US embassy cable - 90MOSCOW4215

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 04215 
 
FOR DEPUTY SECRETARY FROM HA A/S SCHIFTER 
 
E.O. 12356:  DECL:  OADR 
TAGS:  PREL, US, RO 
SUBJECT:  IMPRESSIONS OF POLITICAL SITUATION IN ROMANIA 
 
1.  (SECRET - ENTIRE TEXT.) 
 
2.  DURING MY SHORT STAY IN ROMANIA I MET WITH FOREIGN 
MINISTER ALAC, DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER NEAGU, JUSTICE 
MINISTER POP, RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS MINISTER STOICESCU, 
LEADERS OF THE TRADITIONAL POLITICAL PARTIES (PEASANTS, 
NATIONAL LIBERALS, AND SOCIAL DEMOCRATS) AND LEADERS OF 
TWO NEWLY CREATED LABOR UNIONS.  I SPOKE AT LENGTH TO 
THE AMBASSADOR, THE DCM, AND POLITICAL OFFICERS AND 
FOUND ALL OF THEM IN STRONG AGREEMENT IN THEIR 
ASSESSMENT OF THE SITUATION HERE:  IF ANYONE CAN SAVE 
ROMANIA FROM THE CHAOS IT WILL HAVE TO BE THE NATIONAL 
SALVATION FRONT, THAT THE FRONT'S BASIC INCLINATION IS 
TO ESTABLISH A DEMOCRACY, THAT OUR INVOLVEMENT IN 
ROMANIA CAN STRENGTHEN THAT INCLINATION, THAT THE 
LEADERS OF THE OLD PARTIES SIMPLY DON'T HAVE WHAT IT 
TAKES TO LEAD, AND THAT THERE IS NO OTHER POLITICAL 
FORCE ON THE SCENE.  THE EMBASSY ALSO BELIEVES THAT 
ANALYSES MADE IN WASHINGTON ON THE BASIS OF VARIOUS 
FRAGMENTS OF INFORMATION LACK THE FEELING THAT CAN BE 
PROVIDED ONLY BY ON-THE-SPOT OBSERVATION.  I FIND 
MYSELF IN FULL AGREEMENT WITH ALL ASPECTS OF THE 
EMBASSY'S ASSESSMENT. 
 
3.  NONE OF THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WITH WHOM I MET 
REFLECTED ANY COMMUNIST THINKING IN THEIR REMARKS TO 
ME. THE EMBASSY STRONGLY PROTESTED AGAINST THE 
TRASHING OF PEASANT PARTY HEADQUARTERS BY FRONT 
SUPPORTERS AND I BELIEVE THE PROTEST WAS DULY NOTED. 
I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT OUR POLICY SHOULD BE BASED ON 
THAT SINGLE INCIDENT.  IF ACTIONS OF THIS KIND EVER 
BECOME A PATTERN, WE WOULD, OF COURSE, HAVE TO 
REASSESS THE SITUATION. 
 
4.  JUSTICE MINISTER POP SPENT QUITE SOME TIME 
OUTLINING HIS OBJECTIVES.  HE WAS CLEARLY WELL VERSED 
IN WESTERN LEGAL THINKING.  HE SPOKE OF PLANS FOR THE 
ADOPTION OF A NEW CONSTITUTION AND GUARANTEEING 
INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT.  HE SPOKE 
ALSO OF HIS PLANS TO ESTABLISH AN INDEPENDENT JUDICIAL 
SYSTEM.  I DID NOT HAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT HE WAS 
MOUTHING PHRASES.  IT SEEMED ALL WELL THOUGHT THROUGH 
AND GENUINE. 
 
5.  RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS MINISTER STOICESCU WAS A 
DISAPPOINTMENT ONLY BECAUSE HE WAS SO STRONG AN 
ORTHODOX BELIEVER THAT HE LEFT ME WITH THE IMPRESSION 
THAT OTHER DENOMINATIONS MIGHT NOT GET A FAIR SHAKE. 
I TRIED TO IMPRESS ON HIM THAT HE MUST LIVE UP TO 
ROMANIA'S HELSINKI COMMITMENT TO RESPECT ALL RELIGIONS 
AND URGED HIM TO ENGAGE IN A DIALOGUE WITH THE EMBASSY 
ON THIS SUBJECT.  STOICESCU IS CLEARLY A LONG-TERM 
ENEMY OF COMMUNISM, COMING FROM THE OLD-LINE 
CONSERVATIVE CAMP.  AS I WAS PREACHING TO HIM ABOUT 
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, HE EYED ME SUSPICIOUSLY AT ONE 
POINT AND ASKED WHETHER I WAS A BAPTIST.  (THE 
BAPTISTS WANT HIS MINISTRY TO BE ABOLISHED.) 
 
6.  THE FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIALS STRONGLY EMPHASIZED 
THEIR INTENTIONS TO HAVE ROMANIA LIVE UP TO ALL ITS 
OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE HELSINKI FINAL ACT.  CELAC 
TENDED TO BE SOMEWHAT OBNOXIOUS IN HIS COMPLAINT ABOUT 
U.S. ALLEGED FAILURE TO EXPRESS ITSELF IN SUPPORT OF 
ROMANIAN DEMOCRACY.  HE MEANT THAT WE HAD NOT SENT A 
SIGNAL IN THE DIRECTION OF THE NSF. 
 
7.  AS TO THE LEADER OF THE TRADITIONAL PARTIES, I WAS 
LEFT WITH THE IMPRESSION THAT THEY HAVE SIMPLY COME 
OUT OF RETIREMENT TO ANNOUNCE THAT THEY HAVE 
SURVIVED.  IT DOES NOT SEEM AS IF THEY HAVE MADE MUCH 
OF AN EFFORT TO PUT AN ORGANIZATION TOGETHER. 
NEVERTHELESS, GIVEN THE AD HOC CHARACTER OF THE NEW 
GOVERNMENT AND THE GENERAL ATTITUDE OF UNCERTAINTY, 
THE INCLUSION OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE TRADITIONAL 
PARTIES IN THE TRANSITION GOVERNMENT WOULD BE OF 
SYMBOLIC VALUE AND WOULD HAVE A REASSURING EFFECT ON 
THE GENERAL PUBLIC. 
 
8.  MY OVERALL IMPRESSION, BASED ON WHAT I HAVE READ AS 
WELL AS WHAT I SAW IN BUCHAREST, IS THE FOLLOWING:  THE 
ROMANIAN COMMUNIST PARTY THAT EMERGED AT THE END OF THE 
STALIN ERA HAS LIKE THE OTHER COMMUNIST PARTIES IN 
EASTERN EUROPE IN THAT IT WAS HELD TOGETHER BY A STRONG 
IDEOLOGY AND CLOSE BONDS OF MUTUAL LOYALTY AMONG 
MEMBERS OF THE NOMENKLATURA.  AS IN THE CASE OF OTHER 
PARTIES, THE IDEOLOGY EVAPORATED IN THE SEVENTIES.  BUT 
UNLIKE THE OTHER PARTIES, IN WHICH FRATERNAL BONDS KEPT 
THE NOMENKLATURA TOGETHER, THE COMMUNIST PARTY BONDS IN 
ROMANIA DISSOLVED AS CEAUSESCU ESTABLISHED WHAT WAS IN 
EFFECT A BYZANTINE IMPERIAL COURT.  THERE WERE NO 
LONGER ANY FRATERNAL BONDS.  THERE WAS ONLY A DIRECT 
LINE OF LOYALTY FROM EACH INDIVIDUAL COURTIER TO 
CEAUSESCU.  ANY OFFICIAL WHO CROSSED THE LEADER OR 
DISPLEASED HIM OR WAS DENOUNCED WAS DEMOTED, FIRED, OR 
JAILED. 
 
9.  GIVEN THE FOREGOING STATE OF AFFAIRS, CEAUSESCU'S 
DEATH CAUSED THE ENTIRE SYSTEM TO SHATTER OVERNIGHT. 
THERE WAS NO COMMUNIST LEADERSHIP GROUP TO CLOSE RANKS, 
AS IN BULGARIA AFTER ZHIVKOV'S OUSTER.  CEAUSESCU'S 
MINIONS HAD NO RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER.  THEY FELL 
BY THE WAYSIDE.  WHAT THEN CAME TOGETHER WERE THE 
PEOPLE WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN OUSTED FROM PROMINENT 
POSITIONS, WHO THEN JOINED WITH MORE JUNIOR OFFICIALS 
IN AN EFFORT TO PUT TOGETHER A GOVERNMENT CAPABLE OF 
FUNCTIONING. 
 
10.  TO BE SURE, MOST OF THE NEW LEADERS WERE ONCE 
COMMUNISTS, WHETHER OF THE BELIEVING OR THE OPPORTUNIST 
VARIETY.  CAN THEY BE TRUSTED NOW?  I BELIEVE THEY CAN 
BECAUSE (A) THEIR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE HAS EMBITTERED 
THEM AGAINST TOTALITARIAN RULE (THEY USE THAT TERM|), 
AND (B) EVEN IF THEY ARE CYNICS (AND I AM SURE NONE OF 
THEM ARE), THEY KNOW WHICH WAY THE WIND IS BLOWING AND 
WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO TO GET THE FOREIGN HELP THEY NEED. 
 
11.  AS THE NSF APPEARS FOR THE TIME BEING TO BE THE 
ONLY GAME IN TOWN TO KEEP ROMANIA FUNCTIONING AND AS WE 
CAN BRING OUR INFLUENCE TO BEAR TO STEER THE FRONT IN 
THE RIGHT DIRECTION, I STRONGLY CONCUR IN THE BUCHAREST 
EMBASSY'S APPROACH AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
MATLOCK 
 
 
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