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

Appendix III. Parliamentary debates

963 However, further modifications suggested by us were not accepted because those, as the reply points out, would have created grave and serious complications. The Accompanying Letter admits that the definition of minority rights concurred in by all the countries had caused infinite difficulties and the drafting of these paragraphs created much trouble. In the chapter relating to nationality, we requested that it be made explicit in Article 63 that in the event of option for either the nationality of one state or another, the optants should be allowed to retain their agricultural implements and equipment, together with their real estate and should not be forced to take these with them as if they were chattels. To this we received assurances that those chattels are by their nature a part of real estate and will be adjudged as such. In the chapter concerning the army, there were granted certain concessions regarding the augmentation of provincial police forces, the number of munition factories, armed vehicles and sea and river gunboats, all, naturally, under the control of the commission of generals as originally provided. Concerning our prisoners of war, the Peace Treaty itself contains no new provisions. As you know, however, this was the one question to which the Peace Delegation received an answer in May. They permitted the repatriation of our prisoners of war from France and we were even shown some courtesy in the matter of transportation, in that the French offered to convey them in French cars to the French boundary. The repatriation is already in process. We were also given permission to repatriate prisoners from Turkestan and Siberia. The Peace Treaty provides that only after the signature or ratification can repatriation begin. We have the permission in principle, although the means for its utilization were naturally not put within our reach ; we will have to take care of this and in the face of enormous difficulties. But at any rate, we now have the possibility of taking concrete steps ourselves in different directions, in America and with other great powers. At least our hands will be freed of the fetters which have heretofore been imposed on us. In the matter of reparations, there is apparent a certain amount of good will, which is natural, for without such good will, the conditions would have been even less possible of fulfilment. This good will was manifested in allowing that the damage done by Bolshevism and by the Rumanian occupation will be taken into consideration. In this respect we received the explanation that the reason for omitting an express provision in the Peace Treaty, with a definite figure, was that these damages were not yet calculated; nevertheless, the Peace Conference 58*