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be given and the Roumanians, whom we have no wish to injur437 in spite of the infamous manner in which many British subjects and British interests have been treated in recent months are advised to withdraw from river ports such as Giurgiu and Constanza, from Ploesti and from neighbourhood of railway junctions. Leaflets would contain reminder that those dropped over the Germans provoked much derision but that subsequent developments show that German amusement was premature and misplaced. In their own interests people of Roumania are therefore begged to take our warnings seriously and to act (? grp. omtd., ?on) them and to remember that if British action sometimes appears slow it is usually effective in the end.

ANNEX II.

Copy of a Telegram dated 6th February, 1941, from Sir Reginald Hoare

(Bucharest) to the Foreign Office.

No. 263.

Your telegram No. 158.

Most Secret.

I attach no particular importance to my final paragraph though I thought it would play some part in increasing the atmosphere of unrest and trepidation which we must obviously wish to see here. However, as one of your objections is that they may be regarded as giving Germans warning of intention to attack oil fields I feel that it is as well to remind you, as reported in my telegram No. 247, that Germans are actively engaged in doing everything possible to ensure that as result of both active and passive defence an attack on refineries and storage may produce minimum probability of destruction.

2.

Such information as we have here (gp. undec.) established that in spite of Germany's immense network of railways, attacks on communications have been extremely effective. Here there are few railways lines and extremely vulnerable ports for loading oil such as Giurgiu on the Danube. We feel strongly that unless attacks can be made in groat force these targets, including of course railway marshalling yard at Ploesti should be given preference, both for the effect which would be produced on supplies to Germany and for strain which it would impose on Roumanian morale.

3.

It must also be remembered that Roumania has between two and three times more refining capacity than she needs.

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