REMEMBRANCE IN TIME - Index of

160
Remembrance in Time
The records of the Ministry of Affairs claimed that in the country approximately 48.000
legionaries existed, whereof 12.400 had “degrees and functions” in the organization 3 . Of
course, not all of them were active, but most of them were aware that, if the regime
initiated a repression campaign of the organization, all individuals known to ever have
been connected to the Iron Guard would be subject to inquiry. The precedent exists of the
“sorting” from 1944-1945. In 1947, the most powerful organizations were in the student
centres. For instance, in Bucharest, around 1.000 legionary students activated 4 .
Even if they were aware something had to be done, Nicolae Petraşcu and Vică Negulescu,
the most important leaders of “Country’s Commandment”, did not know where to begin, as
they were faithful to the “neutrality agreement”. The first actions, quite frail, were initiated
in early 1947, when the two decided to remake the connections between legionaries. In
order not to compromise the action, it was decided for the legionary units to have new
heads. In principle, they were appointed by Petraşcu, he nevertheless also let Vică
Negulescu and Nistor Chioreanu make decisions. Anyway, any appointment had to be
subsequently confirmed by Petraşcu 5 . The most significant action was changing the
leadership of the legionary organization of the Capital, on the 1 st of March 1947.
However, finally, the decisive impulse for initiating the Legionary Movement’s
reorganization came from abroad, from Horia Sima. He sent Eugen Teodorescu in the
country, to check the organization’s real situation.
Teodorescu’s arrival in the country was not only connected to the dispositions received
from Horia Sima, but also to initiating a contact between the Legionary Movement in
exile and the American Secret Services. What had happened? Eugen Teodorescu, together
with a group of approximately 40 comrades, was caught by the end of the war in
Austria’s American-occupation area, somewhere between Linz and Salzburg. Through
the engineer Caraion, who set up a “National Committee” of the Romanians from
Salzburg, he managed to make acts to stay in Austria, on the grounds he had been
confined in Nazi camps during War. In time, however, his legionary activity was
disclosed by USA’s secret services. The Americans already prepared the recruitment of
Germany’s former collaborators from Eastern Europe, who had somehow activated
against the Soviet Union, in the end of the War. After gathering information, they arrested
the potential collaborators, under various pretexts. It happened that way with Eugen
Teodorescu, who was arrested in late March 1946, together with the advocate I.V.
Emilian. The American military police brought him to CIC 6 headquarters from Linz,
where he was interrogated by captain Lainet, head of the counter-sabotage service. The
inquiry followed Teodorescu’s past in the Legionary Movement, the questions proceeding
from a survey. He was set free, but he was called from time to time for other questions
related to the Legionary Movement’s pre-war activity.
After a few rounds of researches, Teodorescu was advanced the proposal to work for
CIC. Taken by surprise, he wanted first Vasile Iaşinschi’s permission (confined in a camp
at Salzburg at the time), as he still reckoned himself a legionary and needed a hierarchical
3
Ibidem, Fund Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party – Administrative Political
Department, file no. 4/1952, f. 13.
4
Archive of the National Council for Studying the Security’s Archives (subsequently ACNSAS),
Fund Informative, file no. 181086, vol. 2, f. 136-139.
5
Ibidem, Fund Penal, file no. 431, vol. 1, f. 34-37.
6
Counterintelligence Corps – USA Army’s secret service during the Second World War.