Out of the Night

Out of the darkness of censorship and isolation, radio waves brought a troubled voice from Russian-occupied Rumania. It was the voice of Premier Nicolai Radescu, a greying professional soldier with scant political experience but a strong executive hand. General Radescu had taken office last December with approval of the Allied Control Commission. His chief task was to forge a Government of "national unity" to carry out Moscow's armistice terms. Now he complained bitterly that the leftist National Democratic Front (N.D.F.) was obstructing his every effort.

The Premier had planned to address the country from Scala Hall, a Bucharest movie house. But 1,000 N.D.F. strong-arm men, he said, had barred his entry, shouted: "Down with General Radescu!"

"What was I to do?" asked the Premier. "The underlying idea of the meeting was to enable me to speak to the people, to the representatives of all classes and all political parties--because I do not belong to any party. But in Scala Hall there were representatives of only one party, who had got there through force and with the definite purpose of preventing others from coming in."

The Premier found another hall for his speech. But all Bucharest printers were ordered by their trade union not to print it. Premier Radescu ordered the Government censor "to censor nothing whatever in . . . the papers enjoying the trade union's support, even if they were to print insults addressed to me." He added: "I do not care to stay in the position I am now holding if the country does not wish it." This seemed to suit the N.D.F.'s apparent purpose: to force out Radescu, force in a leftist Government.

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