864.00/8–3147: Telegram
The Minister in Hungary (Chapin) to the Secretary of State
urgent niact
1467. On basis unimpeachable information received and observations made by Legation and US Representative ACC today, it is over-whelmingly manifest that today’s elections have included carefully planned fraud which is assuming proportions of nationwide scandal.1 Apart from matter of disfranchisements already reported, outstanding feature of voting was abuse by Communists of Article 17 of electoral law permitting voting at place other than domicile. Voters balloting outside own district were required to present blue certificate signed by chairman of home board stating voter qualified to exercise franchise. As yet, undetermined number of such certificates, signed and sealed, but with data concerning voter omitted, as well as completed certificates, apparently in names nonexistent persons, were, distributed wholesale. In average cases known to Legation and US Representative ACC, Communist voter was given 20 to 30 such certificates with instructions to use them. Both Legation and US Representative ACC observers have been informed by multiple voters that certificates were distibuted to them by Communists although in some cases apprehended multiple voters alleged they had received certificates from other parties, including opposition. In view of fact these certificates were printed in State Printing Office and then delivered to custody Communist Minister of Interior, who was responsible for their utilization, assumption that this fraud was perpetrated by Communists appears fully warranted. Both Legation and US Representative ACC are in [Page 364] possession of numbers of blue certificates, both completed and blank, constituting prima facie evidence of fraud.
Legation and US Representative ACC personnel observing elections blanketed country today and collected overwhelming masses evidence conclusively proving scandalous fraud based on great numbers last-minute disfranchisements amounting to 20% and over in some places, and multiple voting amounting to 25% and above in some localities. This evidence, which includes blue certificates, copies of official protests by all parties participating in elections except Communists, lists of votes cast showing nonresident vote et cetera, indicates fraud possibly reaching over 600,000 votes, and is being assembled by Legation now for telegraphic transmission to Department as soon as possible.
Please pass to War.
Sent Department, repeated London as 156, Paris as 214. Department please relay to Moscow as 136.
- Telegram 1503, September 5, from Budapest, not printed, reported the results of the Hungarian national elections, based on official figures released by the Ministry of Interior, as follows: Communist Party—22.25 percent; Independent Smallholders Party—15.38 percent; Social Democratic Party—14.88 percent; National Peasant Party—8.3 percent; Democratic Peoples Party—16.42 percent; Hungarian Independence Party—13.4 percent; dissident members of the Smallholders Party—5.26 percent; Hungarian Radical Party—1.78 percent; Christian Women’s Camp (Schlaehta)—1.39 percent; Democratic Citizens Party—1.05 percent. Approximately 5,200,000 votes had been cast (864.00/9–547). The official figures were slightly revised in later Government statements. The first four parties listed here comprised the electoral bloc of the parties in power.↩