Magyar külpolitika, 1930 (11. évfolyam, 1-7. szám)

1930 / 4. szám - How Hungary was doomed

September 1930 HUNGÁRIA LLOYD 25 Mr. Sonnino said that he ean see no reason why any difference in the treatment of the two countnes should be made. Mr. Balfour said that if the treaties in both cases were identical it might not be necessáry for the conference to defirie the area of the two states. In the other alternative it might be desirable to do so. Mr. Piehon thought it was unhecessary to deal with the question at once. Mr. Lansing said that in his view certain economic questions might arise which, unless the frontiers had been adjusted, might cause diffieulties. As these two countries were not separated he thought it would be well to ask a oommission to make a report to the conference as to whether the previous boundary lines required to be ehanged or not. The conference would therefore be prepared beforehahd to deal with any proposal that might be made either from the Austrian or from the Hungárián side. .1//'. Sonnino said that if either the Austrians or the Hungarians Inul mised t,he question he would be mclined te agree. As neither had done so he could si i no reason for setting a commission to work. As tar as he was concerned he accepted the old frontier. Should either side desire an alteration he would then be prepared to recommend examination by a commission. Mr. Lansing observed that neither the Austrians nor the Hungarians were prepared to raise the question. He suggested that as the Allies had so often been unready to deal with emergencies when thy arose they should in this case take steps to he prepared in advance. Mr. Sonnino pointecl out that full liberty had been left to the Serbians and the Rumanians to compose their differences. It was only should they disagree that the conference would step in. He suggested that the same procedure be adopted regarding Austria and Hungary. He saw no reason for stirring them up. The Hungarians were not represented but had made a very considerable fuss aöout the frontier with Rumania. Il appeared to him quite gratuitous to suggest to them that they should raise needlese trouble. The two countries hat not quarreled for fift.'J years over this frontier. Their present governments were very insecure and the time seemed very inopportune for thrusting a controversy upon them. Mr. Lansing -,-iid that his suggest ion was that the question should be delt with without rousing either the Austrians or the Hungarians. Mr. Sonnino said thai if il could be done without the knowledge of either he would not object, Mr. Pichon said he nnderstood the suggest ion to he that a committee should be asked to deal objectively with a possible rectification of boundary between Austria and Hungary. (It was decided thai a commission be appointed to collect information regarding a possible rectification of frontier between Austria and Hungary which might be proposed by either of the parties concerned.) The object of the investigation was to be to place the Council in a position to settle rapidly any trouble that might arise between Austria and Hungary on this subject. No aetion would be lakén unless the question were to be raised by Austria or Hungary. The Czechoslovakian settlement. e. Mr. Laroche explained that the findings of the committee had been unanimous. From the point where the ancient boundary between Hungary and Austria met the Danube to the confluence of the Ipoly and the Danube the frontier between Hungary and Czechoslovakia followed the stream. The reason for giving this frontier to Czechoslovakia was obvious. It was necessáry to endow the new state with wide aecess to this important international waterway. A suggestion had been made to give up to Hungary the Grosse Schutt in exchange for a bridge-head across the Danube at Pressburg. This solution had been unaniinously rejected. Mr. Lansing asked whether the population of Grosse Schutt was Hungárián. Mr. Larosch replied that it was partly Hungárián and partly Germán but that this area was <losely connected e c o n o mi c all y with the Czechoslovak Hinterland. The people desired to maintain connection with the Czechoslovak state in order to save their economic interests. The problems in this region were complicated and had been studied very carefully at a great number of sittings. The committee had adopted what appeared to be the most reasonable5 sobition and a unanimous agreement had been reached on all points. Mr. Lansing pointed out that as a residt of the findings of the tivo committees somé tw o millión Hungarians were to be placed under alien rule in Rumania and in Czechoslovakia. Mr. Larosch observed that as far as the Czechoslovakian committee was concerned it had so reduced the claims of the Czechs that only 855.000 Hungarians instead of 1,300.000 would become subjects of Czechoslovakia. On the other hand a great number of Czechs and Slovaks lived South of the boundaries of the new state. According to Benes no less than 638.000 Slovaks would be left in Hungary. This figure might be exaggerated but the number was considerable and might be regarded as a guarantee for the good treatment of the Hungárián minority in Czechoslovakia. (After such further discussion the line proposed by the committee from the intersection of the farmer boundary between Austria and Hungary up to the angie förmed by the meeting of the Rumahian and Etuthenian territory was accepted as the Northern frontier of Hungary. The Ruthenian question. f. Mr. Balfour said that the problem of dealing with Ruthenia was one which had not been settled. Tbc Ruthenians bad som< affinity with the Slovaks Imt not enough to be included without somé precautions in the same state. Somé kind of loeal autonomy hat been suggested tor them. The definition of the expression „sonie t'orm of autonomy"' was still to seek. There were he was told, somé 400.000 Ruthenians. They were considered too few to forin an entirely separated state. On the other hand, it might be desirable to save them from the various annoyances arising from association with a larger and, to somé extent, alien population in the same state. The precise means of dealing with this difficulty had not