Evening star., 1940-05-04
Rumania Softens
Attitude Toward
Iron Guards
Action Is Held Recollection
Germans Held Best Cords
In Norwegian Come
By WALTER DURANTY.

|, 6UCdAHESI, Human1a, via Paris,
May 4 (N.AN.A., by radio) Al
though the rumor-crop in Bucharest
continues to flourish like a green
bay tree, there has been a decided
lessening Of tension in the last three
days. Tension, you must under
stand, depends upon two circum-
stances-external and internal
Externally, of course, the pressure
comes from Germany because the
allies are either too weak or too un-
wise to attempt to interfere in the
internal affairs Of this country. The
Germans, on the other hand. are
not unnaturally anxious to capitalize
their Norgewian success. For them
there is only one problem, how to
increase their exports from Ru-
mania Of oil and other products,
which they need. But the Germans
understand that this is problem of
transport rather than of politics,
and. therefore. it is not in their in
terest to attempt to force Rumania
more than "the trafnc will bear" in
the most literal sense of the phrase
Rapprechement With Iron Guard.
Nevertheless. external events can
not fail to influence Rumanian in
ternal policy. The rapprochement
between the central authority and
the Iron Guard, or former Fascist
party, which was suppressed last
year in blood and Imprisonment
and has recently been released and
amnestied, must to some degree
represent the realization by the said
central authority that Germany's
cards In the Norwegian game were
better than those of the allies.
Ire question remains how far
this rapprochement will go; that is
to say, whether 1t might involve, as
some people here believe, consid-
erable changes in the Rumanian
government. During recent days
there has been q lot Of exaggerated
talk about plot" the Iron Guard
lists are supposed to have instigated.
Nothing could be more ridiculous
because why, when they have at
least three chances in ten of getting
into the government, should they
upset their applicant by an un-
timely plot?
It appears there have been some
arrests these days in Bucharest, but
the people arrested were not Iron
Guards; they were members Of par
ties who wish to cause trouble for
the Iron Guards and reduce their
80 per cent chance of entering the
cabinet to zero.
Fear Guards Revenge.
AZ / wrote in earlier dispatches,
much Of the internal nervousness is
due to the fear of those now in
power that the Iron Guard, should
1t be admitted to share in the di-
rection of affairs, might use their
new authority to avenge itself upon
them because they were responsible
for its bloody suppression last year.
1t was, think, in order to fore
stall such q possibility that this
plot" was arranged. As far as the
eye can discover the arrangement
has not been successful and matters
stahd today where they were 10
days ago, that Is to say. King Carol
remains free, If he sees 1T, to re-
arrange his cabinet.
In the meantime external events
have given an extra start In favor of
Germany, and it is not beyond the
bounds of possibility that Georges
Bratianu, who passes as q Germano-
phile, may enter the cabinet to re-
place one Of its members who is con-
sidered friendly to the allies.
There may be an iron guard men,
Der also, which would be regarded
too Is q step in Germany's favor.
Or perhaps no changes at ALL
said before the odds were one to
three and that therefore it Is more
reasonable to suppose there won't
be changes. Yet somehow one
thinkE fharo xyi11 ha, q ohorrA