864.00/9–647: Telegram
The Minister in Hungary (Chapin) to the Secretary of State
1510. Cardinal Mindszenty in confidential communication1 addressed to me today emphasized that the bench of Catholic Bishops, representing 70 percent of nation’s population, has declared itself disinterested in recent elections. The church has no connection with Barankovics, Democratic Peoples Party, Mindszenty’s letter stated, nor does it recognize party [apparent omission] Weltanschauung. Election results, he added, do not indicate strength of party and emphasizes [apparent garble] that main body of Hungarian population fed up with coalition.
Democratic Peoples Party, Mindszenty stated, without authorization engaged in whispering propaganda to effect that theirs is the long awaited Catholic Weltanschauung Party, which enjoys support of both Prince Primate and Bench of Bishops. Party, however, did not dare put up candidate in Esztergom and was able to obtain only three mandates in Budapest. In more distant areas, however, it was able successfully to mislead population. Barankovics Party pro-Moscow, Mindszenty stated, and though purporting to represent Catholic Weltanschauung, is not under direction of church.
Mindszenty stated purpose of his communication is to prevent great powers from erroneous evaluation of Barankovics’ party in considering question of declaring recent elections null and void.
- The communication under reference was transmitted to the Department as an enclosure to despatch 3391, September 8, from Budapest, neither printed (864.00/9–847).↩