The Eighth Tribe, 1978 (5. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1978-01-01 / 1. szám
Page 2 THE EIGHTH TRIBE January, 1978 DEDICATION This magazine is dedicated to the Eighth Tribe in America which is made up from descendants of the original Seven Magyar Tribes. Whatever their faith, their familiarity with their ancestral language, or their degree of Hungarian ancestry, we address ourselves to each of them. THE EDITOR’S CORNER:— THE RETURN OF HUNGARY’S CROWN St. Stephen s Crown was returned to the Hungarian Nation on January 7, 1978 The most highly discussed topic amongst American-Hungarians for the last few months was President Carter’s decision to return Saint Stephen’s Crown to Hungary. The President’s action divided the people into three segments: One that favored it, the second against it, and the third which does not care if the Holy Crown stays here in the U.S.A. or is taken back to Hungary. • • • The following is an excerpt from the statement released by the State Department: “The United States always emphasized, that the Holy Crown belongs to the Hungarian People. Since 1945, the Crown was placed into the custody of the U.S. for safe-keeping, and it was our obligation to keep it in a safe place. We believe that the Holy Crown should not be locked-up, but should be displayed so the Hungarian People can see it.... This does not mean that our opinion has changed about the Communist government governing Hungary at the present time. But at the same time the Hungarian Government signed the Helsinki Agreement and abides by it___ Hungary satisfied her World JVar I Debt payment. .. . The two governments signed a mutual agreement in Commerce, Technology, and Cultural exchanges. Freer travel for American Citizens, U.S. legal representatives for U.S. THE EIGHTH TRIBE Editor ............................................................ Sándor E. Chomos Contributing Editors: .......... Albert Wass, Joseph Széplaki, István S. Tuba, Elizabeth Tuba, Steven B. Várdy, M. Takács Barboe, Endre Nánay, László Könnyű, Published and printed monthly by the Bethlen Press, Inc. P. O. Box 637, Ligonier, Pa. 15658, USA. Second Class Postage paid at Ligonier, Pa. 15658, OSA. Subscription: $8.00 yearly. citizens in Hungarian Courts... Remuneration to U.S. citizens whose properties were confiscated after World War II___It was the wish of President Carter that the Holy Crown is to be turned over to the Catholic Church and is to be displayed in the Basilica in Budapest so the Hungarian People, and others will be allowed to view this ancient national relic. The Hungarian Government assured the President, that they will abide by his wishes.” • * * The crown and other royal regalia, symbols of Hungary’s nationhood, culture and religion for almost 1,000 years, were delivered for safekeeping to the U.S. Army in Europe in the final days of World War II, when Soviet and German troops were battling in Budapest. President Carter decided last October that time for restoration had come. Secretary of State Vance to lead a U.S. delegation in solemn celebration of the return of the crown to Budapest. The president’s decision has stirred great controversy among Hungarian-Americans — so great that some of his political advisers think the boon to Hungary is hardly worth the fuss. The center of protest is in the ethnic neighborhoods from all over in the U.S. One can sympathize with the protesters (who carried their challenge into the courts and Congress) without agreeing with them. Many are themselves — or have friends and relatives who are — refugees from the 1956 uprising. They remember how Soviet tanks crushed a rebellion against Communist rule. It is a bone in their throats to see the holy Crown of St. Stephen, given by the Pope to Hungary’s first Christian king in 1001, returned to a nation under Communist rule. But Hungary has changed in the 21 years since the Soviet tanks rolled into Budapest. Even though 60,000 Russian troops are still in the country, the Kadar regime has allowed the irrepressible spirit of the Hungarian people broader channels for expression — artistic, literary and economic — than found in almost any other Iron Curtain country. President Carter made his decision on the basis of the evidence that Hungary’s record on human rights — its tolerance of religious expression, its facilitating of travel and communication — while not perfect by American standards, deserved recognition as an example to other Soviet bloc countries. But lie was also moved by a sense of history. The United States, he told a group of protesting Hun
