IULIU MANIU’S COLLABORATION WITH THE BRITISH SPECIAL OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE
IULIU MANIU’S COLLABORATION WITH THE BRITISH SPECIAL OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE

Summary/Abstract: The SOE’s hopes of organizing subversive actions against the German presence in Romania and Ion Antonescu’s regime focused on Iuliu Maniu. According to British documents, the SOE representative in Romania, Gardyne de Chastelain, started working with Iuliu Maniu in the summer of 1940 to establish the basis of an organization which, in the event of the country being occupied by the Germans, would have the task of maintaining contact with the British intelligence services. In September 1940, Chastelain met with Iuliu Maniu in Rică Georgescu’s house. The National Peasant Party (NPP) leader had engaged in provoking an anti–German rebellion in Transylvania, when the situation would allow it. Maniu accepted operational funds from the SOE and insisted on receiving a radio link with Cairo. He promised Chastelain that he would organize sabotage groups against oil targets but refused to accept the supply of explosives by the SOE, thinking that he could rely on local resources. Iuliu Maniu and the National Peasant Party played a very important part in gathering information. The SOE opened a special file under the name of “Resistance movements Maniu and National Peasant Party”. In fact, during the war Maniu was the main SOE collaborator in Romania.

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