Papers and Documents relating to the Foreign Relations of Hungary, Volume 1, 1919–1920 (Budapest, 1939)

Documents

i8g through the village. In giving this information to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, I emphasized that there is no legal ground upon which an army officer carrying out the sentence of a duly constituted military court could be prosecuted. I also requested General Belitska, who is here on mission from the Hungarian army command, to raise'this issue during his negotiations with General Pesic, the chief of the Serbian General Staff. General Pesic knew about the affair and declared that the matter had already been subject to investigation by the Serb military authorities but the proceeding was terminated sometime ago. At present General Ybl has been arrested by the civil authorities, but General Pesic does not believe that a case can be made out against Ybl since the accusation against him has no legal basis. General Pesic's opinion is also shared by Mr. Rasic, the chief of the Political Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Mr. Rasic telephoned me this afternoon that, according to information received from the Ministry of the Interior, General Ybl will in all likelihood be acquitted. However encouraging this turn of events may be, I fear General Ybl will not be spared a long detention during the investigation. In order to do everything possible in General Ybl's interest, I called yesterday on General Plunkett,

2 attached to the British Legation here, and asked him to intercede with the proper authorities. General Plunkett promised to do this willingly. I shall, of course, follow this matter with the utmost care and I shall urge an official reply from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, should I not receive one within a few days. No. 168. 1366/pol, The Hungarian Delegate to the Interallied Mission for Western Hungary, Baron Villani, to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Count Somssich. [TRANSLATION] Code telegram No. 4. SOPRON, March 6, 1920. Pursuant to instructions, I conveyed to the Austrian delegates the regrets of the Hungarian Government on account of the Recte : Lieutenant-Colonel Plunkett.