An invitation to visit Roumania was extended to Jacob Landau, managing director of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, who is now on a trip here. The invitation, signed by Gafenco, Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry, assured Mr. Landau that the Roumanian Government “will take necessary measures to facilitate your travel. Any incident is excluded.”
The incident referred to occurred May 10, 1927, when Mr. Landau, on his way back from Palestine, was held at the Roumanian port, Constanza, by the Roumanian authorities and was refused permission to enter the country, in revenge for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency’s having circulated throughout the world press the reports concerning the continuous anti-Jewish excesses in Roumania.
Notwithstanding the fact that Mr. Landau had his passport properly vised by the Roumanian authorities, he was refused permission to land and was taken back to the steamer Marie, where he was held practically under arrest, guarded by two soldiers during the en entire day and through the night. After being held. Mr. Landau’s release was effected through the intervention of William C. Culbertson, then United States Ambassador at Bucharest.
The invitation, sent by telegram to Mr. Landau by the Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry, declared: “We shall be very content if you will kindly visit Roumania also. The Roumanian government will take the necessary measures to facilitate your travel. Any incident is excluded. We ask you to inform us of your arrival.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
