Vasile Stoica

Vasile Stoica (1889--1959), also known as Basil Stoica, was a political writer, diplomat, and close assistant of European statesmen T.G. Masaryk and Ion I.C. Brătianu.

He was born in a family that originated from Transylvania (then in Hungary, but now in Romania); According to his birth certificate, Vasile Stoica was born in Avrig on January 1, 1889. He was the son of Maria and Gheorghe Stoica, Romanians belonging to the Christian Orthodox faith.

He attended elementary school at Avrig, locality from South Eastern extremity of Austria-Hungary Empire. His interest for the politics is proved by his status as one the members of the Romanian National Party of Transylvania, from 1909.

From September same year, Vasile Stoica followed the courses of literature at Budapest University, until 1913; two semesters at Faculté des Lettres, l'Université de Paris. In October 1913, he became president of the cultural organization of the Romanians undergraduate from Budapest “Petru Maior”, until October 1913.

On 1914 July 28, when Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, finds him as a teacher. Within a week most of Europe will be at war and tens of hundreds of men are sent to the front. In August-September, Stoica worked as a “redactor-answerable” at "Românul", leading of the newspapers of the Romanians from Austria-Hungary. In October 1914, he chooses to leave the empire, for living in Bucharest.

He tried to work for Romanian Army - new service of air forces -, but he was rejected. Also, Stoica carried on the activity of publicist to newspapers, "Adevărul", "Universul", "Flacăra", "Naţionalul".

Meanwhile, he abnegated his Austro-Hungarian citizenship for the Romanian one. At the Congress of Romanians refugees to Romania, on 1915 March, Stoica stated that “the desire to be a part of a great and free Romania, is not the result of the context.”

On May 1 is dated the introduction to the book "Habsburgii, ungurii şi românii", written by Vasile Stoica and I. Rusu Abrudeanu. The authors plead for Romanian intervention against Austria-Hungary.

In august, Stoica leaded the Congress of the undergraduates, at Galaţi. Stoica published another book, "Suferinţele din Ardeal", at Bucharest, more radical, in the summer of 1916. The young author’s book is a “declaration of war” against Austria-Hungary.

In June, he was convicted to death, in contumacy, by court-martial from Cluj (in Austria-Hungary). At the end of August 1916, The Romanian government, impressed by the early success of the Brusilov Offensive, declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary.

“You will fight alongside the great nations we are united with. Bloody battles are waiting you, but bravely enduring their hardness and with God’s help the victory will be ours”

showed the King’s Proclamation to army, made at the declaration of war against Austria-Hungary. Stoica drafted this proclamation, as well as the proclamation for the Romanian public opinion.

"He has been over every part of this great country. He has come in contact with university professors, financiers, industrialists, countrymen. He has made a district success wherever he went, as much a social success as an official success. It will take a new man a long time to learn as much as Captain Stoica and to secure the confidence of Americans in the way he has. Because of my official position, I have come during the war period, in contact with the representatives of all the foreign nations, and no one of them has impressed more favourably than Captain Stoica"

wrote Stephen P. Duggan on December 10, 1920.