Papers and Documents relating to the Foreign Relations of Hungary, Volume 1, 1919–1920 (Budapest, 1939)

Appendix III. Parliamentary debates

g8o As the House knows, Great Britain made certain promises to Poland. She expressed willingness to mediate between her and Soviet Russia and gave her assurances that should Russia decline mediation, Great Britain would take energetic action. (A voice from the right : „We have seen !") I have no official information as yet concerning this matter and know only what is in the newspapers. But I hope that the action of the Western Powers and, particularly, of Great Britain will not consist merely of interrupting economic negotiations with Russia, for this is not a sufficiently strong measure. We who are called upon to defend Europe here at the East, are entitled to more serious and effective help from the West. (Approval.) Now I should like to deal briefly with our international position in general (Hear ! Hear !) — our relations with the great powers and the neighbouring states. Our relations with the great powers may now be considered tolerable ; they are better than they were before and immediately following the signature of the peace treaty. We initiated negotiations and established some economic contacts with some of the great powers. The House already has information about these economic negotiations and, therefore, they need not be discussed in detail. I should only like to assure you that we shall never in any way impair the power and authority of Hungary and in the course of these negotiations we shall not make any concessions which would in any way be detrimental. (Approval and applause.) As far as relations with our neighbours are concerned, France offered her good offices to create an atmosphere which permits the initiation of negotiations — primarily in the economic field — and thus puts an end to the impossible situation which at present exists in South-eastern Europe. We are of course grateful to the French Republic for its efforts ; but I should like to state that in engaging in economic negotiations with our neighbours, we will seek first of all to have those conditions, the existence of which makes any friendly contact not only difficult but impossible, remedied. (Approval.) I should think that the Western Powers would realize that some academic principles, proclaimed in a sheltered professorial atmosphere but carried out in a less professorial manner and not at all consistently, somehow do not fit in with real life. A certain change in the public opinion of these powers is already discernible. Perhaps the Allied Powers will soon understand that these peace treaties which were intended, but failed, to lead Europe back to normality after this tremendous earthquake, must be revised. (Approval.)