Papers and Documents relating to the Foreign Relations of Hungary, Volume 2, 1921 (Budapest, 1946)

Documents

4 1921 After thanking Chancellor Mayr for his assurances, I pointed out that as far as debit items were concerned, these fell into two categories. First, there were the debts of the former AustroHungarian War Office; these were of comparatively small importance. Second, there were the reparation obligations due, by virtue of the Peace Treaty, on account of alleged atrocities committed by the Austro-Hungarian army. These could not be taken too seriously since neither of our States would be financially solvent for some time. The really important factor was that these questions should not be discussed independently but together with the Burgenland question. The Chancellor repeated that he was willing to negotiate about the Burgenland, but only within the limits indicated by him (frontier rectifications). He said that he should like to think the whole matter over and would inform me of his conclusions in twenty-four hours. On the afternoon of December 30 I again called on the Chancellor. Pursuant to Your Excellency's code telegram No. 426,

1 I told Dr. Mayr that according to information received from Paris, the Austrian Government had on three occasions urged the surrender of the Burgenland.

2 This would, of course, create a most painful impression in Hungary. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to explain that while the Austrian Government informed Hungary that it was willing, with Allied mediation, to enter into negotiations for an amicable settlement of the Burgenland question, at the same time it had undertaken steps indicating to the Allies that Austria did not desire their mediation but insisted on Hungary's surrender of this territory. Chancellor Mayr told me that he received a telegram to-day from Paris informing the Austrian Government about the decision of the Conference of Ambassadors. He said that he was surprised by the suddenness of this decision. He repeated that he did not urge the Allies to cause the Burgenland to be handed over, and that his dealings with the Allies in this question had always been in accordance with the declarations he made to me. I asked how he then explained the information we received from Paris. The Chancellor told me that only once did he give any instructions to Austrian diplomatic missions abroad concerning 1 Vol. I, Doc. No. 887. 2 Cf. infra, Doc. No. 14.