840.4016/11–1445
The American Representative in Hungary (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 3.]
Sir: I have the honor to inform the Department that the Hungarian Government has notified this Mission in a note, dated November 9, 1945, that no instructions have as yet been received by the government from the Allied Control Commission regarding the transfer of the German minority in Hungary. The note, quoted below, states further that the Hungarian Government has made all preparations for the eventual transfer of the Nazi and anti-national elements of this minority and adds that only those Germans who were being repatriated through Hungary to Yugoslavia have been returned to Germany after the Yugoslav authorities had refused permission for their entry.
“Hungarian Ministry for
Foreign
Affairs
32.720/pol.—1945
“The Hungarian Government presents its compliments to the United States Mission in Hungary and has the honour to inform the Mission of the following.
[Page 1307]“For the past few weeks the English newspapers referring to Parliamentary debates etc. and the information service of the English radio have been discussing the transfer to Germany of German populations or elements thereof remaining in Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia.
“In these communications Hungary is repeatedly mentioned together with Czechoslovakia and Poland.
“For this reason the Hungarian Government takes the opportunity to state the following.
“Those informations that Hungary belongs to the countries from where the Germans are being transferred do not correspond to the facts because Hungary accepted the principle that any transfers that take place should be effected in an orderly and humane manner.
“The decision of the Allied Powers in Potsdam was that the Germans must be resettled, but this can take place in the case of Hungary only in accordance with the instructions to be given by the Allied Control Commission. In view of this the Hungarian Government made all preparations to the eventual transfer of Nazi and anti-national German elements and at present is waiting for the instructions of the Allied Control Commission.
“Considering the fact that up to the present no instruction has been received by the Hungarian Government, Hungary has not expelled any German domiciled in Hungary.
“Only those one and half thousand Germans were made to leave Hungary who crossed Hungary on their way back to Yugoslavia from Germany and had their domicile in Yugoslavia, but the Yugoslavian authorities did not allow them to enter Yugoslavian territory. Under these circumstances the Hungarian Government was obliged to send them back where they came from.
“The Hungarian Government would be much obliged if the United States Political Mission would be so kind to inform the Government of the United States of the above facts.
“Budapest, November 9, 1945.”
Respectfully yours,
Secretary of Mission