The Tilea affair : a further inquiry
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Abstract
On the afternoon of March 17, 1939, the excited Romanian Minister in
London Viorel V. Tilea warned the British Government that his little country
appeared to be Hitler’s next victim and that Bucharest had received an “ultimatum” which would give Germany control over the Romanian economy.
The startling shift in British foreign policy that this warning helped to bring
about is well-known to diplomatic historians. Yet after almost forty years the
so-called Tilea affair is still surrounded by considerable mystery. In order to shed additional light on this event, this paper examines British-Romanian relations prior to March 1939, as well as Tilea’s activities and the veracity of
the ultimatum. Surprisingly, historians have largely ignored Britain’s relations with Romania before the Tilea affair. The first part of this study shows how Britain’s interest in Romania had been developing gradually, and that her concern for Romania in March 1939 was not something that sprang up suddenly. In order to manifest this the paper examines Britain’s angry reaction to the shortlived fascist Goga Government of January 1938, her growing interest in the
Romanian economy, and the changing reputation of King Carol of Romania
from that of frivolous playboy to friend of Great Britain and savior of Romania from fascism. Following this Tilea’s messages to the Foreign Office are gone into, as well as Tilea himself. The last section of the paper deals with several questions that still mystify historians. Why was Britain so interested in the fate of Romania? Was there really an ultimatum? Did Tilea make the whole story up,
or was he ordered by his government? Here, as throughout the paper, unpublished documents from the Public Record Office in London and the National
Archives in Washington have been used, as well as various primary and secondary sources.
London Viorel V. Tilea warned the British Government that his little country
appeared to be Hitler’s next victim and that Bucharest had received an “ultimatum” which would give Germany control over the Romanian economy.
The startling shift in British foreign policy that this warning helped to bring
about is well-known to diplomatic historians. Yet after almost forty years the
so-called Tilea affair is still surrounded by considerable mystery. In order to shed additional light on this event, this paper examines British-Romanian relations prior to March 1939, as well as Tilea’s activities and the veracity of
the ultimatum. Surprisingly, historians have largely ignored Britain’s relations with Romania before the Tilea affair. The first part of this study shows how Britain’s interest in Romania had been developing gradually, and that her concern for Romania in March 1939 was not something that sprang up suddenly. In order to manifest this the paper examines Britain’s angry reaction to the shortlived fascist Goga Government of January 1938, her growing interest in the
Romanian economy, and the changing reputation of King Carol of Romania
from that of frivolous playboy to friend of Great Britain and savior of Romania from fascism. Following this Tilea’s messages to the Foreign Office are gone into, as well as Tilea himself. The last section of the paper deals with several questions that still mystify historians. Why was Britain so interested in the fate of Romania? Was there really an ultimatum? Did Tilea make the whole story up,
or was he ordered by his government? Here, as throughout the paper, unpublished documents from the Public Record Office in London and the National
Archives in Washington have been used, as well as various primary and secondary sources.
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