Fraternity-Testvériség, 1998 (76. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)

1998-01-01 / 1-2. szám

Page 10

TESTVÉRISÉG

THE RETURN of the “HOLY CROWN”

During a recent Capitol Hill ceremony, Árpád Göncz, President of the Republic of Hungary, commemorated the 20th anniversary of the return of the Hungarian Holy Crown of St. Stephen to Hungary (on January 6, 1978), with the presentation of a replica of the Crown at the Statuary Hall of the United States Congress. President George Dózsa, Secretary Endre Csornán and Treasurer Suzanne S. Virgulák, represented the Federation at the ceremony.

The Holy Crown’s unexpected tenure with the United States marked a unique chapter in its history. In 1945, at the end of the second World War, the Crown (safeguarded from the Soviet troops) was seized by the US Army in Augsburg, Germany. Although the Hungarian national treasure was initially sheltered in Wiesbaden (in the American zone) it was later transferred to the United States Gold Reserve at Fort Knox, Kentucky. With the subsequent communist coup in ’47, the intensifying tension of the Cold War, and the ’56 uprising, events in Hungary conspired against an expeditious return of the Crown until the presidency of Jimmy Carter, when he, Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brezinski, formally agreed to the repatriation of the Crown.

Tom Lantos, “the treasure of the Hungarian-American community” - in Senator Gordon Smith's words - acted as the master of ceremony and organizer of the momentous occasion, and accentuated the significance of the celebration by inviting distinguished members of the Congress and

of the ‘78 delegation to the speaker’s stand. To mention but a few of the dignitaries who participated at this great event were Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, delivered a few remarks, as did Senator Richard Lugar, Senator Joseph Biden, Jr., Senator Gordon Smith, House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt, and Representative Lee Hamilton. President Göncz and Ambassador György Bánlaki expressed their eloquent words of appreciation to the American hosts. Then, on behalf of the Hungarian nation, President Göncz presented the $30,000 replica of what Hungarians consider to be the ultimate symbol of their history, and recalled the noble event as “a new historic moment in our deepening bilateral relations.” After the Capitol Hill ceremony, President Göncz escorted the Crown to Atlanta to present it to President Carter as a memento of the Hungarian nation’s appreciation and to place it on permanent display in the Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta. President Carter thanked President Göncz, saying: “The replica of the Hungarian crown is a wonderful gift, and I am proud to accept it on behalf of the people of the United States. The replica of the magnificent crown is a generous and gracious gesture of the abiding faith and trust that exists between our two countries. The termination of the Cold War has geared the shift in our relationship to full speed from partnership to alliance, which is a remarkable phenomenon. ”

The Replica of the Hungarian Holy Crown of St. Stephen at the U.S. Congress.

L. to r. : Senator Sarbanes,Senator Lugar,Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and Arpad Göncz,President of the Republic of Hungary.