Evening star., 1940-11-28
Rumuniiu
Continued From First Page)

verSary of the death of Codreanu,
killed in Carols administration and
buried in the courtyard of Jilava
Prison. To the Iron Guard, Cor
dreanu is a martyr.
The Bucharest communique mere
ly said some political prisoners
those considered principally re-
sponsible for the crime against Cor
dreanu and other legionnaires under
the last regime"-were shot dead by
Guardists who were exhuming their
bodies.
1t did not specify how many were
slain, or in what circumstances, but
other reports said there were "a,
among them such once conspicuous
leaders as former Premier George
Argesanu, former Supreme Court
President Radu Pascu and other
cabinet officers
Bratianu Feared Dead.
George Bratianu, leader of the old
Liberal party, and Victor Iamansi,
former Minister of Justice, now are
listed in unconfirmed reports with
the others known to have been
slain yesterday.
The purge was a swift, remorse-
less affair, according to reports
through diplomatic channels. Short
ly before dawn yesterday. they said,
several hundred men got into Jilava
pricon coizod fbo Uove Froy,, r,,,,rJe
and, one by one, unlocked the cells.
The prisoners were called out and
shot dead on the spot.
There also we're reports of arrests
of scores of others in disfavor of
the ruling guard and of designations
among Rumanian officials and army
officers over the outbreak
Gen. Antonescu. however, was said
to have the situation in hand,
backed up by the presence of the
German troops and by Sima, who
told the guard "the only law
must be that of saving our father
land order every legionnaire
to follow the orders of his leader"
Friction within the Iron Guard
has fared several times recently
into gunplay and Gen. Antonescu
has been endeavoring to reconcile
factions among his guardist fol-
lowers.
Gen. Antonescu, who became the
guardists' spiritual" leader when
ne donned their green shirt after
becoming Premier. is described here
as having pinned his hope for
national renaissance on Sima's abil-
ity to convert party extremists to
an orderly program.
Instead. Sima was bitterly criti-
cized by Ion Codreanu, father of the
Iron Guard founder. who led an
abortive attack on the Bucharest
Green House" headquarters OF the
! guard and is now reported in GUS
tody in a hospital.
The split became so dangerous
that some members of the Codreanu
faction were put to death by the
government on charges of treason,
but even this did not dissuade it
from attempting a purge, it was
said.
Sima was said to have asserted
that each misuse of party disci-
pline is today a crime of treason"
and "all responsible will be pun
ished by the laws of the nation and
the Legionnaire movement"
A brief commentary on the
Bucharest radio last night deplored
the prison incident" as an error
of youthful mentality by armed
people" who took reverge on the old
regime and thus did TIE Iron Guard
great damage" The broadcast gave
no details.
Apologies Given by Sii1la.
Gigurtu, before being released
from protective custody along with
Tatarescu and IlaSievici, was said to
have received Simas apologies.
Disappearance of Prof. Nicolae
Iroga, former mentor of King Carol,
was rumored, but whether it was
meant he had been taken into Gus
tody by the government or by re-
bellious Green Shirts was unknown.
Plans to take the bodies of Cod
reanu and his 13 slain lieutenants
from Jilava for services in the
orthodox cathedral in Bucharest
Sunday and burial in the National
Heroes Cemetery were announced
by Green House officials, who pre-
viously had named the last week of
sI <~f st,x,D ty,<x
and revenge"
The Green Shirt executioners, 1t
was said, themselves announced to
police that they had carried out the
Jilava' purge, but none was held,