Paris Peace Conf. 181.9202/46: Telegram
General Bandholtz to the Commission to Negotiate Peace
[Received August 26—3:04 p.m.]
28. The Roumanian attitude continues unchanged. The only improvement in the situation since my arrival is that some foodstuffs are being allowed to enter Budapest.
The Roumanians are believed to be planning to leave suddenly, just as soon as their loot appetite is satisfied. In the meantime every move they make [is] in the direction of turning Hungary over to bolshevism and chaos. General Holban in Budapest promised a week ago to arm at once 4,000 police with revolvers and sabres, but instead of this, and in marked defiance of this Mission’s expressed request to keep all Roumanian troops east of the Danube, except the Budapest garrison, he is understood to be planning to overrun all Hungary and to disarm or destroy Admiral Horthy’s small Hungarian nucleus, which is distributed as per my No. 25 of yesterday and which is the only defense Hungary would have against bolshevism in case of a sudden Roumanian evacuation.
[Page 656]Yesterday, Sunday afternoon, I visited the state machine shops and found the Roumanians had 135 carloads of machinery and material awaiting shipment and over 25 cars about to be loaded. I saw the places in the shops from which machinery had just been removed with some machinery about to be run out. The Roumanians oblige the Hungarian workmen to do the removing and were at it until 4 o’clock Sunday afternoon. This shop turns out work on the so-called chain system, so that the removal of a few pieces of machinery results in a complete shutdown.
The Archduke’s successor has not yet been selected. Two delegations, one representing the small farmers and the other the industrial workers, wanted to see the Mission to demand suitable representation in the new government. All other delegations [Another delegation] calling themselves Christian Socialists came to protest against the Archduke’s removal saying it meant turning over the country to the Jews and that Budapest should be called Judapest. They were all told that this Mission cannot mix in the internal affairs of Hungary.
Today’s session of the Mission was practically routine, except that the British officer sent to inspect trains going to Roumania over the Szolnok Bridge reported the bridge will not be repaired inside of 2 or 3 weeks, but that he saw all ready to cross the bridge 150 locomotives, 200 to 300 empty freight cars, 4 aeroplanes on cars, 200 to 300 carloads of military supplies, 300 tank cars, and between Szolnok and Budapest many hundreds of carloads of merchandise.
It is regretted that it was necessary to send your No. 6 telegram23 and instructions contained therein will be complied with.
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