864.00/3–347: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Legation in Hungary 1
211. The Government of the United States, in keeping with its undertakings as a signatory of the Yalta Declaration, its responsibility under the Armistice as a participant in the Allied Control Commission for Hungary, and its determination to assist the Hungarian people toward the establishment of democratic independence as envisaged in the peace treaty with Hungary, is impelled at this time to express its feeling of concern at the political crisis which has now been precipitated in Hungary. The pattern of recent political developments in Hungary, appears to threaten the right of the people to live under a Government of their own free choosing, for it involves foreign interference in the domestic affairs of Hungary in support of repeated [Page 274] aggressive attempts by Hungarian minority elements to coerce the popularly elected majority.
Unable to achieve their political ends through normal constitutional processes, the Hung Communists together with other members of the Leftists bloc2 have endeavored to implicate a number of representatives of the majority Smallholders party in a recently revealed plot against the Republic and, by demanding the withdrawal of Parliamentary immunity from Smallholders deputies, to weaken the Parliamentary position to which that party was duly elected by the Hungarian people. Simultaneously police and administrative authorities responsive to the dictates of these minority elements have utilized their powers of investigation of the conspiracy, not toward the expeditious judicial resolution of a threat against the state, but to conduct a general campaign against their political opponents.
The Soviet High Command has now, by direct intervention, brought the situation in Hungary to a crisis. Following the refusal of the Smallholders Party to countenance the lifting, in connection with the investigation of the conspiracy, of the Parliamentary immunity of Deputy Béla Kovács, until recently Secretary General of the Smallholders Party, Soviet occupation forces have arrested Mr. Kovács.3 The grounds given for that arrest are allegations that he “actively participated in the formation of subversive and anti-Soviet terror groups” and “in organizing espionage directed against the Soviet Union”. Despite the importance of this step, this Soviet action has been taken unilaterally without prior discussion with the United States and United Kingdom representatives on the Allied Control Commission. On the basis of its present information the United States Government believes these grounds and the charges are unwarranted.
These developments, in the opinion of the United States Government, constitute an unjustified interference in Hungarian internal [Page 275] affairs the effect of which will be to support the efforts of a small group in Hungary to substitute a minority dictatorship for a responsible administration representative of the will of the Hungarian people as expressed in free and untrammeled elections. The US Government is opposed to this attempt to nullify the electoral mandate given by the Hungarian people.
In these circumstances, the United States Government requests that the Soviet and British representatives on the Allied Control Commission be instructed by their respective Governments to join with the United States representative on the Allied Control Commission in examining, in cooperation with the Hungarian Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense, Minister of Interior, Minister of Justice and the President of the National Assembly, the facts of the present situation, including the case of Mr. Kovács, and the conspiracy, and in making recommendations to the Hungarian Government as to steps which should be taken for an orderly solution. The United States Government also requests that the Soviet authorities take no further measures without consulting the United States and United Kingdom representatives on the ACC.4
[In a letter to Hungarian Prime Minister Nagy dated March 3, Under Secretary of State Acheson gave assurance that the United States Government was giving close attention to the important problems affecting Hungary and was exploring all means of extending further material assistance. The Under Secretary’s letter was in reply to a letter of greetings from Prime Minister Nagy dated January 10, which had been delivered to the Department of State on February 19 by Francis Nagy, Jr., who had just arrived in Washington to serve on the staff of the Hungarian Legation. For the texts of the two letters, which were released to the press by Under Secretary Acheson on June 10, see Department of State Bulletin, June 22, 1947, page 1217.]
[On March 3, the Legation in Budapest submitted a note to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry concerning the rights of American oil [Page 276] interests in Hungary and protesting (a) the failure of the Hungarian Government to pay for crude oil deliveries or to permit MAORT (Magyar Amerikai Olajipari Részvénytársaság) to collect amounts owed by the various refineries (b) the failure of the Hungarian Government to reach a satisfactory agreement with producers of petroleum regarding prices and (c) the application of retroactive price reductions (Enclosure to despatch 2722, March 10, from Budapest: 864.6363/3–1047). The protest had no tangible result. On April 16, the Legation in Budapest sent a note to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry protesting the imposition and continued presence of the Hungarian controllers in MAORT (Enclosure to despatch 2943, April 18, from Budapest: 864.6363/4–1847). On June 3, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry informed the Legation that the subject of the controllers had been referred to the competent Hungarian authorities.]
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This telegram was also sent to the Embasssy in London as telegram 1017 and to the Embassy in Moscow as telegram 370. With the change indicated in footnote 3, the communication contained in this telegram was released to the press in Washington on March 6; see Department of State Bulletin, March 16, 1947, p. 495. On March 5, this communication was transmitted in notes to the Brithish, Soviet, and Hungaraian Governments, and Brig. Gen. George H. Weems transmitted the communication to the Acting Chairman of the Allied Control Commission, Lieutenant General Sviridov, and to the British Representative on the Commission, Maj. Gen. Oliver Pearce Edgecumbe. According to telegram 347, March 6, from Budapest, not printed, in Gen. Weems note, the last paragraph of the communication contained in this telegram was replaced by the following two paragraphs:
“In view of these circumstances, and upon instructions from my Goverment, I request that the Soviet and British Representatives on the Allied Control Commission immediately join with me in examining the facts of the present situation, including the case of Mr. Béla Kovács and the conspiracy and in making recommendations to the Hungarian Government as to steps which should be taken for an orderly solution. It is proposed that this examination be made in cooperation with the Hungarian Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense, Minister of Interior, Minister of Justice and President of the National Assembly.
“I am instructed to request further that the Soviet authorities take no further measures without prior discussion by all representatives on the Allied Control Commission.” (864.00/3–647)
↩ - Telegram 1460, March 5, from London, not printed, reported that British Assistant Under Secretary of State Christopher Frederick Ashton Warner had suggested that the expression “Leftist bloc” be deleted and that some expression like “pro-Communist groups” be used instead. Warner said he made the suggestion because Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin, acting on the wishes of the Labor Party, was trying in every way to promote relations between the Labor Party and Socialist groups in Hungary and other eastern European countries, and the coupling of Communists and “other members of the Leftist bloc” might not be well received by the British Labor Party (864.00/3–547).↩
- Telegram 225, March 5, to Budapest, repeated to
London and Moscow, not printed, instructed that the first two
sentences of this paragraph be corrected to read as follows:
“The Soviet High Command in Hungary has now, by direct intervention, brought the situation to a crisis. Following the refusal of the Smallholders Party to abrogate, in connection with the investigation of the conspiracy, the Parliamentary immunity of Deputy Béla Kovács, until recently Secretary General of the Smallholders Party, Soviet occupation forces have arrested Mr. Kovács.” (864.00/3–547)
↩ - Prior to
revision by John D. Hickerson, Deputy Director of the Office of
European Affairs, this concluding portion of the communication had
read in draft as follows:
“The United States Government also requests that the Soviet authorities take no further measures without consulting the United States and United Kingdom Governments. In the event that the present crisis cannot be resolved upon this or some other mutually acceptable tripartite basis, the United States Government considers that the resulting situation would be so serious that this Government might deem it necessary to bring the matter to the attention of the United Nations.”
↩