Magyar Egyház, 1972 (51. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1972-05-01 / 5. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 11 U.S. MAY RETURN HUNGARY CROWN Secret negotiations are in progress between the U.S. State Department and the Hungarian government for the return of the 1,000-year-old royal crown of I. Stephen of Hungary. The crown was brought to the West by Hungarian troops and was captured in Bavaria by American troops. Since then the crown has been held by the American government, “in trust” for the Hungarian nation, at Ft. Knox, Ky. Washington’s willingness to consider the return of the crown, the oldest Christian symbol of independence and secular authority in Europe, has aroused strong opposition. Until recently all demands from the Communist government in Budapest for the return of the crown to Hungary were rejected. American policy on this issue was that the crown could not be returned until Hungary was ruled by a freely elected, democratic government. This change in the American attitude is attributed by insiders in Washington to President Nixon’s new policy toward the Communist world, the aim being to return the crown to Hungary as a gesture to ease East-West tensions. According to reports from Budapest, where final negotiations are taking place, arrangements for the return of the crown have been temporarily held up. The reason for the delay is believed to be growing pressure on President Nixon by Americans to abandon the deal. Twenty-five congressmen, led by Rep. Lawrence J. Hogan (R-Md.), have introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives to block the move. They have also called on Rep. Thomas E. Morgan (D-Pa.), chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, to initiate public hearings on this resolution. State Department officials have so far been able to delay public hearings by declining to answer the committee’s request for the Nixon Administration’s position on the resolution. Hogan has also written a personal letter to the President, expressing deep concern about reports that the crown might have been used “as a negotiating tool” to secure the granting of safe conduct for Josef Cardinal Mindszenty, recently allowed hy the Hungarians to leave the American Embassy in Budapest, where he found refuge when Soviet troops returned to the capital to crush the freedom fight of the Hungarian nation in 1956. Unless Congress prevents it, I. Stephen's crown will go back to Hungary, where it will be warmly welcomed by the Communist rulers as a sign that America has abandoned any hope of seeing them ousted. The Hungarian people will receive the news with mixed feelings. For them, I. Stephen’s crown is still a potent symbol of national power and pride of the country’s sovereignty 10 centuries ago. The crown was given to I. Stephen, founder of the Hungarian state, by Pope Sylvester II in the year 1001 to mark his work in bringing Hungary into the Christian fold. Jesus Feeds Five Thousand People. Jno. 6:3-14.
