Paris Peace Conf. 181.9202/52: Telegram
General Bandholtz to the Commission to Negotiate Peace
[Received August 30—4:18 p.m.]
30. Owing to the fact that the Mission can have practically no relations with the Roumanian Commander in Chief until the Roumanians change their methods of procedure there can be very little done at the Mission’s daily sessions beyond going over petitions and attending to similar business. Yesterday afternoon I was informed by a British press representative who was an eyewitness of the occurrence, that the Archduke and the Prime Minister Friedrich, who is now supposed to be reorganizing the Government, came to the press office in the Hotel Ritz and stated that a telegram had been received from M. Clemenceau practically recognizing the existing Government, by directing that three plenipotentiaries be sent to the Peace Conference to represent Hungary. He also reported that M. Friedrich later made public announcement of same in front of his house to an assembly of railroad employees and others. I told the correspondent that this Mission as yet had received no information of anything of the kind. The political situation in Hungary is daily becoming more acute. Friedrich is undoubtedly organizing a cabinet which would [will be?] entirely dominated by him and he is himself a tool of the Archduke. At the time of the Karolyi government all political parties except the Socialist were practically disrupted. They still exist in name but are lacking in organization. It is understood that Friedrich is the reorganizer of the so-called Christian Socialists who has [which as] previously stated is mainly anti-Semitic. This party according to best available information never had a representation of over 5 or 10 percent in the Hungarian Parliament but it is flooding members of [Page 658] the Mission with telegrams from all parts of country all worded alike and apparently all written by the same person. Reports are that Friedrich is spreading rumors that the Entente has no troops without [with] which to enforce its demands except the Roumanians who are acting independently and that therefore it is up to Hungary to make settlement with the Roumanians, his own ultimate desire being the restoration of the Hapsburgs. The Roumanians have seized all the paper in Budapest and allow it to be issued only to the organs of organized parties. As a result only Friedrich’s special pets will get paper and be able to turn out propaganda. A report was given me today that Friedrich is determined to proceed with the organization of a figurehead government and that he is planning to have disorders take place mainly in the way of Jew killing in case he is ousted. Individuals and others have approached me and are believed to have approached the other members of the Mission, asking for advice and assistance but he has [have] been invariably turned away with the information that members of the Mission cannot mix in the internal affairs of the country. At the present rate of progress and under present plan of procedure it is difficult to tell when any kind of a government will be organized. The number of unemployed as result of loss of machinery, etc., is rapidly swelling, and the situation is daily becoming more critical. In the meantime the Roumanians are continuing in their arrogance and systematic looting, and the Allied and Associated Powers are as a result losing in prestige.