Dardanelles for her export, placed her in the difficult alternative either of 
stifling herself economically, or of opening the gates of her Western frontiers 
for the enemy’s supplies, of which they were in so great a need that they made 
the most tempting offers, accompanied by threats, which at that time might 
have scared a much more powerful State. 
Roumania prefered the first alternative of economical suffocation, to help 
ing the enemy, even indirectly. 
The continual struggle that Roumania carried on during the whole time 
of the neutrality, against the attempts for carrying products out of the country 
by smuggling, is the best proof of this delicate situation. At the risk of her 
economical ruin, Roumania refused firmly the enemy’s offers for buying, and 
only when se was obliged to put off for some time entering the war, with the 
assent of the allies did she agree to conclude a contract for the supply of cereals. 
It was only thanks to this contract, concluded with the Central Powers, 
that an attack on the part of our future enemies, who intended to use even 
force, for supplying themselves in our country, was avoided. 
At the same time in order to annihilate the effects of this contract, and to 
prevmt supplying the enemy, the Roumanian Government concluded a similar 
contract with Great Britain (Annex 9). 
In the chapter referring to this matter, we will treat about this Britannic 
contract, we shall see how in the end it could not have the expected effect of 
helping Roumania, although it was very efficacious -for preventing the supply 
of the enemy. 
At the same time, in order to oppose their threats and to prevent the Cen 
tral Powers from opening a route towards Turkey, Roumania concentrat 
ed numerous troops along her threatened frontiers ever since the begin 
ning of the neutrality 1 ) troops winch cost important sums to maintain 2 ). 
This attitude obliged the Central Powers to mobilize on the Roumanian 
frontier a considerable number of troops, either for the object of exercising a 
pressure on Roumania, or for defending themselves against an attack on her 
part 3 ). 
Roumania’s geographical situation, cut off from her allies, laid on her ex 
penses, which no other State had to face, as all her supplies and the means for 
her future action where procured only from the Allies in very difficult condi 
tions of transport and insecurity, which increased the expenses. The Dardanei- 
1) Roumania concentrated by series for periods of from t—18 months, the whole effective forces which 
could be mobilized, of her army, amounting to‘810.000 soldiers. Thus the i umber of men concentrated increa 
sed. so that on the day war was declared, there were I So 000 men on the Carpathian frontier, UO.tiOO on the 
South frontier, and in the interior the rest of the troops a"d the auxiliary services. 
2 ) Roumania contracted in this interval, for keeping up her troops, and preparing them for war, four 
loans of 100.000.000 lei each at the National Bank, a consolidated loan of 4(10.0(10.000 lei on the internal market, 
land other loans abroad, which will be mentioned in their details, in part. II -Into allies debts* — Out of this 
oan of 400.000.000 lei, contracted on the internal market, the Roumanian Government paid the debt contracted 
at the National Bank, so that on .tune I (»->>> 1916, the debt of the State at the Issue Rank amounted to lei 
3 ) On the South frontier of Roumania, Bulgaria, mobilized, during the period from 1914—1916,. 
the III rd army corps with 3 divisions, besides a part of the tOH 1 German division.