While the Government moved to wipe out the last vestiges of Corneliu Zelea Codreanu’s Fascist Iron Guard, reports were current tonight that authorities possessed proof of links between Codreanu and German and Hungarian Nazis, including the draft of a letter to Chancellor Hitler.
A cabinet meeting today heard official reports that Codreanu’s organization had spies in the Federal and local police headquarters and in the army general staff. Proofs were also found that Codreanu, now held in Jilava fortress, had received $300,000 over a brief period to be used in anti-Government activity. Another document was said to prove conclusively that the Iron Guard was linked with “foreign organizations” in an attempt to undermine the Government’s authority.
Although the foreign organizations were not named in the official communique, it was reported that authorities, in their raids on Codreanu’s headquarters, had found the draft of a letter written by the Rumanian Fascist chief to Chancellor Hitler. Codreanu was also said to have connections with Major Ferenc Szalasy, Hungarian Nazi leader.
The cabinet meeting today confirmed the dissolution of the Iron Guard and confiscation of all its property, and authorized Interior Minister Armand Calinescu to place under “house arrest” all persons who had been planning any action banned by law and dangerous to order and security of the State.
The interior Minister disclosed to the Cabinet that in raids carried out on the homes of Codreanu and other Iron Guard leaders, documents had been found proving that the organization conducted a vast espionage ring with branches in all Government departments.
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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.
