Daily life in Bucharest during '42

Maybe you will find useful for your research the book "Operation Autonomous" written by Ivor Porter. The book describes the author's experience as a secret agent in Romania during WWII. Ivor Porter was selected by SOE for this mission because he used to be an English teacher in Romania just before the outbreak of World War II, so he had both knowledge of and contacts in the Romanian society of the time.


Source: http://bookshistorical.com/320.html

Cantacuzino, Carol, thanks a lot, this is all very important. I'll have to look into it. Carol, this is great, man, I'm ordering the book straight away.

PS One thing that makes me wonder is that the role of the siguranza seems to be greatly understated in English-language sources. It's as if the institution never existed. The British expert I mentioned (a trained intelligence officer also specializing in the WWII history) first heard about them from me! I just wonder why it is so.

This post has been edited by Roone on May 06, 2005 12:42 pm

"Sigurantza Statului" like all secret services in the world is supposed to work mostly undercover. One of the best leader( in WWII ) of romanian secret service "Sigurantza Statului" was Cristescu. He was informed all the time by his agents about the anti-Antonescu activities from all sides ( including UK secret services) he was saved from been shot in 1946 ( with the group of Antonescu governement members) at soviet request who wanted to use his experience and knowledges against allied ( UK and US) secret services.

This post has been edited by Cantacuzino on May 06, 2005 01:33 pm

at soviet request who wanted to use his experience and knowledges against allied ( UK and US) secret services.

You don't mean it!


Thanks a lot!

What was the official name of this institution, "Siguranţa Generală a Statului", "Siguranţa Statului" or "Serviciul de Siguranţă"?

Eugen Cristescu was the Director General of SSI (Serviciul Special de Informaţii). Unfortunately, it is not clear to me what was the relationship between SSI and Siguranţa Generală.

Roone, if you cand understand Romanian, here is a link to some old Romanian tunes (quite popular during WWII). I do not know the precise date of their release (before or after 1942), but they illustrate the mood of those days.

I have found two more names for this institution: "Biroul Siguranţei Generale" and "Direcţia Siguranţei Generale".

The perioad when Eugen Cristescu was saved from been shot was in 1946. So the cold war just started. All informations about allied secret services was important for big USSR military power. Probably a bargain between Cristescu life and his archivs files was not a bad ideea for both parts.

Carol I, thanx for the link!

Cool tunes... "S-a intrerupt curentul" is pretty funny...

You are welcome.

Hello Roone, still around?

I don't want to be rude or blunt, but you should double-check that with your British specialist... I have never ever even heard of such a thing like Roma armed resistance in the Romanian mountains, during the WW 2. Or you should rather double check the specialist ... are you sure he was talking about Romania? Maybe he was joking

Now my question is, are you interested only in Romania as it was in 1940-1944 (from the political geography point of view), or in the historical Romania (the North-Western part attached to Hungary in 1940)?

I’m asking you that because in the region annexed by Hungary there were some underground organized networks helping the Jews to escape across the border to Romania and from here to Palestine (from 1943-1944 onwards). The ships sailed from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, with the complicity of the Romanian authorities, right under the nose of the Germans… even escorted by Romanian antisubmarine vessels. For some of them, the alternative was Auschwitz… I think you wouldn’t want to miss this episode from your book…

You should try a Google search with the name of dr. Raul Sorban, proclaimed by the state of Israel as one of the “righteous among nations”. His life worth to be put in a novel and he is a writer himself. He is still alive (over 90 y.o.), in good shape as I know, and living in Cluj, Romania. If the movie about Schindler’s list wouldn’t have been about Schindler, Sorban could have been one of the eligible candidates, in my opinion…

This post has been edited by Agarici on May 10, 2005 10:20 pm

Oh yes, I'm still around.

Carol, thanks a lot for the link, it was an eye- (or rather, ear-) opener. I do understand Romanian a little and hope to get a much better grab of it (I speak most basic Romance languages fluently, so it's not so challenging for me).

Agarici:

No, the guy wasn't joking, in fact he majored (or whatever it was called then) in WWII history in a British military academy. But that's why I keep asking questions! I just want to get the bloody facts right! That's why I keep picking your brains, guys, thanks a lot for all your help.

I really appreciate your suggestion about the North Western part of Romania and Dr Sorban. I'll absolutely have to investigate it. I think if or when the book gets accepted I'll be back here asking for your real names guys to thank you all properly and personally in the book!

No need to mention it. I am glad that was able to help you with other points of view for your project.

WWII military service booklet (from eBay):