Papers and Documents relating to the Foreign Relations of Hungary, Volume 2, 1921 (Budapest, 1946)

Documents

8 1921 I informed Dr. Gratz of the démarche of the Conference of Ambassadors concerning the cession of Western Hungary,

1 and asked him to prevail upon the Austrian Government to declare their position concerning the division of the former common properties, and the whole complex of questions arising from the Peace Treaty. At the same time I authorized him to declare that, if the whole complex of these questions were not settled in a satisfactory manner, the Hungarian Government would be forced to refuse its signature to the commercial agreement which was initialed not long ago. Finally I asked our Minister in Vienna to emphasize that we still wish to settle the question of Western Hungary by direct negotiations, without calling in the Allied Powers.

2 In conversations with Dr. Gratz, Chancellor Mayr repeatedly declared that he would still be willing to enter into negotiations concerning frontier rectification, to the exclusion of questions referring to common properties, provided the Allies acted as mediators in the negotiations. As the Chancellor had already indicated that the only territorial concession to us would be the cession of Nagycenk, our Minister declared that we could not consider entering into negotiations concerning mere frontier rectifications; that we furthermore considered it impossible to discuss only the obligations of Hungary towards Austria without at the same time discussing Austria's obligations towards us. Finally, it is not in our power to arrange for Allied mediation. If therefore the Chancellor were to insist upon his position as outlined above, the hope of maintaining undisturbed relations between the two countries would disappear, and in this case we should be forced to desist from signing the commercial agreement. The Chancellor replied that he would make one more attempt to persuade the leaders of Parliament to approve the desired negotiations, and that he could therefore not give a definitive answer for a few days.

3 The foregoing may convince you that your supposition that essential negotiations were already going on between the Austrian and Hungarian Governments, was unfortunately not in accordance with the facts. An answer to the Conference of Ambassa1 Vol. I, Doc. No. 879. 3 Cf. supra, Doc. No. 1. 2 Cf. Vol. I, Doc. No. 886.