Levéltári Közlemények, 32. (1961)
Levéltári Közlemények, 32. (1961) - FORRÁSKÖZLÉS - Karsai Elek: Iratok a Gömbös-Hitler találkozó (1933. június 17–18.) történetéhez / 147–199. o.
176 Karsai Elek Political report Subject: Trip of Minister President Gömbös to Berlin. The trip of the Hungarian Minister President to Germany, that became known here only through the telegrams from Berlin, had the effect of a great sensation in the Hungarian public. As I know through M. de Kánya, who incidentally was himself told in confidence only the day before Gömbös' departure, the latter wavered repeatedly as to whether he should undertake the trip, in view of the tension between Berlin and Vienna at the present moment. What turned the scales in favor was the recently intensified anti-Hungarian attitude of the Little Entente and the concern that the Dollfuss Government could involve itself more closely with France and Czechoslovakia. M. de Gömbös, with whom I spoke today; is exceedingly satisfied with the result of his trip. Both the personality of the Reich Chancellor, whom he praised for his great amiability, and the dynamic force of the National Socialist Movement, of which he could convince himself in the Berlin stadium and particularly in Erfurt, have made a deep impression on him. M. Gömbös spoke in really enthusiastic terms of the overwhelming impression made by the psychological bond between the masses of the German people, particularly the workers, and the Führer, and he said he had carried home the conviction that the National Socialist regime was not a passing thing but was firmly and permanently established. He had felt that he should stress this in his speech in the House of Deputies yesterday, too, and point to the historic service that the Reich Chancellor had rendered to Europe by crushing communism. As for the relations between Germany and Hungary, he had the impression that the old alliance had been sealed anew by the Reich Chancellor and himself. He hoped that this could be further developed economically and militarily, but also politically, and that the two Governments would remain in permanent contact. M. Gömbös did not go any further into details; on the other hand M. de Mecsér mentioned the plan of forming a German —Hungarian study commission with the task of making suggestions on expanding economic relations. M. de Mecsér reported further that he has been charged with the establishment of the Hungarian Export and Import Corporation, likewise planned, whose counterpart is represented by the Foreign Trade Office of the Aussenpolitisches Amt of the NSDAP. The purpose of these corporations, to be supplemented later by similar ones in Vienna and Bucharest, would be to facilitate mutual trade (somewhat in the pattern of the Brochi Treaties). Gömbös' commitment to a political and economic orientation of Hungary on the side of Germany, which resulted also psychologically from the Berlin visit, has unmistakably had an effect that is desirable for us on the Minister President's attitude in the Austrian question. Gömbös has completely adopted as his own the German position in the Austrian question, and he told me that he would also express his opinion clearly to Prince Starhemberg, who was going to call on him here today. Moreover, he also intended to tell Federal Chancellor Dollfuss that it was not a matter of indifference to Hungary if France's influence increased in Austria. I should like to remark here parenthetically that it has been held up to M. Gömbös by the Legitimist side that his Berlin visit signified a weakening of Dollfuss. At the same time the fact that on the return trip through Vienna he had not paid a visit to the Federal Chancellor was criticized. As I have learned confidentially in this regard, Gömbös refrained from getting in touch With Dollfuss because he felt that ,,when you come from a friend you can't turn around and shake hands with his enemy." However, Hungary would be very much interested in a reconciliation between Germany and Austria, as Kánya has also told me, but they do not think here that it is their affair to intervene in any way in the quarrel between brothers. Should Gömbös, as he expects, be invited by Mussolini to visit Rome in the near future, he intends to prevail on the Duce to influence Dollfuss in the direction of an understanding with the Austrian National Socialists. According to information from M. de Mecsér, Gömbös wanted to convince Mussolini that the Anschluss would not be pushed by the German side and that Germany only wanted the National Socialists in Austria to share in the power according to the will of the people. Gömbös, who had even in the past avoided commitment to the triangular coalition Rome —Vienna —Budapest advocated by Italy, now considered the economic coordination of Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Italy, with the later inclusion of Rumania, as the big objective to be striven for. Austria would belong to this economic area as an independent state. Gömbös did not go into the minorities question in his talk with me today. On the other hand, M. de Kánya told me that the Minister President had explained to the Reich Chancellor
