English title: Rivalries and Divergences in Romanian diplomacy. The Dispute Between Anton Bibescu and Nicolae Titulescu over the Issue of Romanian-American Financial Negotiations (1925-1926)
https://doi.org/10.47743/RRISXX.2025-3-2
Issue: 3/2025
Pages: 43-70
Language: Romanian
Author: Ștefan-Cătălin STANCIU
Author affiliation: “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași, Romania
Abstract: This study analyzes the outbreak of the conflict between Anton Bibescu, Romania’s
minister plenipotentiary in Washington (1920-1926), and Nicolae Titulescu, Romania’s
minister plenipotentiary in London (1921-1927), an episode that attracted the attention
of Romanian and American officials, as well as that of the press, which recorded the
events and positioned itself according to political interests. Emerging during the
negotiations for the settlement of Romania’s war debts to the United States, conducted
in Washington in the autumn of 1925, the dispute stemmed from a combination of
professional and personal factors. Given the protagonists’ strong international
connections, its resolution posed a challenge for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The first
phase of the conflict ended with Bibescu’s recall in February 1926, the prince being
placed at the disposal of the Central Administration for a new diplomatic assignment.
Nevertheless, tensions between the two diplomats persisted in the following years, with
Bibescu holding his adversary directly responsible for his withdrawal from the United
States. The dispute with Titulescu went on to affect his diplomatic career in subsequent
years, as he became a declared opponent of the future head of Foreign Affairs. Adopting
a neutral perspective, this study traces the evolution of the dispute and the reactions it
generated, aiming to analyze the events and to address several questions that emerged
during the research process.
Keywords: Anton Bibescu, Nicolae Titulescu, SUA war debts, financial negotiations