Papers and Documents relating to the Foreign Relations of Hungary, Volume 2, 1921 (Budapest, 1946)
Documents
74 1921 Immediately after the speech, I had the opportunity of meeting Dr. Benes at the soirée at the British Legation. I did not conceal from him my anxiety that his exposé will have very definite repercussions in the Hungarian press and public opinion, and that in connection with the ratification of the Treaty of Trianon, it will unfavourably influence the long desired improvement in the political relations between the two countries. I informed him that I planned to go to Budapest in the near future to report personally to Your Excellency and that before my departure I should like to speak to him again. To this, obviously in order to lessen the bad impression made by his exposé, he replied that at our personal meeting, in order to complete his statement, he would inform me of a few matters which he had been unable to talk about publicly. I shall call upon the Foreign Minister at four o'clock. I shall report orally to Your Excellency in Budapest where I shall arrive on February i concerning my talk with him and the parliamentary debate on the ratification. I may remark that in the substance of Dr. Benes's exposé there is nothing new in reference to Hungary because the Foreign Minister has already repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with the "social and political structure" of Hungary and he has already raised the Habsburg question. (See my code telegram No. 73 of October 15 last. 1) At the above-mentioned soirée I also discussed the exposé with the British and French Ministers, Sir George Clerk and Mr. Couget respectively, and told them of my anxiety concerning its effect upon Hungarian public opinion and from the point of view of the development of political relations between the two countries. I emphasized the fact that Dr. Benes in making his statement as the quasi plenipotentiary of the Allies will increase the bad impression because, in practically every sentence, he refers to a complete understanding with the Allies and to possible mutual action. "En cas de tentative contre notre décision, d'accord avec nos amis nous emploierons ..." "Nous nous sommes préparés aux diverses éventualités et nous nous sommes entendus d'avance sur la conduite à tenir, dans le cas où l'une de ces éventualités se présenterait." I further emphasized that the friendly 1 Vol. I, Doc. No. 717.
