 From his posting, he witnessed the revelations of a German–Soviet Pact, which, as he reported to Gafencu, placed Romania in imminent danger.He remained in Rome after the outbreak of World War II a week later.The German invasion of Poland convinced Comnen that there was "no reasoning to be tried with the Germans"—a pessimisitic note which contrasted Gafencu's attempts to reach a new understanding with the Axis.