Office of the Historian

Paris Peace Conf. 181.9202/28: Telegram

The Interallied Military Mission to the Commission to Negotiate Peace

Budapest, August 21, 1919.
[Received August 21—11:35 p.m.]

18. In consequence of M. Pichon’s telegram No. 7 dated August 19th16 and the publication by the Hungarian Government in the official journal of a state of siege in Hungary the Interallied Commission sent today for the Archduke Joseph and the Prime Minister who arrived at 11:15 a.m. The following note was then read to the Archduke and the Prime Minister by the President of the Day:

  • “1. The Commission has been notified that the Hungarian Government in its official journal the Budapest Kozlony has proclaimed a state of siege in Hungary. The Hungarian territory is occupied by an army of the Allies and this army alone is authorized to issue such a proclamation.
  • 2. The act of the Hungarian Government is wholly inexplicable, and a revocation of the proclamation is to be made at once.
  • 3. A government which can act in such a manner cannot inspire any confidence.”

The Archduke said that the proclamation should at once be revoked and the Prime Minister then left the Commission for the purpose. The President of the Day then read the following to the Archduke alone:

“We think it our duty to inform Your Highness that the mere fact that the head of the state is a Hapsburg, diminishes the possibility of feeling confidence in the administration, which has in any case been established by a coup d’état during a foreign occupation.”

The Archduke said he had been forced to assume head of the Government and [if?] he resigned there would be a return to bolshevism. He left the room in a very angry manner and without any ceremony.

Interallied Military Mission
  1. Apparently appendix C to HD–32, vol. vii, p. 709.↩