Paris Peace Conf. 184.011102/377
Mr. Albert Halstead to the Secretary of State 26
Subject: The West Hungarian situation.
Sir: I have the honor to forward copies of two letters received from Count Sigray,27 the civil governor of the four western counties in Hungary. In a previous despatch28 I have indicated my belief that Count Sigray would not tell a deliberate falsehood. I am still of that belief. Nevertheless he is a patriotic Hungarian and his views cannot be unprejudiced. It is quite probable that the majority of the people of that part of West Hungary which has been assigned by the Peace Treaty to Austria would rejoice to be Austrians because they are a Germanic people. However, it seems likely that reports of disorders in Hungary have been very considerably exaggerated and that while there has been some propaganda on the part of Hungarians [Page 563] against the loss of this territory, there has also been Austrian propaganda in favor of its union with Austria.
Editor Roth of the Der Neue Tag has been to West Hungary and reports that there is no disorder but that the reports of the oppression are the results of the falsehood factory of Fürstenfeld on the border.
It is unfortunate that General Bandholtz has no person available to make an investigation of conditions in West Hungary so as to report to the Peace Conference. I would have gone to West Hungary myself to investigate conditions, had I not feared that my going there might be misunderstood and would probably have been regarded as meddling in affairs properly coming under General Bandholtz’s observation.29
I have [etc.]