740.00119 Control (Hungary)/2–246: Telegram

The Minister in Hungary ( Schoenfeld )12 to the Secretary of State

secret
priority

235. Reference Department’s telegram 96 of January 26.13 While specific instances of Soviet refusal to clear official personnel for entry into Hungary have been few, Russian section ACC has regularly delayed action on clearance requests for days or weeks.

Soviets claim subparagraph G of paragraph 6 in Soviet directive of August 14, 1945 permits 7 days lag in handling clearances and assert American acceptance of this directive at Potsdam legalizes dilatory tactics.14

Resulting effective interference in accomplishment of assigned tasks of American Government officials has been specifically demonstrated this week in forced immobilization here of Francis Deak, Civil Air Attaché at Budapest and 7 other posts. (Reference Legation’s telegram 192, January 2915) Deak was held 8 days by clearance lag despite urgent official assignments in Belgrade and Bern.

Clearance for Deak entry was originally requested January 4 and refused without comment January 11. Application was resubmitted January 14 and approved January 22. Total delay of 19 days in [Page 255] handling entrance clearance seriously handicapped Deak in completing assignments here and elsewhere.

Immediately following arrival clearance for Deak’s departure January 25 to permit his urgent consultation with Patterson16 at Belgrade was requested. Despite efforts of Key’s17 staff action on exit permit was delayed until February 1.

Since delay in clearing Deak and similar incidents enumerated below have prejudiced accomplishment of assigned duties of this Legation I asked Key on January 30 to bring situation personally to attention of Voroshilov18 and to hand him aide-mémoire containing following points:

1.
Failure to clear Deak promptly represents unacceptable interference in activities of this Legation.
2.
Handling of this and other cases demonstrates present clearance procedure impedes work of American Government officials and agencies in Hungary.
3.
Our Government has not accepted and is not prepared to accept principle that size and composition of staff or free movement thereof are subject to control of veto by ACC.
4.
American Government holds as matter of principle that all members of staff of Legation are entitled to full freedom of movement on official missions into, out of and within Hungary.
5.
Legation is prepared to meet legitimate needs of ACC for information regarding movement of persons into and out of Hungary during present abnormal conditions and is agreeable to installation of practical procedure to this and which does not subject movement of Legation personnel to undue delay and inconvenience.
6.
Legation accordingly recommends procedure be established under which all persons listed with ACC as permanent members of staff be cleared for entry into or exit from Hungary upon simple notification of date and place of entry or exit to ACC. Requests for entry or exit of other American officials shall be submitted individually to ACC and shall be handled with minimum delay not exceeding 24 hours.

Key replied January 31 suggesting unwillingness to submit clearance procedure to Voroshilov for reconsideration at this time and stressing that failure of American Government to follow up our non-acceptance of Soviet statutes for second period ACC and to insist on his proposal for statutes has made reconsideration except at government level impossible.

In view continuing interference of clearance delays in work of Legation and Key’s unwillingness to press for improvements orally, I recommend strong pressure in Moscow along lines of procedure outlined above.

[Page 256]

Following examples are considered typical of recent delays in granting clearance to official personnel:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sent Department; repeated to Moscow as 54.

Schoenfeld
  1. H. F. Arthur Schoenfeld presented his credentials as Minister to Hungary on January 26, 1946. Effective as of that date, the office at Budapest was changed from a United States Mission to a Legation.
  2. See footnote 11, above.
  3. A Soviet draft statute for the Allied Control Commission for Hungary was transmitted to the United States Representative on the ACC on August 14, 1945; see Foreign Relations, 1945, vol. iv, p. 845. According to section XII (XI) of the Protocol of the Proceedings of the Berlin Conference, August 2, 1945, the American, British, and Soviet Governments agreed that the procedures of the Allied Control Commissions for Rumania, Bulgaria, and Hungary should be revised, and they accepted, as a basis, the Soviet Government’s proposals for Hungary; see Foreign Relations, The Conference of Berlin (The Potsdam Conference) 1945, vol. ii, p. 1494.
  4. Not printed.
  5. Richard C. Patterson, Ambassador in Yugoslavia.
  6. Maj. Gen. William S. Key, Chief of the United States Representation on the Allied Control Commission for Hungary.
  7. Marshal of the Soviet Union Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov, Chairman of the Allied Control Commission for Hungary.