REMEMBRANCE IN TIME - Index of

Ilarion łIU: Opposition Activities of the Legionary Movement … 161
superior’s assent for such an action. Cap. Lainet coldly answered him after the
formulation of these arguments; therefore Teodorescu accepted the collaboration, lest he
should be arrested. For the beginning, the Americans wanted to provide data on the
Romanians in Linz, and then to leave for Romania in a mission, in order to study to what
extent a legionary organization-based information services could be organized.
In the spring of 1947, Eugen Teodorescu met Vasile Mailat, at Salzburg. Mailat handed to
Teodorescu a note from Horia Sima, who commissioned him to leave for the country, to see
the legionaries’ real situation. He had to communicate the “Commandment” to lay the stress
on reorganization and any initiative with political character was forbidden – no one was
allowed to politically employ the Legionary Movement through personal decision.
The departure to Romania occurred at mid May 1947, Teodorescu being accompanied
by Dragoş Hoinic. Through Traian Puiu, Hoinic’s brother in law, the two contacted at
Vienna, Gheorghe (GhiŃă) Stoia, who dealt with the illegal trade between Austria and
Hungary. After two weeks, Stoia facilitated their clandestine passage to Hungary. They
took the train to Budapest, then to Beckesksaba, where they contacted the legionary Petre
Lipovan’s relatives. One of his cousins carried them by motorcycle to a border village,
crossing the frontier in Romania, at Salonta. They walked to Arad, wherefrom they took
the train to Bucharest. Teodorescu and Hoinic met by chance, in Gara de Nord, NiŃă
Ghimbăşanu, who led them to Vică Negulescu. At their sight, Negulescu wanted them all
to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, to legalize his situation. Teodorescu told him he
wished to return to Austria, intending to speak first of all with Nicolae Petraşcu.
The meeting occurred in a week, somewhere in the period June-July 1947, on the
lakeside Tei in the Capital. Petraşcu submitted to Teodorescu the situation of the
legionaries in the country, attempting to justify the circular from August 1945 and the
“neutrality agreement”. Nicolae Petraşcu insisted for Horia Sima to be informed that he
attempted to contact him to receive “absolution” and even to leave the country, however
he did not succeed. At the end of the discussion, Eugen Teodorescu also communicated to
Petraşcu the second component of his mission, respectively constituting a pro-American
information service with the Legionary Movement’s support. After a few weeks, in July
1947, Teodorescu and Hoinic returned in Austria 7 .
As the new instructions from Horia Sima had very serious implications on the relation
between the Legionary Movement and the authorities, the leadership nucleus of the
“Country Commandment” reunited for discussions. The meeting took place in early
August 1947, under the pretext of a trip in the Mountains of Făgăraş, at Bâlea Lake.
Nistor Chioreanu went in Aurel Călin’s company, who also informed him about the
meeting, and Nicolae Petraşcu made team with Vică Negulescu. Petraşcu broadly
narrated them the discussion with Teodorescu. First, the legionaries in exile had
information that, in 1948, in Romania, new elections were scheduled, under international
surveillance, in order to avoid the scandal of counterfeiting the 1946-scrutiny. The
Legionary Movement would have been authorized to submit lists in the new conjecture.
Therefore, Horia Sima gave dispositions to the “Country’s Commandment” to initiate
reorganizing the Legionary Movement, on counties, so that, when the electoral campaign
began, it should be prepared for action. Sima’s instructions, brought through Teodorescu,
recommended a prudent reorganization – only the skeleton to be constructed (county heads,
possibly mesh heads), from trustful people that should be placed on the election lists.
7 ACNSAS, Fund Penal, file no. 335, vol. 1, f. 567-574.