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 helping
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 Central
Powers from opening a route towards Turkey, Roumania concentrated
numerous troops along her threatened frontiers ever since the beginning
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 expenses,
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 conditions
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.
