Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, The British Commonwealth and Europe, Volume III

740.00119 EW/10–644: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State

Moscow, October 6, 1944—8 p.m.
[Received 8:28 p.m.]

3816. Supplementing Embassy’s 3815, October 6, 7 p.m.¹⁵ Molotov called the British Ambassador and myself over late this afternoon to hand us the aide-mémoire quoted in paraphrased translation as follows:

“A Hungarian mission which was passed through the front lines was brought several days ago to Moscow. It stated that it had full powers of the Hungarian Regent Horthy to conduct armistice negotiations. This mission consisted of the following persons: Chief of Mission, Colonel General Faragho Gabor; Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Dr. Szentivanyi Domokos and Count Teleki Geza, Professor of the Kolozsvar University and son of the late Hungarian Premier.¹⁶ The Assistant Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army, General Antonov,¹⁷ received the Hungarian mission on October 5. The mission handed General Antonov a personal message from Regent Horthy addressed to Marshal Stalin. There is attached herewith a copy of this message.

In reply to the questions raised by General Antonov regarding the purpose of the mission’s trip, the latter declared that it requested that Marshal Stalin and the Soviet Government be informed as follows:

(1) Hungary is prepared to cease hostilities against the Soviet Union and to fight against Germans together with the Soviet Armies.

(2) The Soviet Armies will be given possibility of free movement in any direction on Hungarian territory.

(3) The mission requests that Budapest be quickly occupied by the Soviet Armies.

(4) The mission requests that the Rumanian Armies should not cross the frontiers established in 1940.

(5) The air bombardment of Hungary to cease.

(6) The mission be permitted to transmit cypher radiograms to Budapest.

General Antonov stated to the Hungarian delegation that it would be permitted to send cypher radio telegrams to Budapest but that replies would be later given to the remaining questions raised by the delegation.

Having examined Regent Horthy’s message and the declaration of the Hungarian mission, the Soviet Government considered that the Hungarian proposals were unsatisfactory and unacceptable.

The Soviet Government on its part proposes to make to the Hungarian Government the following statement:

‘The Governments of the Soviet Union, Great Britain and the United States consider it necessary that Regent Horthy and the Hungarian Government should accept the following preliminary condition:

Hungary must withdraw all Hungarian troops and officials from the territories which it has occupied in Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Rumania within the Hungarian frontiers existing on December 31, 1937. This withdrawal must start immediately and must be completed within 10 days from the day the Hungarian Government receives the present statement. In order to verify and control this withdrawal, the three Allied Governments will send their representatives to Hungary who will act in the capacity of a joint Allied military mission under the chairmanship of the Soviet representative.

Hungary undertakes to break all relations with Germany and to declare war immediately upon Germany; the Soviet Government being ready to render assistance to Hungary with its army.’

The Soviet Government in addition considers it necessary to solve the following questions:

(1) It is proposed to empower the representatives of the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union in Moscow to work out the armistice conditions with Hungary. Under present circumstances this would lead to expediting the matter.

(2) In case the Hungarian Government accepts the above-mentioned preliminary condition, the armistice negotiations with the Hungarians would also be carried on in Moscow. The experience of the drafting of the Rumanian armistice conditions¹⁸ has shown that this would serve to expedite the solving of the questions.

It is hoped by the Soviet Government that a reply from the Government of the United States may be received as soon as possible.”

I will send in a separate telegram¹⁹ paraphrase of Horthy’s letter to Marshal Stalin. Consideration of the above, however, need not wait on its arrival. Its primary importance is in informing Stalin that the delegates are fully authorized to negotiate an armistice.

Molotov stated that he had attempted to follow as closely as now appeared desirable the British proposal for preliminary conditions submitted to the EAC in London and expressed the urgent hope that an immediate answer could be obtained from the British and ourselves.

Harriman

15. Not printed; it reported that the Soviet People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov, had informed the British Ambassador, Sir Archibald Clark Kerr, and Ambassador Harriman that “Hungarian emissaries have arrived in Moscow bearing a personal message from Horthy to Stalin asking terms for the cessation of hostilities” (740.00119 European War 1939/10–644). Marshal Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin was Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Soviet Union (Premier).
16. Count Paul Teleki, Hungarian Prime Minister, 1939–41.
17. General of the Army Alexey Innokentyevich Antonov.
18. For correspondence concerning this subject, see vol. iv , section under Rumania entitled “Negotiations leading to signing of armistice …”; for text of the Armistice Agreement dated September 12, 1944, see Department of State Executive Agreement Series No. 490, or 59 Stat. (pt. 2) 1712.
19. No. 3820, October 6, not printed.