A Prisoner and Agent in 1944 Romania – A Fragment of the Memoirs of Pilot Officer Bertrand Whitley

The article presents a fragment from the manuscript of R.A.F pilot officer Bertrand Whitley, focusing on his experience as prisoner of war and S.O.E. agent in Romania. This part of the memoirs is especially relevant for Romanian readers, as it presents the conditions of 1944 Romania, perceived by an Englishman. The author’s experiences placed him in the position to know both rural Romania and the elite of Bucharest, as he witnessed the events of 23 August and the ensuing Soviet occupation. Apart from this, Whitley proved to be a fine observer of the period’s moral standards, as well as a good portrait writer: the manuscript contains portraits of personalities of the time, like King Mihai I of Romania or Major Ivor Porter.

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