864.00/9–1346: Telegram
The Minister in Hungary (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State
urgent
[Received September 14—10:10 a.m.]
1730. Mytel 1716, September 11.77 Count Jozsef Palffy called at Legation today to discuss question ban on political activities Freedom Party. Palffy stated he had recently made arrangements with Sulyok whereby Palffy became Vice President Freedom Party in return for which party received support Cardinal in Catholic Church. Palffy admitted it was this deal which was [has] most probably prompted withdrawal Soviet permission for functioning party particularly in view fact that Soviet element ACC recently summoned Sulyok and asked for guarantee that Sulyok had no connections with Cardinal or Catholic political activities, pointing out that Soviets would not countenance Freedom Party should it become involved with Catholic Church.
Palffy inquired whether US Govt would take up matter in ACC with view to supporting efforts Freedom Party including its Catholic adherents for authority to proceed with political activities.
Continuing negotiations for entrance Sulyok and followers into Citizens Democratic Party, suggest that Catholic faction Freedom Party has been granted period of time in which to summon what assistance it can muster to benefit combined Catholic-Sulyok political group, or be dropped by latter.
Department’s instructions are requested as this matter involves not only procedural question of right of Soviet chairman ACC on his own exclusive authority to grant or withhold permission to political parties to function but also more delicate question of Catholic Party in combination with Sulyok’s Freedom Party. US representative ACC has been informed and cautioned not to take any action pending receipt of instructions. If Department desires I raise procedural question, I recommend it be made very clear that such action is confined only to that question.
Repeated Paris for Secdel as 403.
[Telegram 3495, September 17, 1946 from Moscow, printed on page 145, transmitted the text of a Soviet Foreign Ministry note of the same date protesting the travel restrictions imposed upon Soviet representatives on the Allied Commission for Italy and the Advisory Council for Italy and contrasting these restrictions with the alleged freedom of travel enjoyed by American representatives to the Allied Control Commissions in Hungary, Rumania, and Bulgaria. Instructions as to the reply to be made to the protest were contained in telegram 1806, October 10, to Moscow, repeated to Budapest as 1056, page 154.]
[On September 21, 1946, the Chargé in the Soviet Union, Elbridge Durbrow, delivered to Soviet Assistant Foreign Minister Dekanozov a, note renewing the request of the United States Government for tripartite cooperation on Hungary’s economic problems. For text of note, see Department of State Bulletin. October 6, 1946, page 638.
On September 24, 1946, the Department of State released to the press a statement regarding the efforts of the United States Government to assist in the economic rehabilitation of Hungary. For text of statement, see Department of State Bulletin, October 6, 1946, page 638.]
- In telegram 1249, July 8, 1946, from Budapest, Schoenfeld reported that the Soviet Chairman of the Allied Control Commission had, without consultation with the American or British representatives, informed Prime Minister Nagy by letter on July 6 that Dezsö Sulyok could form a political party under the name Freedom Party (864.00/7–846). In telegram 1716, September 11, from Budapest, Schoenfeld reported that General Sviridov had informed Prime Minister Nagy that Marshal Voroshilov’s letter of July 6 had not constituted permission for the formation of the Freedom Party and that Sulyok and his followers were not entitled to operate as a political party (864.00/9–1146).↩