Paris Peace Conf. 184.01102/45½
Professor A. C. Coolidge to the Commission to Negotiate Peace
[Received February 5.]
Sirs: I have the honor to report that among the various movements of nationality in this part of the world that of the Germans in western Hungary has attracted little attention. It does not affect any great section of territory and so far has not produced excitement, but it may seriously affect the future relations of Austria and Hungary to one another.
The western strip of Hungary, southwest of Vienna, although it has for ages formed part of the Hungarian kingdom, is inhabited by a predominantly German population mixed with a few Magyars and Croatians. As far as I am aware, it has been in the main contented and manifested no desire to change its political connections. Since the breakup of the dual empire, however, there has been agitation in the region and the expression of a wish for union with Austria. The Austrians regard this wish as not only natural but legitimate in view of the principle of self-determination. They also are anxious to get this territory for economic reasons. It is from here that Vienna has been accustomed to obtain many of her vegetables and other produce and has come to rely much on it for her food. The disturbance in the former existing relations is given here as one of the reasons for the scarcity of food in this city at the present time. The annexation of the territory to Austria thus appears entirely natural and is in accordance with the new political principle.
The Hungarians, on the other hand, although they recognize the existence of a pro-Austrian movement in their border territory put it down to the temporary excitement of the present moment and to the fact of the disturbance of the former relations with the Viennese market, but say that matters will soon readjust themselves. They declare that the Germans of Western Hungary are in the main loyal citizens of the new Hungarian Republic, and prefer to remain a part of it, especially if their right of maintaining their nationality is recognized. In recognition of this right and in order to allay discontentment the government of Budapest has just made a law (a copy of which I enclose79) on this subject. It is on similar lines to the one recently enacted for the Ruthenians of Northern Hungary, and is part of a general plan to conciliate the non-Magyar nationalities and keep them loyal to the Hungarian state. It will be interesting to watch the effect of these laws. In this western German region at the present time the Austrians declare that the people are kept from [Page 388] uniting themselves to Austria only by the presence of Hungarian troops. This the Hungarians deny. As both sides loudly proclaim their willingness to abide by the principle of self-determination this would seem a chance to put that principle into practice, though the usual difficulty would arise of conducting the election under impartial control, the more so as such control has not been among the former habits of Hungary.
I have [etc.]
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