Hirünk a Világban, 1956 (6. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)

1956-11-01 / 5-6. szám

Hírünk a Világban

15

THE HUNGARIAN REVOLUTION IN THE AMERICAN PRESS

„Human history is changing in Eastern Europe, and that is its center today... With the Hungarian people’s revolution, a new chapter began in the history of humanity... The Hungarian uprising is... perhaps no less meaningful than the French or Russian Revolution. ... It means the beginning of the end of Communism generally.“ (Milovan Djilas, THE NEW LEADER, Nov. 19).

„One month ago today the Hungarian revolution began. It began as a peaceful demonstration of sLudenls and workers demanding redress of their grievances. 11 became a revolution when bullets from murderers in the uniforms of the secret police and of the Soviet Army slaughtered unarmed men, women and children. It continues as a revolution today, though the general strike has replaoed arms as the chief weapon. History contains no brighter chapter telling of any people’s heroic struggle for its freedom.“ (NEW YORK TIMES, Nov. 23)

„... It is this mood which makes the great Hungarian rebellion of 1956 unique in history — more even than heroism and sacrifice which in the last fortnight mere words have tried vainly to capture. The patriots seem to have sensed from the very first that they were fighting not just for themselves but for the whole of the free world outside them. Furthermore, they seemed to feel that victory wouldn’t be today but in a belter tomorrow to come. I met no responsible rebel leader who was convinced that basic aims of the revolt were certain of immediate fulfillment. The bursts of wild political optimism all came from abroad. Yet, despite such premonition of doom, the rebels fought on the end.“ (CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, Nov. 10)

„Why doesn’t the U. N. send an ultimatum to the Soviet Union demanding evacuation of Hungarian territory within a week and an immediate cease-fire? Why doesn’t the U. N. send a police foroe to Hungary? ...is it for fear of a general

war and the H bomb? If so, why should the Soviet Union be less afraid than we? The Soviet Government cannot trust its own infantry... Can the West survive the revelation that the only non-Hungarians to fight for Hungary’s freedom have been so far the Russian deserters? Is the faith of the West in freedom so low that they do not see the hope of liberating the whole of eastern Europe and even Russia from communism if they make a stand now and prevent the murder of Hungary?“ (Salvador de Madariaga. NEW YORK TIMES, Nov. 15)

„Any nation which stands in the way of their diabolic designs for world domination is on their list of victims. There-, we — the United States of America have a prominent place. In striking down Hungary they are striking directly at us ... As long as Hungary is enslaved we are all enslaved. In that sense proudly we declare in this hour, we are all Hungarians.“ (F. R. Harris, Chaplain of the U. S. Senate, WASHINGTON STAR, Nov. 11 „These events do have grandeur, because they are visible proof that certain moral principles really must be observed in the long run in the successful government of great peoples... The Soviet Government has ignored these principles, for a very long time indeed; and they are getting the results of that in Eastern Europe today... What we have seen in Hungary and in Poland in these recent days, could conceivably be the beginning of a disintegration which will carry deep into Russia itself. It could be the prelude to great convulsion in the whole Soviet communist svstem.“ (George Kennan, SATURDAY EVENING POST, Nov. 24) „What the Hungarians did for us and the whole world was to give the lie to the faint-hearted, the cynical, the defeatists of which the world has too many. They translated into terms that any child can understand Lhe literal truth of the truths we live by. We believe in liberty; they died for it. We preach the uncon-