Phone of Petru Groza (Romania’s first communist prime minister after WWII and later head of state), c. 1950s. [1000×667]

Found in [an article here](https://www.rciusa.info/post/the-history-of-romania-in-one-object—petru-groza-s-desk-phone), which mostly describes Groza’s life and career (and briefly the phone itself). The buttons are essentially proto-speed dial options.

*Red buttons (lights?)*:

* **Inter** – Interurban (long distance calls).

* **B.C.** – ???

* **Oraș** – City (indicates a standard local town line).

* **Secr.** – Secretariat

*Rectangular buttons:*

**Linie Locală** – Local Line (internal calls within the same building).

**Menține Legătura** – Hold Connection (literally “Maintain the Link”).

Finally, “to the left and right of the phone’s disc there are two compartments for notes, which have the Communist Party’s coat of arms engraved on the cover.”