Romanian military officer and statesman who was prime minister of Romania's first liberation government following an antifascist coup of Aug. 23, 1944.

From 1925 to 1928 Sănătescu was military attaché at Paris and London. Raised to the rank of general in 1935, he was named deputy chief of the general staff two years later and, after the outbreak of World War II, led a Romanian delegation to Moscow in 1940.

Following the overthrow of the pro-German military dictatorship of General Ion Antonescu (Aug. 23, 1944), Sănătescu was immediately charged with the formation of a provisional government by King Michael. He looked to the United States for support of his “democratic” regime and established his administration as uncompromisingly hostile to the growth of communist influence in Romania. Under increasing pressure from the Soviet Union and Romanian communists, however, he was forced to re-form his cabinet (Nov. 4, 1944) and finally to resign (Dec. 2, 1944). He subsequently retired from public life.