Eugen Cristescu
Encyclopedia
Eugen Cristescu was the second head of the Kingdom of Romania
's domestic espionage agency, the Secret Intelligence Service (SSI), forerunner of today's SRI
. He previously served as head of Siguranţa Statului, the secret police.
, Bacău County
into a large, poor family. His father Ioan was a schoolteacher there, while his mother’s main occupation was raising her six sons and three daughters. His brothers were Ioan, chief of staff at the Ilfov County
prefecture; Vasile, lieutenant colonel in the personal guard of Marshal Ion Antonescu
; Mihai, commissioner at the Bucharest
Prefecture; Mircea, employee of the Foreign Ministry’s Protocol Service; and Gheorghe, head of the photo identification service and then a director in the Secret Intelligence Service of the Romanian Army, which on 13 November 1940, a day after Eugen became its head, was renamed the Special Intelligence Service.
After finishing primary school in Târgu Ocna
, Cristescu attended the Veniamin Theological Seminary in Iaşi
, graduating in 1916. That year he enrolled at the Law Faculty of the University of Iaşi, but interrupted his studies due to World War I
. He took part in the autumn 1916 campaign with a rank of sergent TR (reduced term sergeant) in the sanitary service. He continued his university studies after the war ended, and received the title of doctor in legal sciences six years after graduating.
was arrested, he became chief of the Special Intelligence Service. During his whole career, six orders and two medals were conferred upon him. He was sanctioned but once, on 9 November 1932, by the Interior Minister, “fined through loss of salary for one day for insubordination”, without details being offered.
Cristescu, who unlike Moruzov was totally obedient to Antonescu, assumed leadership of the SSI at a time when Romania was a satellite of Nazi Germany
, formally not yet in World War II
but rapidly preparing for it. His political mission included internal espionage against political figures and especially Jews
, of whom exact lists with their names were being drawn up, particularly in Moldavia
. It was Cristescu who gave the order for a special unit, later known as Operational Echelon I, to enter Moldavia, which it did on 18 June 1941 (four days before Romania joined combat), equipped with information on local Jews’ situation, location and living conditions, and large quantities of posters depicting distorted faces of Jews or which called them spies or saboteurs. Nine days later, the Iaşi pogrom
was carried out. According to postwar testimony offered by Traian Borcescu, head of the SSI’s counter-intelligence section between 1941 and 1944, “as to the preparation and staging of the Iaşi massacres, I suspect that they were the handiwork of the First Operative Echelon, since Eugen Cristescu told me when he returned to Bucharest: ‘The great deeds I accomplished in Moldavia, I accomplished in collaboration with Supreme Headquarters, Section II’”. In his own written postwar deposition, Cristescu denied SSI involvement at Iaşi, claiming it had been organised by the Gestapo
and the SD
. It is certain that the SSI armed members of the banned Iron Guard
who instigated and took part in the pogrom; it is unlikely that Cristescu acted on his own initiative, and later testimony from SSI officers indicates that he kept both Foreign Minister Mihai Antonescu and Ion Antonescu informed about the massacres’ progress.
Cristescu closely monitored the significant spy networks operating on Romanian soil during the war—Allied
as well as German. Relations with Germany were fairly steady until November 1942, when changes on the Eastern Front
led the SSI, at Cristescu’s order, to cultivate links with the Allies’ intelligence services. Of particular note was Operation Autonomous
, in which three British agents were parachuted into Romania on 23 December 1943, captured, and interrogated directly by Cristescu (with Antonescu’s approval), who refused to hand them over for questioning in Berlin
. Using the three, over the following months Cristescu bargained with the SOE
, holding out the prospect of an armistice whereby Romania would switch sides in the war. He was aware of the secret armistice negotiations being undertaken by the leaders of the political opposition with the British and the Americans. Germany pressed for their arrest, but Cristescu (again so directed by Antonescu) assured them their protection and even took part in the discussions.
, where the group remained until spring 1946.
On 17 May 1946, accused before the Bucharest People’s Tribunal
, he was sentenced to death for “war crimes and the national disaster”. High Royal Decree nr. 1746 commuted his sentence to hard labour for life, along with those of Radu Lecca (former commissioner general for the Jewish question) and General Constantin Pantazi. This decree was initiated by Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu
, Justice Minister in the Communist-dominated Petru Groza
government. He died four years later in Văcăreşti prison.
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
's domestic espionage agency, the Secret Intelligence Service (SSI), forerunner of today's SRI
Serviciul Român de Informatii
The Romanian Intelligence Service is the Romanian domestic intelligence service. It is considered the descendant of the former Departamentul Securităţii Statului , of the Socialist Republic of Romania. The official decree The Romanian Intelligence Service (', SRI) is the Romanian domestic...
. He previously served as head of Siguranţa Statului, the secret police.
Early life
Cristescu was born in OituzOituz
Oituz is a commune in Bacău County, Romania. It is composed of six villages: Călcâi , Ferestrău-Oituz , Hârja , Marginea, Oituz and Poiana Sărată ....
, Bacău County
Bacau County
Bacău is a county of Romania, in Moldavia, with its capital city at Bacău. It has one commune, Ghimeş-Făget, in Transylvania.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 706,623 and the population density was 113/km²....
into a large, poor family. His father Ioan was a schoolteacher there, while his mother’s main occupation was raising her six sons and three daughters. His brothers were Ioan, chief of staff at the Ilfov County
Ilfov County
Ilfov is the county that surrounds Bucharest, the capital of Romania. It used to be largely rural, but after the fall of communism, many of the county's villages and communes developed into high-income commuter towns, which act like suburbs or satellites of Bucharest...
prefecture; Vasile, lieutenant colonel in the personal guard of Marshal Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu
Ion Victor Antonescu was a Romanian soldier, authoritarian politician and convicted war criminal. The Prime Minister and Conducător during most of World War II, he presided over two successive wartime dictatorships...
; Mihai, commissioner at the Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
Prefecture; Mircea, employee of the Foreign Ministry’s Protocol Service; and Gheorghe, head of the photo identification service and then a director in the Secret Intelligence Service of the Romanian Army, which on 13 November 1940, a day after Eugen became its head, was renamed the Special Intelligence Service.
After finishing primary school in Târgu Ocna
Târgu Ocna
Târgu Ocna is a town in Bacău County, Romania, situated on the left bank of the Trotuş River, an affluent of the Siret, and on a branch railway which crosses the Ghimeş Pass from Moldavia into Transylvania. Târgu Ocna is built among the Carpathian Mountains on bare hills formed of rock salt...
, Cristescu attended the Veniamin Theological Seminary in Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
, graduating in 1916. That year he enrolled at the Law Faculty of the University of Iaşi, but interrupted his studies due to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He took part in the autumn 1916 campaign with a rank of sergent TR (reduced term sergeant) in the sanitary service. He continued his university studies after the war ended, and received the title of doctor in legal sciences six years after graduating.
Career
After finishing university, he worked for fourteen years at Siguranţa Statului, followed by six years in leadership posts at the Interior Ministry. He steadily climbed the professional ladder, from bureau undersecretary to general director. In November 1940, two months after his predecessor Mihail MoruzovMihail Moruzov
Mihail Moruzov was the founder and first head of Romania's modern domestic espionage agency, the Secret Intelligence Service , forerunner of today's SRI.-Early life:...
was arrested, he became chief of the Special Intelligence Service. During his whole career, six orders and two medals were conferred upon him. He was sanctioned but once, on 9 November 1932, by the Interior Minister, “fined through loss of salary for one day for insubordination”, without details being offered.
Cristescu, who unlike Moruzov was totally obedient to Antonescu, assumed leadership of the SSI at a time when Romania was a satellite of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, formally not yet in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
but rapidly preparing for it. His political mission included internal espionage against political figures and especially Jews
History of the Jews in Romania
The history of Jews in Romania concerns the Jews of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is nowadays Romanian territory....
, of whom exact lists with their names were being drawn up, particularly in Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
. It was Cristescu who gave the order for a special unit, later known as Operational Echelon I, to enter Moldavia, which it did on 18 June 1941 (four days before Romania joined combat), equipped with information on local Jews’ situation, location and living conditions, and large quantities of posters depicting distorted faces of Jews or which called them spies or saboteurs. Nine days later, the Iaşi pogrom
Iasi pogrom
The Iaşi pogrom or Jassy pogrom of June 27, 1941 was one of the most violent pogroms in Jewish history, launched by governmental forces in the Romanian city of Iaşi against its Jewish population, resulting in the murder of at least 13,266 Jews, according to Romanian authorities.-Background:]During...
was carried out. According to postwar testimony offered by Traian Borcescu, head of the SSI’s counter-intelligence section between 1941 and 1944, “as to the preparation and staging of the Iaşi massacres, I suspect that they were the handiwork of the First Operative Echelon, since Eugen Cristescu told me when he returned to Bucharest: ‘The great deeds I accomplished in Moldavia, I accomplished in collaboration with Supreme Headquarters, Section II’”. In his own written postwar deposition, Cristescu denied SSI involvement at Iaşi, claiming it had been organised by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
and the SD
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
. It is certain that the SSI armed members of the banned Iron Guard
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard is the name most commonly given to a far-right movement and political party in Romania in the period from 1927 into the early part of World War II. The Iron Guard was ultra-nationalist, fascist, anti-communist, and promoted the Orthodox Christian faith...
who instigated and took part in the pogrom; it is unlikely that Cristescu acted on his own initiative, and later testimony from SSI officers indicates that he kept both Foreign Minister Mihai Antonescu and Ion Antonescu informed about the massacres’ progress.
Cristescu closely monitored the significant spy networks operating on Romanian soil during the war—Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
as well as German. Relations with Germany were fairly steady until November 1942, when changes on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
led the SSI, at Cristescu’s order, to cultivate links with the Allies’ intelligence services. Of particular note was Operation Autonomous
Operation Autonomous
Operation Autonomous was a clandestine operation carried out on the territory of Romania by the Special Operations Executive set up by Churchill for the duration of the war to assist local Resistance movements.-Participants:...
, in which three British agents were parachuted into Romania on 23 December 1943, captured, and interrogated directly by Cristescu (with Antonescu’s approval), who refused to hand them over for questioning in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Using the three, over the following months Cristescu bargained with the SOE
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
, holding out the prospect of an armistice whereby Romania would switch sides in the war. He was aware of the secret armistice negotiations being undertaken by the leaders of the political opposition with the British and the Americans. Germany pressed for their arrest, but Cristescu (again so directed by Antonescu) assured them their protection and even took part in the discussions.
Downfall
On 23 August 1944, the King Michael Coup took place and did bring Romania over to the Allies, but the event took Cristescu by surprise. He was arrested on 24 September, initially interrogated by the Romanian authorities. On 14 October, the Allied Soviet High Command took him into custody; together with generals Picky Vasiliu, Constantin Pantazi and Constantin Tobescu, Marshal Ion Antonescu and his wife Maria, and professors Mihai Antonescu, Gheorghe Alexianu and Radu Lecca, he was taken to MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, where the group remained until spring 1946.
On 17 May 1946, accused before the Bucharest People’s Tribunal
Romanian People's Tribunals
The two Romanian People's Tribunals , the Bucharest People's Tribunal and the Northern Transylvania People's Tribunal were set up by the post-World War II government of Romania, overseen by the Allied Control Commission to try suspected war criminals, in line with Article 14 of the Armistice...
, he was sentenced to death for “war crimes and the national disaster”. High Royal Decree nr. 1746 commuted his sentence to hard labour for life, along with those of Radu Lecca (former commissioner general for the Jewish question) and General Constantin Pantazi. This decree was initiated by Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu
Lucretiu Patrascanu
Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu was a Romanian communist politician and leading member of the Communist Party of Romania , also noted for his activities as a lawyer, sociologist and economist. For a while, he was a professor at Bucharest University...
, Justice Minister in the Communist-dominated Petru Groza
Petru Groza
Petru Groza was a Romanian politician, best known as the Prime Minister of the first Communist Party-dominated governments under Soviet occupation during the early stages of the Communist regime in Romania....
government. He died four years later in Văcăreşti prison.