Papers and Documents relating to the Foreign Relations of Hungary, Volume 1, 1919–1920 (Budapest, 1939)
Appendix III. Parliamentary debates
9 78 This first attempt was an experiment against a State which is still handicapped in the full assertion of its sovereignty; if it succeeds, it may be tried later against States which are stronger than we: against the victorious States. (Approval) . . . Our position in regard to the boycott was determined by this consideration during the preceding Government in which I served as Minister for Foreign Affairs. Considering the boycott from this point of view, we are defending, by our resistance, not merely Hungary's interests but also the interests of every orderly government in Europe. We are indeed entitled to the recognition of this fact by these governments. The service we have rendered consists in the fact that we have never recognized as an equal negotiating party the organization which declared •"he boycott. (Approval from the left.) On the other hand, we did not refuse to give information in the usual way to the representatives of the foreign press or to anybody interested in our country. The escape of the members of the former bolshevik government appears to be connected with the boycott. In this respect I should like to state that we cannot accept the disclaimer of responsibility put forward by the Austrian Government either as far as the boycott or the escape of the bolshevik leaders are concerned (Approval). With respect to the boycott, I cannot accept the disclaimer because officials of Austria, sometimes in high position, have participated in the boycott movement. A considerable section of the Austrian public is strongly opposed to the boycott (Approval) and is sympathetic to Hungary but is not allowed to manifest its feeling (Approval). Had the Austrian Government relied on this section of public opinion, it could have taken more energetic steps against the boycott than it has. (Approval. Exclamations: „It sympathizes with the boycott movement."). For that reason I wish to state that I do not regard the Austrian Government as free of responsibility and I have so informed the Austrian Government. 1 (Approval). The same applies to the escape of communist leaders. Extradition of the former people's commissaires, accused of the commission of common law felonies and not merely of political offences, would have been a duty of the Austrian Government. (Approval. Exclamations: „They were ordinary criminals.") Not only has this not been done but we could not even get back the valuables which they carried away. And now, a few days ago, we learned that Béla Kun was allowed to go to Russia . .. Here again I wish to state that the Austrian Government is not free from 1 Cf. Doc. No. 446.
