Magyar Hírek, 1988 (41. évfolyam, 1-22. szám)
1988-02-19 / 4. szám
WITH DR OTTO VON HABSBURG IN were carefully prepared for their future duties. This was even true of the Queen Consorts. I have in mind Queen Elizabeth, who had Hungarian teachers. Professor Mihály Horváth taught her history, and Ferenc Deák the law. Members of the family were thoroughly versed in the affairs of the countries that belonged to the crown. Who were your Hungarian teachers?” “My Hungarian teachers were first of all the Hungarian Benedictines, who taught me right until I enrolled at the university. I had other teachers as well, like Kálmán Molnár and Professor Lajos Ady, the younger brother of the famous poet.” “In your last book you fondly remembered your mother’s brother, Prince Sixtus of Bourbon, whom you called your first master, who introduced you to scholarship. Would you like to talk about him?” “He was a very good writer, which impressed me since I have always been interested in literature. He was also a hard-working and extraordinarily forceful man. I am sure he would have played an important political role in France had he lived longer, since he was a great French patriot, but he died too early.” “Hungarian historians say little about his peace mission during the Great War.” “He was the moving force of the peace negotiations. When my father succeeded to the throne he tried to establish contact with France and the other Allies to negotiate a peace, since he was one of the first to realize —before most people did— that we could not win the war. He was also convinced that each further hour of fighting was pointless. He mentioned even in his first declarations that he would do everything in the interest of peace. And since he had a brother-in-law serving in the French army, who was well-connected in France, it was quite natural that he used him as an intermediary. He was supported at the time by Aristide Briand, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was always a man of peace, by King Albert of the Belgians, and —as I learned only later— by Lloyd George. That was the last moment to solve the problems of Europe and negotiate a good peace. What is more, several million men who were later killed in the war, would have lived. My father had inspected the trenches and knew what madness war was.” “So, if I correctly understand you, you are convinced that in 1916 — 1917, after the succession of your father to the throne, there was a good chance to end the war?” “Yes, that would still have been possible then, but the attempt failed. That was the last serious chance!” “I heard an Austrian broadcast a few years ago that steps were being taken at the Holy See to have the Emperor Charles, your father, beatified. Would you enlarge on that?” “You can learn nothing about that from me. When the first steps were taken I was already active in politics and did not want that something which must be a religious question should get a political tinge, ff I made enquiries about the matter the impression could have been that I had political intentions and I did not want that. I have nothing to do with this matter. I have kept completely clear of it.” “But is it in progress?” “Yes, it is.” “Another question of historic character concerns the recent past, in which you have been an active figure. An idea emerged amongst the Western Allies during the Second World War, that Germany should be divided in such a way that its Southern parts together with Austria and Hungary would have formed a state with you as some sort of monarch or president.” “There were all sorts of such ideas in the West, but none of them was seriously considered. I know that Winston Churchill also toyed with such notions. He was a great writer and a great poet also besides being a great statesman. He had poetical ideas, and this was such a poetical flight of fancy, which lacked any sort of serious political basis.” “Did this idea originate with him?” “I do not know that for sure, but since these ideas came from the U.K. I think it might have. At the time I was living in America and that was where I first heard about the plan. Lord Mountbatten talked about it, therefore I know that its origin was in the U.K. In time it reached the people around the President of the USÄ but the whole thing had no serious basis.” “You tried to influence the Hungarian government of the day then, that is Admiral Horthy, the Regent, urging that Hungary should in some way get out of the war.” “That is right. Particularly through Eckhardt. I worked closely in Washington with Tibor Eckhardt, the ex- Yice President of the Smallholders’ Party. We did what we could, since I found President Roosevelt very sympathetic to Hungary. He had been there as a young man and had remained fond of the people ever since. We could therefore attempt something in Hungary’s interest, to lead the country out of the war. This already started during the premiership of Count Pál Teleki, whom I knew personally, and who tried to get in touch with me shortly before his suicide. Then efforts were continued by Miklós Kállav, and finally Generals Lakatos and Hennyei also tried, but unfortunately to no avail.” “I understand that you also se>it a letter to Admiral Horthy.” “That was later, when it was possible to send things to Wodianer, the Hungarian ambassador in Lisbon, by American diplomatic mail, to be taken on to Budapest by the Hungarian courier.” “Was that in writing?” “Yes, I also wrote, but Eckhardt wrote far more often. The letters were sent, but unfortunately without success.” “Did you receive any acknowledgement?” “Only in the form of messages. At home they were in much more danger, than we were. They could send only messages, since the Hungarian couriers had to pass through territory controlled by the Germans. WTe all knew that the Gestapo did all it could to get held of the Hungarian mail, even though they were officially allied to Hungary. The Germans did not trust the Hungarian government, particularly Kállay.” “As the President of the Pan Europa Union, what is your interpretation of the present role of that organization?” “The Pan Europa Union has existed since 1922. Its roots are in Central Europe, since Count Coudenhove- Kalerghi, who was born in Bohemia, understood right after the Great War that the disintegration of the Danubian unit posed a serious danger to Europe. He started this movement and I joined it in 1936, so I have now been a member of the Pan Europa Union for more than fifty years. The present task of the organization is to enlist the support of public opinion here, in Western Europe, in the interest of political unity. In our eyes Europe does not stop at any line that was drawn at Yalta, thus the Eastern Europeans have the same right to Europe, as the Western Europeans. We in the Pan Europa Union support them and say that in Europe today, in the Europe of the Common Market, no closed association must be created: the door must stay open. Relations are improving all the time. At present I am the chairman of the parliamentary delegation of the European Par liament, which will work with Hungary. I do hope that cooperation will be successful.” “There is an exceptionally interesting BAVARIA chapter in your book, ‘Ungarische Wunder’, i. e. Hungarian Miracles.” “The liberalisation which Hungary has undergone makes me very happy. I was very glad to hear that an agreement was made concerning the German national minority in Hungary, the best agreement of this sort negotiated so far. I hope that this will be only a beginning. Relations between Hungary and the European Community must be broadened and will be broadened. I will do whatever I can in this respect, that is only natural. I am not the only Hungarianspeaking member of the European Parliament. There is a Transylvanian Rumanian there, who is a French citizen and strongly anti-Hungarian, but he speaks Hungarian marvellously well. His name is Pordea, and he sits for the party led by Le Pen.” “Allow me a candid journalistic question in conclusion.” “Go ahead.” “I heard something back home that you have visited Hungary, and not in your childhood but as an adult, after the Second World War.” “No, unfortunately I have not. I trust, however, that as Deputy Chairman of a Central European delegation I will make it to Hungary. Everything depends on whether Hungary diplomatically recognizes the European Community. In that case our delegation will immediately start to work. Although such diplomatic recognition does not vet exist we are already negotiating on a number of economic issues with Hungary. Along with a Belgian chairman of the delegation — who represents the left, and with whom I work very well in the Hungarian interest, I have already started to activate the committee, but so far unfortunately without much success.” “Recently the Austrian press carried a story that your elder son visited Hungary not long ago.” “Yes, he did. University students organized a trip to Hungary and he went with them.” ' “And what were his impressions?” “I do not know, since he studies at an Austrian university and I was in Strasbourg, from where I went to the United States.” “Were you on a lecture toter?” “I gave only three lectures. I spent two days in Washington, then I spoke in Philadelphia, to the Foreign Affairs Council, then in the Chamber of Commerce in New York, and finally in Hungarian House, unfortunately not in Hungarian but in English, since many people of Hungarian origin no longer speak Hungarian.” “What do you consider as the most important duty of Hungarians living abroad?” “We must all do all we can in the interests of the further progress of our links with Hungary, making these even more active. That indeed is the road that leads to the future.” LÁSZLÓ PUSZTASZERI 31
