King Carol Asks Goga, Anti-semitic Leader, to Form New Cabinet

KING CAROL TODAY INVITED PROF. OCTAVIAN GOGA, CO-LEADER OF THE ANTI-SEMITIC NATIONAL CHRISTIAN PARTY AND ONE OF THE NATION’S MOST OUTSPOKEN ANTI-SEMITES, TO FORM A NEW CABINET. THE NEW MINISTERS ARE EXPECTED TO BE SWORN IN WITHIN 24 HOURS.

THE KING’S ACTION FOLLOWED OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RESIGNATION OF THE TATARESCU GOVERNMENT, WHICH FAILED TO RETAIN CONTROL OF PARLIAMENT IN THE RECENT NATIONAL ELECTIONS.

PORUNCA VREMI, ORGAN OF THE GOGA PARTY, DECLARED THE CABINET WOULD IMMEDIATELY SUPPRESS ALL JEWISH-OWNED NEWSPAPERS, PROHIBIT JEWISH JOURNALISTS FROM WRITING FOR RUMANIAN PAPERS, AND NATIONALIZE RUMANIAN TRADE AND INDUSTRY. THE LATTER WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED, THE PAPER STATES, BY ENACTING A LONG-PROJECTED MEASURE TO MAKE EMPLOYMENT BY ALL ENTERPRISES OF 90 PERCENT “PURE-BLOOD” RUMANIANS OBLIGATORY.

THE NEWSPAPER LISTED THE FOLLOWING AS THE PROBABLE CABINET LINE-UP: PREMIER AND INTERIOR MINISTER, PROF. GOGA; FOREIGN MINISTER, ISTRADE MICESCU; FINANCE MINISTER, GEORGE CUZA; MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO, PROF. ALEXANDER CUZA, CO-LEADER WITH GOGA OF THE NATIONAL CHRISTIAN PARTY.

THE GOGA PARTY OBTAINED ONLY NINE PERCENT OF THE TOTAL VOTE CAST IN THE DEC. 20 ELECTION, AS AGAINST AN ESTIMATED 37 PERCENT FOR THE GOVERNMENT PARTY, 21 PERCENT FOR THE “ALL FOR THE FATHERLAND” PARTY — THE FASCIST IRON GUARD — AND 24 PERCENT FOR THE NATIONAL PEASANTS PARTY.

IN A PRE-ELECTION STATEMENT, PROF. GOGA DECLARED THAT ANTI-SEMITIC FEELING IN RUMANIA WAS SO STRONG THAT NOTHING COULD PREVENT IT FROM ACHIEVING ITS OBJECT EVEN IF GRAVE DISTURBANCES SHOULD RESULT.

THE BELIEF THAT GOGA’S CABINET WOULD LEAN TOWARD THE ROME-BERLIN AXIS WAS STRENGTHENED WHEN IT WAS RECALLED THAT LAST SUMMER HE WENT ON A TOUR OF THE CAPITALS OF GERMANY, ITALY AND YUGOSLAVIA TO CONFER WITH THE LEADERS OF THEIR GOVERNMENTS. THE NATIONAL CHRISTIAN PARTY HAS BEEN VIGOROUSLY PRO-NAZI AND PRO-FASCIST.