which was also a way of expressing his distaste for the 4th of August Regime. Upon his return from Greece, Lloyd pressed very strongly for the government to force British tobacco companies to buy the Greek tobacco crop. During his visit to Greece, both King George and Mextaxas had told him that Germany had more to offer Greece economically than Britain, which led Lloyd to decide on a dramatic gesture to prove otherwise. Lloyd's advocacy of buying the entire Greek tobacco crop for 1939 led to bureaucratic struggle, as objections were raised that it was unfair to force British smokers to use Greek tobacco, regarded as inferior, when they were used to American and Canadian tobacco, regarded as superior. Second World War On 27 January 1939, Lloyd passed on to the government a report he received from Colvin that Germany was planning to invade Poland in the spring of 1939. In March 1939, Lloyd played a major role in the "Tilea affair" when Tilea claimed that Romania was on the brink of a German invasion, a claim that he strongly endorsed despite the denials of Gafencu. Lloyd argued to Halifax that based upon his sources in Romania, Germany had indeed threatened an invasion, which the Romanians were denying for fear of enraging Hitler. In late March 1939, Lloyd received information from Colvin that Germany was planning on invading Poland that spring, and on 23 March, he told Colvin that he would arrange for him to meet Chamberlain and Lord Halifax. Colvin met Chamberlain and Lord Halifax on 29 March 1939, but it is not clear much credence Lloyd placed on his reports, as on 31 March, the same day that Chamberlain announced the guarantee of Poland in the House of Commons, Lloyd told Halifax that he still regarded Romania, rather than Poland, as Hitler's probable next target. Lloyd argued that Britain and France should co-ordinate their policies in the Balkans as the best way of deterring Germany and played a major role in ensuring the Anglo-French guarantees of Romania and Greece that were issued on 13 April 1939. After the Italians annexed Albania on 4 April 1939, there was a general consensus within the Chamberlain cabinet that Britain should guarantee Greece, but it was felt that the Romanians should commit to strengthening their alliance with Poland before Britain offered a guarantee of Romania. As the Danzig crisis was just beginning,