Grigore Gafencu
Encyclopedia
Grigore Gafencu was a Romania
n politician, diplomat and journalist.
in law from the University of Bucharest
. During World War I
, he participated as a lieutenant
and received the Mihai Viteazul Order
for courage in battle. After the war, he became a journalist and founded the Timpul familiei newspaper, which was translated in French
and distributed in many countries. At the age of 32, he became a National Peasants' Party
deputy in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
(lower house of the Romanian Parliament) and was the assistant of the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Iuliu Maniu
government of 1928.
In 1938, he became a Minister of Foreign Affairs. For the next two years, he tried to assure the neutrality of Romania
, which was caught up between Germany
and the Soviet Union
. Due to his efforts, he obtained guarantees from France
and England
, but those were not respected. After Northern Transylvania
was annexed by Hungary
as a result of the Vienna Diktat
, and Bessarabia
, Northern Bukovina and the Hertza region
were annexed by the Soviet Union
in 1940, he was sent as ambassador to Moscow
. He returned to Romania after King Carol II
named Ion Gigurtu
foreign minister on 30 May 1940, and then left Romania to settle in Geneva
, Switzerland
.
, he collaborated with the Journal de Genève and other newspapers across Europe
. In 1944, his book Préliminaires de la guerre à l'Est (Preliminaries of the War in the East) was published under the author name of Grégoire Gafenco at the Egloff publishing house in Fribourg
.
After the war, Gafencu moved to Paris. He then published his second book, Last Days of Europe (Derniers jours de l'Europe, Egloff, Fribourg, 1946), in which he described his voyages across Europe in 1939 and 1940. In the preface he claimed that "the world made a war to kill influence zones and we must make a peace to kill them for a second time".
In 1947 he was invited by Yale University Press
to the United States
for a series of conferences; at that time, he lectured at New York University
. He began to form groups that would militate for a European Movement, i.e., a federalization of the European states, in which Romania would also be included. He participated at the founding of the Free Europe Committee and he organized each Tuesday evening in his apartment on Park Avenue
, New York City
a series of meetings called Tuesday Panels in which current events were discussed.
He was a member of the Romanian National Committee
(1949-1952) and was one of the founders of the Free Romanian League.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n politician, diplomat and journalist.
Political career
Gafencu studied law and received his Ph.D.Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in law from the University of Bucharest
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest , in Romania, is a university founded in 1864 by decree of Prince Alexander John Cuza to convert the former Saint Sava Academy into the current University of Bucharest.-Presentation:...
. During 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 participated as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
and received the Mihai Viteazul Order
Order of Michael the Brave
The Order of Michael the Brave is Romania's highest military decoration, instituted by King Ferdinand I during the early stages of the Romanian Campaign of World War I, and was again awarded in World War II...
for courage in battle. After the war, he became a journalist and founded the Timpul familiei newspaper, which was translated in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and distributed in many countries. At the age of 32, he became a National Peasants' Party
National Peasants' Party
The National Peasants' Party was a Romanian political party, formed in 1926 through the fusion of the Romanian National Party from Transylvania and the Peasants' Party . It was in power between 1928 and 1933, with brief interruptions...
deputy in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Romania
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house in Romania's bicameral parliament. It has 315 seats, to which deputies are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms...
(lower house of the Romanian Parliament) and was the assistant of the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Iuliu Maniu
Iuliu Maniu
Iuliu Maniu was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian politician. A leader of the National Party of Transylvania and Banat before and after World War I, he served as Prime Minister of Romania for three terms during 1928–1933, and, with Ion Mihalache, co-founded the National Peasants'...
government of 1928.
In 1938, he became a Minister of Foreign Affairs. For the next two years, he tried to assure the neutrality of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, which was caught up between Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Due to his efforts, he obtained guarantees from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, but those were not respected. After Northern Transylvania
Northern Transylvania
Northern Transylvania is a region of Transylvania, situated within the territory of Romania. The population is largely composed of both ethnic Romanians and Hungarians, and the region has been part of Romania since 1918 . During World War II, as a consequence of the territorial agreement known as...
was annexed by Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
as a result of the Vienna Diktat
Second Vienna Award
The Second Vienna Award was the second of two Vienna Awards arbitrated by the Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Rendered on August 30, 1940, it re-assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania from Romania to Hungary.-Prelude and historical background :After the World War I, the multi-ethnic...
, and Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
, Northern Bukovina and the Hertza region
Hertza region
Hertza region is the territory of an administrative district of Hertsa in the southern part of Chernivtsi Oblast in southwestern Ukraine, on the Romanian border...
were annexed by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1940, he was sent as ambassador to Moscow
Moscow
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...
. He returned to Romania after King Carol II
Carol II of Romania
Carol II reigned as King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until 6 September 1940. Eldest son of Ferdinand, King of Romania, and his wife, Queen Marie, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second eldest son of Queen Victoria...
named Ion Gigurtu
Ion Gigurtu
Ion Gigurtu was a Romanian politician, Land Forces officer, engineer and industrialist who served a brief term as Prime Minister from July 4 to September 4, 1940, under the personal regime of King Carol II. A specialist in mining and veteran of both the Second Balkan War and World War I, he made a...
foreign minister on 30 May 1940, and then left Romania to settle in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Exile
During World War IIWorld 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...
, he collaborated with the Journal de Genève and other newspapers across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In 1944, his book Préliminaires de la guerre à l'Est (Preliminaries of the War in the East) was published under the author name of Grégoire Gafenco at the Egloff publishing house in Fribourg
Fribourg
Fribourg is the capital of the Swiss canton of Fribourg and the district of Sarine. It is located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss plateau, and is an important economic, administrative and educational center on the cultural border between German and French Switzerland...
.
After the war, Gafencu moved to Paris. He then published his second book, Last Days of Europe (Derniers jours de l'Europe, Egloff, Fribourg, 1946), in which he described his voyages across Europe in 1939 and 1940. In the preface he claimed that "the world made a war to kill influence zones and we must make a peace to kill them for a second time".
In 1947 he was invited by Yale University Press
Yale University Press
Yale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for a series of conferences; at that time, he lectured at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. He began to form groups that would militate for a European Movement, i.e., a federalization of the European states, in which Romania would also be included. He participated at the founding of the Free Europe Committee and he organized each Tuesday evening in his apartment on Park Avenue
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
a series of meetings called Tuesday Panels in which current events were discussed.
He was a member of the Romanian National Committee
Romanian National Committee
Romanian National Committee was an anti-communist organization of Romanian post-World War II exilés in the West. It claimed to represent a government in exile.-History:...
(1949-1952) and was one of the founders of the Free Romanian League.