grin and remarked, "Our tickets home are by way of Germany. Going
to enlist, Howard?"
"Enlist!
I might have been persuaded to fight for Czechoslovakia, but why should I do
battle to keep Poland's right to persecute the Jews and Ukrainians and, for
that matter, the Polish peasants. Besides, it's not just that I'm a pacifist.
It's too damn dangerous." [In fact, Howard had come to Romania after
smuggling endangered art works and people, including his wife Judith, who was
Jewish, out of Berlin. He was widely rumored to have been a spy for the Allies.]
 |
| Judith and Howard Daniel at Trout Lake |
"You’re
lucky," Jack answered. "You're an Australian and they can't draft
you. For my part, I'm wondering if I can't enlist in the Egyptian army. If this
is going to be a long war, there's nothing I'd like better than to spend my
time picking sand out of my fingernails and trying to figure out the
inscrutable smile of the Sphinx." [Jack and Mary returned to Dover, and
Jack served in the British Army. From clues in his letters, Murray thought he
was part of the Normandy invasion force.]
The first
effects of the war have been to completely dislocate the international system
of transportation. For the past week Rosa and I have been trying to make
arrangements for returning to America after we have completed our Danube
paddle, but all our plans have been checked by the closing of some frontier or
by the cancellation of important tickets. Today we were informed by Cook's that
they wouldn't know anything about trans-Atlantic boats for about a week.
The American
consulate here is swamped. About a week ago it sent out a letter to all
American citizens residing in Roumania. Although it was supposed to be advice
to leave the country, the letter actually was a masterpiece of circumlocution:
"The
general situation in Europe ... suggests the advisability on the part of all
Americans in Roumania of considering whether they should make arrangements to
leave the country.
"The
decision as to what step should be taken by Americans to ensure their safety is
one which must be reached by each individual concerned. While the Legation is
desirous of rendering at all times every possible assistance to American
citizens, it does not have facilities which warrant undertaking responsibility
for your evacuation in case that the necessity thereof should later arise.
Obviously no one can foresee the rapidity with which this situation may develop
to the point where means of transportation will be interrupted..."
We went to
the consulate to talk with two friends about war news rather than to seek help
in leaving the country, for at present Roumania seems to be as safe a spot as
one could hope for in Europe. If things get too hot here we will go to Greece
or Turkey. We had thought about Russia, but the frontier between Roumania and
the U.S.S.R. is to all intents and purposes closed.
While we
were at the consulate we met a handsome young fellow whose luck is so bad that
it makes our problems seem simple. Ten years ago he went to the U.S. as an
immigrant. He did well in business in New York, married and now has a two year
old boy. Last month he decided to bring his younger brother to the States to
complete his education at Carnegie Tech. The fellow came to Roumania to bring
his brother back. He forgot that Roumania still had claims on him as a citizen.
No sooner did he arrive than he was called up for military service. It will be
at least four years before he can return to the States. The American Consulate
cannot help him.
The consular
services of all countries in the Balkans do not seem to be very helpful. Howard
went to the British consulate today to see if he could borrow money to get him
back to Australia. After a two hour talk, the assistant consul offered to loan
him 1,000 lei -- about $3.00!
As ever,
Murray
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