To the Editor of the CRIMSON:

I was very shocked when I heard that Roumania, my native country had declared war on the U. S. This unreasonable move was certainly forced by the Nazis on the pro-German leaders of Roumania to prove that this was a war of "Europe against America and Britain." Such a move does not represent the feelings of the Roumanian people, who have always been, since the last war, when they were allied with the democracies, strongly anti-German.

The great majority of the Roumanians desire the defeat of Hitler. Letters from Bucharest, personal reports from people who have left the country after the war with Russia, support that conviction.

Roumania has suffered a lot since the defeat of France, to which she was so closely linked. A great part of Transylvania was taken away from her on the orders of Hitler and his satellites; King Carol had to abdicate; the country went through a period of bloody internal disorders, after the German occupation; all this might account for the fact that the people, in need of unity and order, rallied behind General Antonescu who seemed ready to destroy the disturbing elements such as the Nazi Iron Guardists.

Then came the war with Russia which was probably accepted as a just war because it involved the recapture of two provinces taken away by the U.S.S.R. But there was no enthusiasm, and the Germans are not and never will be considered by the Roumanians as allies.

They have taken away most of the commodities in the usual Nazi manner. There has been strong opposition to the continuation of the war after the recapturing of Bossarabia and Bucovina. All reports coming from Roumania, either in the press or from the people who have told me personally what they have seen, agree that many generals have been shot because they did not want to keep up a fight for non-Roumanian territory.

The same reports also agree that the national-peasant party, once the most influential in Roumania, does underground work trying to sabotage the Nazi war effort and to bring this war to an end. But the German armies are there and successful revolt is almost impossible.

Germany forced Roumania to continue the war in Russia by threatening to take what was left of Transylvania or even to annex the country entirely.

Germany forced Roumania to declare war on the U. S. The Roumanian people do not want war with the democracies; if they could speak up, they would declare their strong desire for an Allied victory. A Roumanian