The Tragedy of the Romanian 'Iron

Guard' : Codreanu
By Julius Evola
Julius Evola, in a secret report sent on the 31 August 1938
by an agent of the Ahnenerbe to the Reichsfhrer
Heinrich Hiler on a series of three lectures he gave in
Berlin, !as accuse" of #e$erting pressure on the lea"ers
an" the officials of the %arty an" of the &tate# an" of
#"eveloping an activity of propagan"a in neighbouring
countries#' (he #neighbouring countries# !hich the report
entions are )rance an" Roania, in the capital city of
!hich, Bucharest, Evola, as !e *no! fro his eoirs,
et +ircea Elia"e, !ho intro"uce" hi to ,orneliu
,o"reanu, the lea"er of the -ron .uar", a eber of
!hich Elia"e then !as' (his eeting is "escribe" in
#,ollo/uio col ,apo "elle #.uar"ie "i )erro#
0#,onversation !ith the 1ea"er of the #-ron .uar"s##2,
publishe" in Regime Fascista on the 33 +arch 1938, as !ell
as in four other articles !hich appeare" the sae year in
various other -talian papers 4 #1a (rage"ia "ella #.uar"ia
"i )erro# Roena#, itself, appeare" in Roma 0)rench5
spea*ing rea"ers !ill be particularly intereste" to *no!
that, in the )rench translation of this article, publishe" in
the )rench paper Totalit in 1986, soe passages relate" to
,o"reanu#s vie!s on Je!s !ere cut2' (he one !ho !as
calle" by A"olf Hitler #the father of European
nationalis# a"e such a great ipression on Julius Evola
that he evo*e" hi again in #-l ,aino "el ,inabro#
0&chei!iller, +ilano, 1973, pp 18151832 an" in #-l )asciso
visto "ella 9estra# 0#)ascis seen fro the Right#2, 0:olpe,
Roa, 1976, p'332' (his eeting too* place at ,o"reanu#s
hea"/uarters, the #.reen House#, the -ron .uar"#s first
#nest#, a fe! onths before he !as assassinate", along
!ith thirty of his cora"es, in the forest of (ancabesti by
henchen of the political scheers !ho !ere in office in
Bucharest at that tie' A"olf Hitler, !hen he hear" of the
event, gave or"ers for the Reich "ignitaries !ho ha"
receive" Roanian "ecorations to give the bac* to the
Roanian governent' )ro then on, to /uote Eile
,ioran, #Roania is le" by the "ea" ,o"reanu#'
(HE (RA.E9; <) (HE R<+A=-A=
#-R<= .>AR9# ? ,<9REA=>
(he car is lea"ing us outsi"e the suburbs of the city, on a
long, !retche", provincial street, un"er a grey an" rainy
s*y' -t su""enly turns left, enters a countrysi"e path,
stops in front of a sall villa !ith sharp outlines, the
#.reen House#, the centre of the #-ron .uar"#' @Ae built it
!ith our o!n han"s@, the lea"er of the legionaries !ho is
accopanying us tells us, not !ithout a certain pri"e' Ae
coe in, !al* through a sort of guar"roo, reach the
first floor' (hrough a group of 1egionaries !ho part
coes to!ar"s us a young, tall, slen"er an, !ith an
uncoon e$pression of nobleness, fran*ness an" energy
iprinte" on his face ? aBure grey eyes, open forehea",
genuine Roan5Aryan type ? an", i$e" !ith virile traits,
soething conteplative, ystical in the e$pression' (his
is ,orneliu ,o"reanu, the lea"er an" foun"er of the
Roanian #-ron .uar"#, the one !ho is calle" #assassin#,
#Hitler#s henchan#, #anarchist conspirator#, by the !orl"
press, because, since 1919, he has been challenging -srael,
an" the forces !hich are ore or less in cahoots !ith it, at
!or* in the Roanian national life'

Aong all the lea"ers of the national oveents !e have
et "uring our Courneys through Europe, fe!, or none,
have given us so favourable an ipression as ,o"reanu'
Ae have "iscovere" in spea*ing !ith hi as perfect an
agreeent of i"eas as !ith fe! others, an" !e have et in
fe! the capacity to rise so resolutely fro the plane of the
contingent an" to relate to preises of genuinely spiritual
nature a !ill of political5national rene!al' ,o"reanu
hiself has not conceale" his satisfaction in eeting
soeone !ith !ho soething ore than the
stereotype" forula #constructive nationalis# can finally
be e$presse", a forula !hich fails to grasp the essence of
the Roanian legionary oveent'

<ur eeting too* place at the tie of the fall of the .oga
cabinet, of the "irect intervention of the *ing, of the
proulgation of the ne! constitution, of the plebiscite'
Ae ha" hear" in "etail about the hi""en si"e of this
upheaval' ,o"reanu, in a luci" synthesis, a""e" to our
vision on this atter' He ha" uch faith in the future,
an" even in the iinent victory of his oveent' -f it
ha" not reacte" an" sho!n any opposition, this !as for
precise tactical reasons ? @-f there ha" been regular
elections, as .oga ha" thought, !e !oul" have !on !ith
an over!heling aCority@, ,o"reanu tol" us verbati,
@but face" !ith the alternative of saying yes or no to a fait
accopli such as the constitution, itself inspire" by the
Ding, !e have refuse" to accept the fight@' He even a""e"
? @Ae have con/uere" the first line of trenches, then the
secon", the thir", an" the a"versary, !hich ha" shut itself
a!ay in a cubby hole, in the security !hich it offers, fires
shots at us, not *no!ing that !e !oul" li*e nothing
better than to coe to its help against its real eney@' Ae
ust recall again this other sentence by ,o"reanu, in
relation to our /uestion about his stan"point to!ar"s the
*ing ? @But !e are all +onarchists 4 it is Cust that !e
cannot renounce our ission an" a*e coproises
!ith an out"ate" an" corrupt !orl"@'

An", !hen he !ante" to ta*e us bac* to our inn in his
o!n car, he not consi"ering the sensation this ight
cause an" !e even less the !arning of our legation, !hich
ha" tol" us that anyone !ho et ,o"reanu !oul" be
e$pelle" fro the *ing"o in the ne$t 36 hours, ta*ing
his leave fro us an" *no!ing that !e !ere then going to
Berlin an" Roe, he sai" to us ? @All those !ho fight for
our cause, - salute an" say to the that the Roanian
legionaris is an" !ill uncon"itionally be on their si"e in
the anti5Je!ish, anti5"eocratic, anti5Bolshevi*
struggle@'

(he -talian translation of ,o"reanu#s boo* @(he -ron
.uar"@, !hich ha" alrea"y been heral"e" in Bucharest,
has Cust been publishe" in the collection Europa .iovane
0,asa e"itrice =aBionale, Roa5(orino, 19382' -t is the
first part of a !or* !hich is siultaneously the
autobiography of ,o"reanu an" the history of his struggle
an" his oveent, inter!oven in a natural anner !ith
the e$position of his "octrine an" of his nationalistic
progra' (his boo* can be copare" to the first part of
@+ein Dapf@, !ithout fearing that it ight turn out
"iinishe" by this coparison' -n"ee", it is the very
force, an" even the very trage"y, of things, !hich sees to
it that the narrative of ,o"reanu has a particular
suggestive po!er, an" !e thin* that any )ascist shoul"
becoe a!are, through it, of the tragic an" painful
vicissitu"es of a struggle !hich, on the Roanian soil, has
repeate" the struggle of our o!n anti5"eocratic an"
anti5Je!ish revolutions' -n this !ay the truth, previously
conceale" or "istorte" by a biase" press, is at last *no!n,
an" it becoes clear that those !ho ignore the factor of
the legionary oveent, currently represse" but
certainly not "ea", cannot for an a"e/uate i"ea of the
possible future "evelopents there'

By its very nature, the boo* of ,o"reanu "oes not let
itself be sue" up' Here, !e !ill only be able to "ra!
the rea"ers# attention to a fe! general an" "octrinal
points, !hich !ill characterise the nature of ,o"reanu#s
oveent' As long ago as 1919 or 193E, !hen he !as a
young an of aroun" t!enty, he rose up against the
counist peril in the nae of the Roanian nation, not
so uch !ith !or"s as !ith collective action siilar to
that of our o!n #s/ua"risti#, battling the revolting
!or*ers, replacing the re" flags they ha" ounte" on
their factories !ith national ones' A follo!er of A','
,uBa, the father of the national Roanian i"ea an"
precursor of the anti5&eitic struggle, ,o"reanu ha"
alrea"y anage" at that tie to see !hat the victory of
counis !oul" really have eant ? not a Roania le"
by a proletarian Roanian regie but instea" its
enslaveent, the very ne$t "ay, by #the filthiest tyranny,
the (alu"ic, -sraelite tyranny#' But -srael "oes not
forgive those !ho unas* it' As long ago as this ,o"reanu
becae the bFte noire of the press sponsore" by -srael,
the obCect of a fierce sear an" hate capaign, launche"
not only against hi, but against the national faith of a
!hole people' ,o"reanu !rites about that tie ? @-n one
year - learne" as uch about anti5&eitis as !oul" be
enough for three ens# lifeties' )or you cannot !oun"
the sacre" convictions of a people, !hat their heart loves
an" respects, !ithout causing "eep pain an" she""ing the
heart#s bloo"' -t !as 1G years ago, an" y heart blee"s
yet@' ,o"reanu fought at that tie against those !ho
glorifie" the re" -nternational, an" his follo!ers !oul"
brea* the printing plants of the Je!ish papers, in !hich
the *ing, the ary, an" the ,hurch !ere insulte"' But,
later, precisely in the nae of the *ing, of the ary, an"
of or"er, a Roanian press !hich possesse" astery
!hen it cae to chaeleonis !as to resue the sae
capaign against ,o"reanu, covering his oveent !ith
hatre" an" contept'''

,o"reanu !rites ? @- coul" not "efine ho! - entere" into
the struggle' %robably li*e a an !ho, !al*ing the street,
!ith his preoccupations, his nee"s an" his o!n thoughts,
surprise" by the fire !hich is consuing a house, ta*es
off his Cac*et an" rushes to give help to those !ho are the
prey of flaes' Aith the coon sense of a young an of
t!enty or so, this is the only thing - un"erstoo" in all -
!as seeing ? that !e !ere losing the )atherlan", that !e
!oul" no longer have the )atherlan", that, !ith the
un!itting support of the iserable, ipoverishe" an"
e$ploite" Roanian !or*ers, the Je!ish hor"e !oul"
s!eep us a!ay' - starte" !ith an ipulse of y heart,
!ith that instinct of "efense !hich even the least of the
!ors has, not !ith the instinct of personal self5
preservation, but of "efense of the race to !hich - belong'
(his is !hy - have al!ays ha" the feeling that the !hole
race rests on our shoul"ers, the living, an" those !ho
"ie" for the )atherlan", an" our entire future, an" that
the race struggles an" spea*s through us, that the hostile
floc*, ho!ever huge, in relation to this historical entity, is
only a han"ful of huan "etritus !hich !e !ill "isperse
an" "efeat''' (he in"ivi"ual in the frae!or* an" in the
service of his race, the race in the frae!or* an" in the
service of .o" an" of the la!s of the "ivinity? those !ho
!ill un"erstan" these things !ill !in even though they
are alone' (hose !ho !ill not un"erstan" !ill be
"efeate"@'

(his !as the profession of faith of ,o"reanu in 1933, at the
en" of his stu"ies at university' As presi"ent of the
national association of la! stu"ents, he "efine" at the
sae tie the ain points of the anti5&eitic capaign in
the follo!ing ters ? @a2 i"entification of the Je!ish
spirit an" entality !hich have iperceptibly infiltrate"
into the !ay of feeling an" of thin*ing of a consi"erable
part of the Roanians 4 b2 our "eto$ification, the
eliination of the Ju"ais !hich has been intro"uce"
into our thin*ing through school boo*s, through
teachers, theatre, cinea 4 c2 the un"erstan"ing an" the
unas*ing of the -sraelite plans, hi""en un"er any
fors' Because !e have political parties le" by
Roanians, through !hich Ju"ais spea*s 4 Roanian
papers, !ritten by Roanians, through !hich the Je!
an" his interests spea* 4 Roanian lecturers, thin*ing,
!riting an" spea*ing Hebraically, but in the Roanian
language@' At the sae tie, the political, national, social
practical proble ? the proble of vast Roanian lan"s
literally colonise" by populations e$clusively Je!ish 4 the
proble of the Je!ish control of the vital centres of the
largest cities 4 the proble of the alaring percentage of
Je!s in schools, !here they often for a clear aCority, a
percentage aounting to the preparation for a ta*eover
an" an invasion of the professional !orl" !ithin the ne$t
generation' )inally, a siple action of unas*ing ?
,o"reanu points out that, Cust as in the counist
perio", the lea"ers of the so5calle" Roanian proletarian
oveent !ere e$clusively Je!s, Cust as, later, as a
eber of parliaent, he "i" not hesitate to "ocuent
ho! ost of the ebers of the governent receive"
#oney loans# fro the Je!ish ban*s'

At the a"vent of +ussolini, ,o"reanu recognise" hi as a
@light bearer, !ho instils !ithin us hope' He !ill be for us
the proof that the hy"ra can be "efeate"' A proof that !e
can !in@' He a""e" ? @But +ussolini is not anti5&eitic'
;ou reCoice in vain, the Je!ish press !as ururing in
our ears' - say ? the /uestion is not !hy !e reCoice, but
!hy, if he is not anti5&eitic, you !orry about his victory
an" !hy the Je!ish press throughout the !orl" attac*
hi@' ,o"reanu rightly sa! that Ju"ais has anage" to
"oinate the !orl" through )reeasonry an" Russia
through counis ? @+ussolini has "estroye"
counis an" )reeasonry@, ,o"reanu says, @he
iplicitly "eclare" !ar upon Ju"ais too@' (he ne! anti5
&eitic change of policy of )ascis has prove" ,o"reanu
copletely correct' -n or"er to bring the anti5&eitic
stan"point of ,o"reanu fully to light, !e ust /uote the
follo!ing passage of his boo*, !hich sho!s that his vision
!as particularly acute ? @(hose !ho thin* that the Je!s
are poor unfortunates, arrive" here by chance, carrie" by
the !in", le" by fate, an" so on, are ista*en' All the
Je!s !ho e$ist on the face of the earth for a great
counity, boun" by bloo" an" (alu"ic religion' (hey
are parts of a truly iplacable state, !hich has la!s, plans
an" lea"ers !ho forulate these plans an" carry the
through' (he !hole thing is organise" in the for of a so5
calle" #Dehillah#' (his is !hy !e are face", not !ith
isolate" Je!s, but !ith a constitute" force, the Je!ish
counity' -n any of our cities or countries !here a
given nuber of Je!s are gathere", a Dehillah is
ie"iately set up, that is to say the Je!ish counity'
(his Dehillah has its lea"ers, its o!n Cu"iciary, an" so on'
An" it is in this sall Dehillah, !hether at the city or at
the national level, that all the plans are fore" ? ho! to
!in the local politicians, the authorities 4 ho! to !or*
one#s !ay into circles !here it !oul" be useful to get
a"itte", for e$aple, aong the agistrates, the state
eployees, the senior officials 4 these plans ust be
carrie" out to ta*e a certain econoic sector a!ay fro a
Roanian#s han"s 4 ho! an honest representative of an
authority oppose" to the Je!ish interests coul" be
eliinate" 4 !hat plans to apply, !hen, oppresse", the
population rebels an" bursts in anti5&eitic oveents@'
Besi"es, large5scale general plans ? @12 they !ill see* to
brea* the bon"s bet!een earth an" heaven, "oing their
best to sprea", on a large scale, atheistic an" aterialistic
theories, "egra"ing the Roanian people, or even Cust its
lea"ers, to a people separate" fro .o" an" its "ea", they
!ill *ill the, not !ith the spear, but by cutting the roots
of their spiritual life 4 32 they !ill then brea* the lin*s of
the race !ith the soil, aterial spring of its !ealth,
attac*ing nationalis an" any i"ea of )atherlan" an"
hoelan" 4 "eterine" to succee", they !ill see* to seiBe
the press 4 62 they !ill use any prete$t, since in the
Roanian people there are "issensions,
isun"erstan"ings, an" /uarrels, to "ivi"e the into as
any antagonistic parties as possible 4 82 they !ill see* to
onopolise ore an" ore the eans of e$istence of
Roanians 4 72 they !ill systeatically "rive the to
"issoluteness, annihilating faily an" oral force
!ithout forgetting to "egra"e an" "aBe the through
alcoholic "rin*s an" other poisons' An", in truth, anyone
!ho !oul" !ant to *ill an" con/uer a race coul" "o it by
a"opting this syste@' By all eans, fro ie"iately
follo!ing the !orl" !ar to the present, ,o"reanu#s
oveent has sought to fight in every sector this Je!ish
offensive launche" in Roania by the t!o an" a half
illion -sraelites there an" by the forces affiliate" to or
finance" by -srael'

(he nuisance of political scheers an" the necessity of
creating a @=e! an@ are other central points of
,o"reanu#s thought' @(he type of an !ho lives
no!a"ays in the Roanian political scene@, ,o"reanu
!rites, @- have alrea"y foun" in history ? un"er his rule,
nations "ie" an" states !ere "estroye"@' (o ,o"reanu,
the greatest national peril lies in the fact that the pure
type of the 9acio5Roanian race has been "istorte" an"
"eface" an" substitute" for by the political scheer 4
@(his oral ger, !hich no longer possesses any trace of
the nobleness of our race, "ishonours us an" *ills us@' As
long as the political scheer e$ists, conceale" anti5
national forces !ill al!ays fin" suitable instruents, !ill
al!ays be able to create intrigues !hich !ill serve their
gae' -f the Roanian constitution of 1938 has put an en"
to the syste of parties, it is any years ago that
,o"reanu too* a stan" so ra"ical as to have sai" ? @(he
young an !ho Coins a political party is a traitor to his
generation an" to his race@'

-t is not a /uestion of ne! parties or forulae, but of a
=e! +an' -t is this vie! that gave rise to ,o"reanu#s
legionaris, !hich eans, above all, a school of life, the
locus for the foration of a ne! type, in !hich are foun"
@"evelope" at the a$iu, all the possibilities of
huan greatness !hich !ere so!n by .o" in the bloo" of
our race@' (he first legionary organisation foun"e" !as
calle" @(he 1egion of the Archangel +ichael@, a
"esignation !hose choice alrea"y reveals the ystical,
religious an" ascetic si"e of such a nationalis' (he
creation of this ne! type is, accor"ing to ,o"reanu, the
ain thing, the rest is of secon"ary iportance, an" !ill
follo! as an inevitable conse/uence through a natural
an" irresistible process, it is by this regenerate" an that
the Je!ish proble !ill be solve", that a ne! political
for !ill be foun", !hich !ill a!a*en that agnetis
!hich is able to carry a!ay cro!"s, to facilitate every
victory, an" to lea" the race on the !ay of glory'

A special an" characteristic aspect of the Roanian
legionary oveent is that, in its actual construction in
the for of #nests#, its ain preoccupation !as to create a
ne! coon for of life, connecte" !ith strict ethical
an" religious criteria' (he fact that ,o"reanu ha"
ipose" the "iscipline of the fast t!o "ays a !ee* coul"
thus coe as a surprise to any people, an" it is also
interesting to *no! his thoughts on the po!er of prayer,
thoughts !hich !oul" see to be appropriate to a person
belonging to a religious or"er rather than to a political
lea"er ? @%rayer is "ecisive eleent of victory' Aars are
!on by those !ho have anage" to attract fro
else!here, fro the s*ies, the ysterious forces of the
invisible !orl" an" to secure their support' (hese
ysterious forces are the souls of the "ea", the souls of
our ancestors, !ho once !ere, li*e us, lin*e" to our
clo"s, to our furro!s, !ho "ie" for the "efense of this
lan" an" are still lin*e" to"ay to it by the eory of their
lives an" by us, their sons, their gran"sons, their great
gran"sons' But, above the souls of the "ea", there is .o"'
<nce these forces are attracte", they are of consi"erable
po!er, they "efen" us, they give us courage, !ill, all the
eleents necessary to victory an" !hich a*e us !in'
(hey bring in panic an" terror aong the eneies,
paralyse their activity' -n the last analysis, victories "o not
"epen" only on aterial preparation, on the aterial
forces of the belligerents, but on their po!er to secure
the support of spiritual forces' (he fairness an" the
orality of actions an" the fervent, insistent call for the
in the for of rite an" collective prayer attract such
forces@'

Here is another characteristic passage of ,o"reanu ? @-f
,hristian ysticis an" its goal, ecstasy, is the contact of
an !ith go" through a leap fro huan nature to
"ivine nature, national ysticis is nothing other than
the contact of an an" cro!"s !ith the soul of their race
through the leap !hich these forces a*e fro the !orl"
of personal an" aterial interests into the outer !orl" of
race' =ot through the in", since this anyone can "o, but
by living !ith their soul@' Another typical aspect of the
legionaris of the #-ron .uar"s# is a sort of ascetic
coitent on the part of their lea"ers ? they ust
refrain fro going to "ance halls, cineas or theatres,
avoi" any "isplay of !ealth or even of ere affluence' A
special stor force of 1E,EEE en, !hich !as calle" after
+oBa an" +arin, t!o lea"ers of the #-ron .uar"s# fallen
in &pain, ha", for its ebers, alost as in soe ancient
or"ers of chivalry, the clause of celibacy, as long as they
belonge" to this force ? since no un"ane or faily
occupation !as to be peritte" to "iinish their capacity
to "e"icate theselves at any oent to "eath'

Although he !as t!ice a eber of the parliaent,
,o"reanu asserte" hiself firly right fro the start
against "eocracy 4 to /uote hi verbati, "eocracy
brea*s the unity of the race because it gives rise to
factionalis 4 it is incapable of continuity in effort an"
responsibility 4 it is incapable of authority, since it lac*s
the po!er of sanction an" it turns the politician into the
slave of his partisans 4 it is in the service of high finance 4
it a*es illions of Je!s Roanian citiBens' ,o"reanu
asserte" on the contrary the principle of social selection
an" elites' He ha" a precise intuition of the ne! politics
of the nations aiing at reconstruction, !hose principle
is not "eocracy, nor "ictatorship, but a connection
bet!een nation an" lea"er as there is bet!een po!er an"
actuality, obscure instinct an" e$pression' (he lea"er of
these ne! political fors is not electe" by the cro!", but
the cro!", the nation, consents to hi an" recognises in
his i"eas its o!n i"eas'

(he preise is a sort of inner rea!a*ening, !hich starts
in the lea"er an" in the elite' Ae ust /uote ,o"reanu ?
@-t is a ne! for of lea"ership of states, never
encountere" yet' - "on#t *no! !hat "esignation it !ill be
given, but it is a ne! for' - thin* that it is base" on this
state of in", this state of high national consciousness
!hich, sooner or later, sprea"s to the periphery of the
national organis' -t is a state of inner light' Ahat
previously slept in the souls of the people, as racial
instinct, is in these oents reflecte" in their
consciousness, creating a state of unanious illuination,
as foun" only in great religious e$periences' (his state
coul" be rightly calle" a state of national oecuenicity' A
people as a !hole reach self5consciousness, consciousness
of its eaning an" its "estiny in the !orl"' -n history, !e
have et in peoples nothing else than spar*s, !hereas,
fro this point of vie!, !e have to"ay peranent
national phenoena' -n this case, the lea"er is no longer a
#boss# !ho #"oes !hat he !ants#, !ho rules accor"ing to
#his o!n goo" pleasure# ? he is the e$pression of this
invisible state of in", the sybol of this state of
consciousness' He "oes not "o !hat he !ants, he "oes
!hat he has to "o' An" he is gui"e", not by in"ivi"ual
interests, nor by collective ones, but instea" by the
interests of the eternal nation, to the consciousness of
!hich the people have attaine"' -n the frae!or* of
these interests an" only in their frae!or*, personal
interests as !ell as collective ones fin" the highest "egree
of noral satisfaction@'

(hat ,o"reanu then "i" not e$clu"e that these ne! fors
of nationalis ay be copatible !ith the tra"itional
institutions is prove" by his i"eas on the onarchical
institution, !hich fin" e$pression in the follo!ing
!or"s ? @- reCect republicanis' At the hea" of races,
above the elite, there is +onarchy' =ot all onarchs have
been goo"' +onarchy, ho!ever, has al!ays been goo"'
(he in"ivi"ual onarch ust not be confuse" !ith the
institution of +onarchy, the conclusions "ra!n fro this
!oul" be false' (here can be ba" priests, but this "oes not
ean that !e can "ra! the conclusion that the ,hurch
ust be en"e" an" .o" stone" to "eath' (here are
certainly !ea* or ba" onarchs, but !e cannot renounce
+onarchy' (he race has a line of life' A onarch is great
an" goo", !hen he stays on this line 4 he is petty an" ba",
to the e$tent that he oves a!ay fro this racial line of
life or he opposes it' (here are any lines by !hich a
onarch can be tepte"' He ust set the all asi"e an"
follo! the line of the race' Here is the la! of +onarchy@'

-f, in the ain points, these are the i"eas of ,o"reanu an"
of his #-ron .uar"#, the vicissitu"es of his struggle turn
out tragically to be alost beyon" coprehension, an",
until lately, they seee" to be "ue to soe unfortunate
isun"erstan"ings' >ntil lately, !e say, because to the
e$tent that the pure "eocratic regie subsiste" in
Roania, !ith its !ell5*no!n subservience to all sorts of
in"irect an" as*e" influences an" a onarchical
institution !hich !as erely sybolic, it !as
un"erstan"able that a oveent such as ,o"reanu#s !as
hin"ere" by any eans an" at any cost, one "ay by eans
of one forula, the ne$t by the opposite one, for reasons
of opportunis, provi"ing that the effect !as the sae
an" the "angerous a"versary !as ouste"' (hese bitter
observations by ,o"reanu are easy to un"erstan" ? @in
1919, 193E an" 1931, the !hole -sraelite press store" the
Roanian state unleashing every!here chaos an"
e$horting to violence against the regie, the for of
governent, the ,hurch, the Roanian or"er, the
national i"ea, patriotis' =o!, as if by agic 0in 19372,
the sae press, le" e$actly by the sae people, has turne"
into a protector of the state or"er an" its la!s, an"
"eclares itself #against violence#, an" !e have becoe the
#eneies of the country#, the #right5!ing e$treists#, #in
the pay an" in the service of the eney of Roanicity#,
an", before long, !e !ill hear even this ? that !e are
sponsore" by the Je!s@' An" ,o"reanu continues ? @Ae
receive on our chee*s an" on our Roanian souls sarcas
after sarcas, slap after slap, to the point of really being
in this "rea"ful situation ? the Je!s are portraye" as
"efen"ers of Roanicity an" are shiel"e" fro trouble
an" able to live in tran/uillity an" affluence, !hile !e, on
the contrary, are portraye" as the eneies of
Roanicity, an" our lives an" liberties are threatene" as
the Roanian authorities hunt us "o!n li*e hy"rophobic
"ogs' All this - have seen !ith y o!n eyes an" en"ure"
hour in, hour out, an" it has ebittere" e an" y
cora"es to the "epths of our souls' (o set out to fight for
your country, your soul pure as the tear in the eye 4 to
fight for years an" years in poverty an" in conceale" but
e$cruciating hunger 4 to see yourself, at one point,
portraye" as an eney of your country, persecute" by
Roanians, "efae" as a recipient of foreign fun"s 4 an"
to see the Je!ish people in coplete control of your
country, raise" to the status of protectors of Roanicity
an" of the Roanian state, !hich you, an" the youth of
the country, are suppose"ly threatening 4 all this is truly
terrible to en"ure@' An" the rea"ers can realise that these
are not Cust !or"s, by going through the boo*, in !hich
the !hole via crucis of the #-ron .uar"# is "ocuente" ?
arrests, persecutions, trials, sears, violence' ,o"reanu
hiself has e$perience" various trials, but, until no!, the
charges against hi have al!ays been "isisse" ? in a
ur"er trial 5 he ha" *ille" !ith his o!n han"s the *illers
of his cora"es 5 it is rear*able that nineteen thousan"
three hun"re" la!yers of the !hole country officially
offere" to "efen" hi'

After the .oga e$perient, it seee" that the "eocratic
regie ha" reache" its en" in Roania, an" that a ne!
authoritarian for of governent !oul" arise' Abroa",
!e "o not *no! uch about !hat !ent on behin" these
"isruptions' Although the #-ron .uar"# !as alrea"y
"isban"e", the fact is that in this ne! phase of Roanian
politics !as hi""en the continuity of the struggle
bet!een ,o"reanu an" forces oppose" to his conception
of the nation an" of the state' (he .oga governent !as
suppose"ly fore" on an e$periental basis an", at the
sae tie, for a precise tactical reason' By eans of
.oga#s o"erate nationalis an" anti5&eitis, they
sought to si"e5trac* the forces !hich ,o"reanu#s
oveent !as attracting an" !as !inning ore an"
ore, by offering a substitute easy to tae' (hey realise",
ho!ever, that, to use the e$pression of +ussolini
regar"ing the plebiscite proclaie" by &chussnigg, the
e$perient !as "angerous an" that the "evice coul"
escape the han"s of those !ho ha" prepare" it' (he .oga
regie !as not ta*en as a substitute by people, a
substitute !hich they !oul" have been content !ith, but
people sa! it as a sign of a preliinary assent to the full
nationalist current ? the fact that .oga resolutely oppose"
,o"reanu 0an" this !as one of the reasons for his choice2
"i" not "isturb the as uch as his progra, !hich
oppose" nationalis, anti5&eitis, an" in fact the entire
necessary revision of Roania#s international political
stance' &o that, if the elections announce" by .oga ha"
ta*en place, he !oul" have been ost li*ely s!ept a!ay
by a current stronger than hi, though going in the sae
"irection' Ac*no!le"ging this peril, the *ing "eci"e" to
intervene personally' He put an en" to the "eocratic
party syste an" ha" a constitution proulgate", in
!hich the ain thing !as the centralisation of po!er,
"irectly or in"irectly, in the han"s of the onarch' An
authoritarian revolution fro above, base", as !e say, on
the court instea" than on the public arena' )ace" !ith
this, the #-ron .uar"#, !hile !arning the regie of the
conse/uences of its attitu"e, voluntarily "issolve" the
party it ha" set up, #All for )atherlan"#, an" silently
!ith"re!, proposing to focus its action essentially on the
spiritual plane, to act ainly in a sense of spiritual
foration an" of a selection of the great nuber of
ebers !ho, "uring the last perio" an" seeingly in
pursuit of the .oga governent#s i"eas, ha" floc*e" into
,o"reanu#s ran*s' Ae !ere in Roania at that tie, an"
the solution that the ost serious Roanian eleents
thought "esirable an" li*ely !as an overcoing of the
forer opposition an" a collaboration, on a national
basis, bet!een the regie an" legionaris' (his !as not
only the opinion e$presse" by the ain Roanian
theoretician of the state, +anoilescu, or by those !ho ha"
greatly facilitate" the return of the *ing to the
)atherlan", such as =ae Jonescu, but also, the inister
Argetoianu, the ain inspirer of the ne! constitution, in
a conversation !hich !e ha" then !ith hi, "i" not rule
out this collaboration, provi"e" that 5 these !ere his o!n
!or"s 5the #-ron .uar"# renounce" its previous etho"s'

<bviously, !e !oul" not "eny that, in noral con"itions,
!hen its po!er an" iportance are intact, +onarchy
"oes not nee" any "ictatorial "uplicate in or"er to
properly perfor its function' Ho!ever, this is not ho!
things loo* in a state !here the tra"itional fi"es has been
replace" by political intrigue, in !hich the Je!ish hy"ra
has !oun" its tentacles aroun" the greatest vital cores of
the nation an" ulti party electoral "eocracy has
un"erine" the ethical integrity an" the patriotic feeling
of vast political strata' -n such con"itions, there ust be a
totalitarian rene!ing oveent, soething !hich, as
part of a collective oveent, !ill s!eep a!ay, create,
transfor an" raise again the !hole nation, essentially on
the basis of a ne! state of consciousness an" of forces of
an i"eal an" a faith' An" the onarchic institution, if it is
present, is not brought "o!n by a totalitarian national
oveent, but, on the contrary, "evelope" an"
coplete", as sho!n by the e$aple of -taly' -n these
ters, the collaboration bet!een the ne! regie an" the
national legionary oveent of ,o"reanu !oul" have
been both "esirable an" possible, especially since, as !e
have seen, ,o"reanu e$pressly "efen"e" the +onarchic
i"ea an" never thought of offering hiself to be the ne!
*ing of Roania 5 not even his opponents have ever
iplie" this'

(he ost recent events have sho!n that these hopes !ere
illusory an" have hastene" the trage"y' Just after the
approval of the ne! constitution, ,o"reanu !as once
again arreste"' AhyH Because it !as recalle" after any
onths that he ha" once ore gravely offen"e" a cabinet
inister 5 soething !hich throughout his career, un"er
the pressure of circustances, he ha" in fact never been
able to avoi" "oing' 1ater, he !as accuse" of plotting
against the security of the real' But the truth is that the
arrest of ,o"reanu too* place practically the "ay after the
Anschluss' -t is thus e$treely li*ely that it !as "ictate"
by the fear that, as a repercussion of the triuph of
Austrian =ational &ocialis, the forces of Roanian
nationalis, ho!ever chastene", !oul" s!ing bac* into
action' (hey !ante" to push asi"e, soeho! or other, the
lea"er of the latter' (he trial en"e" !ith a 1E5year prison
sentence for ,o"reanu, together !ith the arrest of a
group of sublea"ers an" a lot of people suspecte" of
belonging to the #.uar"# or of supporting it' -t !as clear
to all that the national political situation in Roania !as
highly e$acerbate" an" far fro any sort of stabilisation'
(hey coul" not but see that, !hile the previous trials
against ,o"reanu, !hich ha" ta*en place in a tie !hen
the forces !hich !ere oppose" to hi ha" a"e the
fullest use of the possibilities for corruption inherent in
the "eocratic syste, ha" to en" invariably in
"isissals, un"er the ne! anti5"eocratic an" #national#
constitution a sentence !as pronounce", soething
!hich aounte" to a provocation to!ar"s all the forces
of national Roanian legionaris, Cust as present an"
nuerous, though, by no!, latent an" not easy to
i"entify' An" although nothing very precise !as *no!n
of the ne! trial, it is clear that this sentence !as either
too severe, or not severe enough, since, if ,o"reanu coul"
have been positively convicte" of truly plotting against
the state, given the anius !hich ha" le" to the trial, this
!as the best opportunity to eliinate hi "efinitively,
since this crie !as punishe", in the ne! constitution, by
the "eath penalty' <n the contrary, they ha" ha" to liit
theselves to 1E years'

Ahat they "i" not "are to "o at that oent, ho!ever,
they "i" later, an" !hat coul" be foreseen inevitably
happene"' After the first oent of stupefaction, the
forces faithful to ,o"reanu resorte" to terrorist etho"s
of retaliation, the #"eath battalion# !ent into action, an" a
secret #national tribunal# !as set up to Cu"ge an" stri*e
those !ho, fro the legionary point of vie!, !ere the
ost guilty to!ar"s the nation' (his upheaval becae
even ore intense after the %rague capitulation an" the
+unich suit, but, unfortunately, only le" to a ore
an" ore "ifficult situation ? there !ere ore an" ore
arrests, one act of inCustice le" to another, recently the
rector of ,luC university, particularly hostile to the
#.uar"#, !as *ille", t!o provincial governors !ere
sentence" to the "eath penalty, to be carrie" out by
January, by the ysterious 1egionary #national tribunal#,
!e have the feeling of a highly sensitive area, to such an
e$tent that very high5ran*ing personalities, inclu"ing a
prince of royal bloo" an" .eneral Antonescu, !ar
inister in the .oga governent an" currently
coan"er of the &econ" Ary ,orps, have been
reove", banne" or arreste"' Events have becoe ore
an" ore rapi" an", as both si"es have becoe ore an"
ore ebittere",!e coe to the last stage of the trage"y'
<n the 3Eth =oveber, a laconic official couni/ue
announce" that ,o"reanu, together !ith thirty other
legionaries, lea"ing eleents of the oveent, also
arreste", ha" been *ille" by the police !hile trying to
escape' (heir corpses apparently !ere burie" !ithin
three hours, i'e', alost ie"iately, to prevent any
further investigation of the circustances of their "eaths'

(he bor"erline point of tension has thus been reache",
the ipression arouse" by the event throughout
Roania, in !hich ,o"reanu#s supporters nuber in the
illions, is huge, an" the state of siege, !hich !as alrea"y
in force for various reasons, has been broa"ene" to the
!hole *ing"o, so that the Roanian situation appears
ur*y as it has been only in fe! oents of its national
history' Ae have state" an" ephasise" that, unless !e
iagine that ,o"reanu !as copletely "ishonest 5
soething !hich anyone !ho !as ever in contact !ith
hi for even a atter of inutes, or felt the faith, the
enthusias an" the "eep sincerity !ith !hich all of his
!ritings !ere suffuse", !ill ie"iately rule out 5 it is
ipossible to believe that his oveent !as in any !ay of
a subversive nature, or that it ha" ais in any !ay other
than those of national an" anti5&eitic reconstruction of
the #fascist# or =ational &ocialist type, respectful of the
+onarchic principle' An" soH Ae ay legitiately
!on"er about the forces !hich have cause", or at least
contribute" to, the trage"y of the #-ron .uar"#' Ahen
,o"reanu !as arreste" for the last tie, !e !ere in %aris,
an" !e hear" the outbursts of Coy !hich !ent !ith the
publication of this ne!s in the anti5fascist an" Ju"eo5
socialist papers' Ae are not going too far if !e say that,
after ,Bechoslova*ia, in the !hole of Eastern ,entral
Europe, Roania is the last area, rich in nuerous
resources, precious both fro the econoical an" the
strategic point of vie!, !hich is still free fro the gae of
the obscure #forces# at !or* in the #great "eocracies#, in
high finance, in Ju"eo5socialis4 an", for such forces, to
pursue the short5ter yopic interests of a fe!
in"ivi"uals by eans of !al*ing across corpses, even the
corpses of noble an" generous youngsters, is only a
trifle'''

Julius E:<1A

Copyright 200 Thomp!ins " Cariou