Office of the Historian

740.00119 Control (Hungary)/7–645: Telegram

No. 304
The Representative in Hungary (Schoenfeld) to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)1
secret
Budapest, July 6, 1945—4 p.m.

21. Your 19, June 30, 2354 to Dept.2 With reference to view that Russians are unlikely to accept our maximum proposals for revision of ACC statutes3 it may be helpful to point out that this mission considers it likely Hungarian Communists and local representation of Soviet Govt will learn from Moscow very soon whether US proposes to take active interest in Hungary by securing equality of participation in activities of ACC. With end of hostilities in Europe both Russians and Hungarians expected and Voroshilov so declared at ACC meeting June 5 that revision of ACC procedure is contemplated.

Meanwhile Communist effort to strengthen their local authority has been steady but thus far supported with great discretion by Soviet members ACC. Procedure has been more restrained than it would [Page 401] have been if Soviet representatives and local Communists had been confident of American disinterest in situation here. Such restraint cannot be expected to last much longer. As soon as word comes from Moscow that we do not mean to insist on active participation in ACC with attendant interest in Hungarian political stabilization along democratic lines as we understand them, Communists will feel free to use whatever means deemed necessary to gain their ends.

We note you believe Russians will be adamant in opposing equality of voting rights in ACC because they fear their influence here would be minimized by Anglo American solidarity in ACC. We feel such fear is not necessarily justified. Nevertheless you may deem it possible at least to secure from Russians right of complete information for our representative on ACC and right of full consultation in advance of decisions taken in name of ACC. Such agreement would tend to encourage Hungarian elements which hope to prevent dictatorship of a distinct minority group known to be dominated by USSR. Notwithstanding aspirations of majority of Hungarian people at this time for liberal democracy that majority can be swayed in direction of renewed reaction as in 1920. We are in position by securing even such partial equality in ACC to keep balance on middle line which will best insure stability in this country. Opportunity to exert our influence to that end is passing rapidly and now depends on extent to which Hungarians believe we are able to implement Crimea declaration.4 As indicated in mytel 16, June 25 [to Moscow], 211 to Dept5 we differ from British view that opportunity to influence election here in democratic sense has already passed and we think revision of ACC statutes is best occasion to achieve our purposes. Gascoigne even says Yalta declaration is already out of date but we presume this is not our Govt’s view.

Sent Moscow as 21, rptd Dept 258.

  1. Text received in the Department of State July 10. The gist of this message was included in telegram No. 15 of July 11 from Grew to Byrnes (file No. 800.00 Summaries/7–1145).↩
  2. Document No. 302.↩
  3. See document No. 289.↩
  4. On Liberated Europe. See vol. ii, document No. 1417, section v .↩
  5. Document No. 296.↩