864.00/8–1847: Telegram
The Minister in Hungary (Chapin) to the Secretary of State
1404. This afternoon British representative and I together called on Prime Minister Dinnyés as instructed Deptel 886, August 162 to urge Dinnyés to correct on behalf of Hungarian Government prevailing electoral abuses. Prime Minister seemed concerned by prospect that my written request for an interview and the copy of the translation of Department’s statement which I handed him constituted a formal note and stated that since Hungarian Government would have to draft official reply, he could not add to statements which he had made Saturday in public address at Pécs. Only after he understood the real nature of my communication and the Department’s statement did Prime Minister seem to loosen up.
Dinnyes quoted official statistics made available Saturday noon and listed in his Pécs speech according to which only 466,853 voters disfranchised of Hungarian electorate numbering 5,293,987 voters and emphasized that 170,000 of these were Swabs scheduled for deportation. Appearing to echo his master’s voice Dinnyés stated that antidemocratic elements had spread all sorts of irresponsible rumors concerning scope of disfranchisement and emphasized that liberality of implementation of new electoral law indicated by fact that some 600 to 700,000 voters might legally have been disfranchised under provisions of new electoral law.
Dinnyés remarked that he personally knew of great many persons disfranchised on clearly absurd grounds. However he attributed such abuses to (1) inefficiency of new Civil Service which had to be reestablished without benefit of trained personnel, necessary records and files and (2) megalomania of petty officials on registration committees. Prime Minister explained that unfortunately an unusually large percentage of disfranchisements had taken place in electoral districts in greater Budapest and that this fact, coupled with activity of antidemocratic elements had given rise to unwarranted fears.
Prime Minister emphasized that although it was obviously impossible to attain absolute justice, it was in interest of government and consequently its firm determination to hold free and fair elections. He added that already (1) Hungarian Government has issued [Page 361] instructions to committees of appeal automatically to restore franchise to all persons disqualified on obviously absurd charges and that committees of appeal, whose membership is considerably larger than that of registration committees, were well prepared to make the necessary corrections. (2) That remainder of the 300,000 disfranchised would be given every legal opportunity to appeal decision of registration committees. (3) For whole week he had devoted entire time to correction of anomalies. (4) Committees of appeal had been instructed that 8-day limit for filing appeals need not be observed too strictly.
Though unwilling to provide estimate of the scope of government’s remedial measures Prime Minister expressed the hope that 40 to 50 percent of the disqualified voters—not including the Swabs—will regain their franchise.
In conclusion and in response to Walsh’s direct question, Prime Minister stated that he could assure us that all necessary steps were being taken.
Sent Department 1404 repeated London 194.
- This message was received in the Department of State on August 22, 6:44 p. m.↩
- Not printed; it instructed Minister Chapin, in concert with his British colleague, to request an interview with Prime Minister Dinnyes to express concern over abuses in the electoral procedure and to urge steps be taken to remedy them. Chapin was to conduct the discussion along the lines of the statement issued by the Department on August 17 (see editorial note, supra) (864.00/8–847).↩