20-24 septembrie 2009 - Biblioteca Metropolitana Bucuresti

Onisifor Ghibu and the Romanians from all over the world 825Among others things, Onisifor Ghibu’s studies and works couldcontribute to the elucidation of many present-day aspects from the sphereof a sensitive ambiguity of the cultural and ecclesiastic heritage, thus beinguseful for the underlying of political and juridical decisions in matter. Apile of fifteen files, summing 6022 pages referred to political, religiousand cultural problems of Basarabia during 1917-1944. They deal withcontemporary proceedings, memories, letters, photos, manuscripts, etc.,most of them having an irrefutable historical value. The second pile madeby four files (1826 pages) contains material referring to Romanians fromTransdniestria. There can be noticed the letters received by Onisifor Ghibufrom some Transdnistrian Romanians (Smochină, Zaftur, Iliin, Nicolescu,etc.), as well as materials regarding the Romanian occupation on theterritory beyond the Nistru river (1941-1943) from which we mention theproclamations and posters (some of them with bilingual text Romanian –Russian) released in that period by the public authorities from Odessa.Another two files (404 pages) refer to Romanians from the Valley ofTimoc. These documents were most of all the result of Athanasie Popovici’sresearch, the Romanian from Timoc, a close co-worker of Onisifor Ghibuabout whom we spoke before. All these documents had as a purposeespecially the cultural and even political demands of this Romanian groupfrom Yugoslavia in between the two World Wars. 4It is worthy of note that Onisifor Ghibu’s interest for the Romaniansacross the borders never stopped not even during the dramatic times of thecommunist regime. During this time of ostracism he did not hesitate tomake a number of written interventions, notes, memoirs, studies towardsauthorities from the country or across the borders regarding the realitiesmore and more alarming of our country, but also of the Romanianswho remained outside the tattered borders under foreign domination.Relevant in this matter was the famous memoir from 31st of October 1956addressed to the Soviet leaders Nikita. S. Khrushchev, general secretaryof C.P.S.U., and Nikolai I. Bulganin, president of the ministers’ council ofU.S.S.R through which he demanded the right to self-determination of theRomanians situated in Basarabia and the North of Bucovina and also theretreat of Soviet troupes from Romania. It should be mentioned that only aday before, on 30th of October 1956, the TASS Agency had published thehandout regarding the basis of friendship’s development and consolidationand the collaboration between U.S.S.R. and the other Socialist countries inrelation with the events spent in Hungary through which it was stated that4CNSAS (Consiliul Naţional pentru studiarea Arhivelor Securităţii) Archive, file I161960, volume 6: 263.