Evening star., 1941-03-03
Early British-Greek
Raids on Germans in
Rumania Seen
Ultimutum Believed
To Threaten Attack
By Wednesday
BY GEORGE WELLER,

DIV GEOhUE WELLEh,
Chicago Daily News Fozeign Correspondent.
SOFIA, March 2-War opera
tons by Greece and Britain against
the Germans occupying Rumania
will begin, If the Rumanian govern
nnent has not taken steps to force
them to leave, by next Wednesday.
Such Is the content Of the British
ultimatum which was communicated
to Bucharest during the latter part
OF last week, 1t was learned here
on diplomatic authority close to
the Rumanian government.
Whether the British would begin
operations by sending bombers from
Greece over the two ranges of Bal
kan mountains would depend, it
was believed, on whether Britain
had already severed relations with
Bulgaria by that time, as is ex-
pected.
In the Rumanian press, 1t was
said the purpose of Foreign Minis
ter Anthony Eden's trip to Turkey
last week was to gain Turkish ac-
ceptance of the right to send
British fleet through the Darda-
nelles. which might mean an attack
on German coastal guns around
Constanta and even possible raid
ing parties. No word of the British
ultimatum was published in Ru-
mania.
Bucharest Immunity Asked.
In negotiating with the British.
the Rumanians are said to have
asked immunity from bombing for
Bucharest, as an open city, and
promised to move the German SOL
diers now housed near the center of
their large, but still unfinished, per-
manent barracks, around such sub
urban air fields as those at Pietra
and Chitila.
The former Malaxa arms plant in
downtown Bucharest, now govern
ment property, probably will be de-
nilitarized, likewise.
From conversations here with the
British, it seems apparent that they
are planning to adopt the German
technique of the half-war and will
attempt, in their first bombing
operations, the dexterous feat OF
striking all Germans and missing
all Rumanians and later possibly
Bulgarians, when they aim for
military centerS.
Among first bombing objectives IN
Rumania are expected to be the
terminus of the Danube railroad
bridge at Cerna- -Voda, in the
Dobruja, across which the first
armored columns came; the three
big refineries in the Ploesti oil fields,
which are weaker point than the
oil wells themselves; the govern
mental (former AuSchnitt arms
factory at Copsa-Mica; the former
Malaxa Skoda factory at Recita,
which makes cannon machine guns
and small tanks; Arbanasi, where
the various oil lines to Constanta
come together; the railroad lines at
Arad, Timisoara and Craiova, and,
of course, all pontoon bridges across
the Danube, including that at
Girudiu, already known to be de-
Tended by aircraft batteries.
Turk Troops Sent to Border.
Turkey is rushing troops to her
Greek border in readiness for
thrust across Thrace to cut off the
German drive down the Struma
Valley, 1t was learned on unques-
tionable authority.
Now that the Germans have def
initely invaded Bulgaria and COM
mitted themselves to Greek rather
than to an Anatolian campaign, the
brake of the Russian escape clause
on Turkish liberty of action has
been removed.
Mr.. Eden limited himself to ask
ing questions concerning the Turk
ish position without putting pres
sure of any kind, during his CONVEX
sations with the Turkish govern
ment. In order to counteract the,
GOODNESS caused by the insistence of
British military men on definite
Turkish commitment against Bull
garia, Mr.. Eden put the entire alli-
ance on cut-and-dried basis, the
sense of which is that the Turks are
not obliged to cross their northern
frontier to meet the Germans and
Bulgarians unless they consider that
the Turk-Bulgarian agreement of
amity has become dead letter, and
they are not even obliged to enter
Greece unless they wish to.
Treaty Russian Inspired.
It is once more confirmed from
Ankara that the Turko-Bulgarian
treaty was Russian-inspired, the
purpose being to draw the Germans
away from the Dardanelles toward
Greece Now that their purpose is
accomplished, the Russians seem
willing for the Turks to strike in
behalf of Greece and Britain if they
wish. 1t cannot be excluded that
the Russians may have exacted a
price from the British for removing
the leash from Turkey.
The next few days probably will
see Turkey gradually increasing its
acknowledgement status, and OBJ
servers of the situation think it will
rapidly take over and surpass the
degree of aid now being given by
the Rumanians to the Germans.
First-hand information reaching
this correspondent from the Danube
River area, now closed to foreigners,
states that heavy mobile columns of
tanks, trucks and mounted artillery
are now swarming past both the
pontoon bridge south of Giurgiu and
the ferries plying to the north.
The exact time of the invasion
at this point is dated as about
8 pm. last Friday, when electric
light switches in the town of Rust
chuk, on the Bulgarian side, were
cut by official order, and remained
nH all sairrl,+ Il