Editorial Note
In a note of March 10 to the Legation in Budapest, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry declared Military Attaché Col. James B. Kraft, Assistant Military Attaché Lt. Col. John T. Hoyne, and Assistant Air Attaché Maj. Donald E. Griffin personae non gratae and requested their recall. The note further renewed the demand that the Legation staff be reduced. The note also reasserted the legitimacy of the Vogeler–Sanders trial and the veracity of its findings. Finally, the note recalled a variety of “arbitrary and unfriendly measures against Hungary” by the United States including the prevention of the restitution of alleged Hungarian property from Germany, the prohibition of travel to Hungary by American citizens, the closure of Hungarian Consulates in New York and Cleveland, and blocking of Hungarian claims in the United States. For the text of the Hungarian note, see Documents on the Hostile Activity of the United States Government, pages 185–187.
[Page 998]Acting on the authorization of the Department of State, Minister Davis subsequently informed the Hungarian Foreign Ministry that Colonel Kraft, Lieutenant Colonel Hoyne, and Major Griffin would be withdrawn from Hungary by the end of the month. The Legation made no written reply to the Hungarian note of March 10. The Department considered the possibility of declaring several members of the Hungarian Legation in Washington personae non gratae, but no action was taken on the advice of Minister Davis.