Subject: Results accomplished by Mission since its
organization.
1. This is the eighteenth day since the entire membership of the
Mission has been present in Budapest, and unfortunately it must be
said that but for one or two negligible exceptions practically
nothing has been accomplished by the Mission as regards the carrying
out of the instructions given it by the Supreme Council. As this has
been entirely due to the action of the Roumanian officials in
practically ignoring the Mission, in declining to accept the
Mission’s instructions as authoritative, in utterly disregarding
most of the Mission’s requests, or may be due to procrastination, it
is believed that the time has come when the facts should be
presented to the Supreme Council. In substantiation of the foregoing
there is presented in chronological order the more important
requests made by the Mission to the Roumanian Government and in a
parallel column the action taken on same:
| REQUESTS MADE ON THE ROUMANIAN
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF BY THE INTERALLIED MILITARY
MISSION |
ACTION TAKEN BY THE ROUMANIAN
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF ON REQUESTS OF THE INTERALLIED
MILITARY MISSION |
| August 12th. The Roumanian
Commander-in-Chief by letter was requested to cease
requisitioning and removing Hungarian property. |
No acknowledgement was ever made of the receipt of
this letter. |
| August 13th. General Holban the
Roumanian Commander of the City of Budapest at a session
of the Mission promised to divide the country about
Budapest into requisition zones which could be clearly
identified, same to be in sectors radiating from
Budapest, and every other sector to be exempt from
Military requisition. |
On the 10th of August, General Holban having been sent
for, appeared before the Mission with a map which was
not arranged at all as he had promised, and which he
could not at all explain. He finally admitted that he
could not have a map made that could cover the
requisition question. |
| August 15th. General Holban
appeared before the Mission arid in reply to question
stated that he had in the city of Budapest 15,000
Roumanian troops, of which number 10,000 were in the
city proper and 5,000 in the outskirts. He was requested
to reverse
[Page 668]
this order and place 5,000 in the city proper and 10,000
in the outskirts, which he promised to do. He was also
asked to immediately proceed with the organization for
Budapest of a Municipal Police Force of 6,000 men, which
he promised to do. |
General Holban when he appeared before the Mission on
August 19th, stated that he had only 5,000 men in the
entire city of Budapest, including its outskirts; this
in direct refutation of his previous statement of
15,000. Under the circumstances he agreed to immediately
organize 4,000 police for Budapest and report daily
progress. On August 26th General Holban reported by
letter that they were recruiting only thirty to forty
police a day, and it would take four weeks to organize
the police force. |
August 16th. On this date a
communication was sent to the Commander-in-Chief of the
Roumanian Forces, of which the following is the
substance:—
As authorized by its instructions from
the Supreme Council of the Peace Conference, the
Interallied Military Mission for Hungary requests that
the following action be taken by the Roumanian
Government: - 1.
- (a) Cease at once
requisitioning or taking possession of any
supplies or property of whatever nature, except in
zones authorized by this Mission, and then only of
such supplies as may be necessary for the
Roumanian Army, and that this Mission be informed
as to the kind of supplies which will be
considered necessary.
- (b) The Roumanian
Commander in Chief to furnish without delay a map
clearly showing the requisition zones and also
indicating thereon the disposition of his
troops.
- (c) Return at once to
its owners all private property now in the
possession of the Roumanians such as automobiles,
horses, carriages, or any other property of which
the ownership is vested in individuals.
- (d) To arrange for the
gradual return to the Hungarian Government of the
railroad, post and telegraph systems.
- (e) Make no further
requisitions of buildings, stores or real
property, and evacuate as rapidly as possible all
schools, colleges and buildings of like
character.
- (f) Cease at once all
shipments of rolling stock or Hungarian property
of any kind whatsoever, to or towards Roumania,
and stop and return to Budapest any rolling stock
or property already enroute or held at outside
stations.
- (g) Limit supervision
over public or private affairs in the city to such
extent as may be approved by this Mission.
- 2.
- The Roumanian Government to furnish this
Mission not later than August thirty first a
complete list of all war material, railway or
agricultural material, live stock, or property of
any kind whatsoever that has been taken possession
of in Hungary by Roumanian Forces.
|
On August 16th, M. Diamandi, accompanied by General
Mardarescu, appeared before the Mission and stated that
they were authorized by their Government to recognize
the Interallied Military Mission to Hungary as the
authorized representative of the Supreme Council and
that they were prepared to carry out its
instructions.
On August 23rd, M. Diamandi appeared
before the Mission and replied for the Roumanian
Government to the letter of August 16th, in which he
justified Roumanian seizures, demanded a right on the
part of the Roumanians to requisition 30% of all
property in Hungary, and to seize all stuff which the
Roumanians recognized as having been taken from
Roumania; wanted to know who would protect Roumania in
case they evacuated Hungary and left the property
behind, and in general turned down all of the requests
of the Mission of August 16th, stating that he could
answer no questions in addition to what he had, and that
all such would have to be sent to Bucharest for
instructions. |
[Page 669]
| August 16th. General
Mardarescu, being present at a session of the Mission,
was asked to cease operations in Hungary west of the
Danube and withdraw his troops except at Budapest, to
the east side of the Danube. |
General Mardarescu when present at the session of the
Mission on the 16th stated that he had sent no troops
west of the Danube except contact patrols which he
deemed necessary for the security of his force. It is
known positively that the General’s statement was not
true. |
| August 17th. A letter was sent
to the Roumanian Commander-in-Chief requesting that he
send a daily report of the progress made in complying
with the requests of the Mission contained in letter of
the 16. |
Only one reply was ever received to the Mission’s
letter of August 16th and this covered only two of the
eight points, and in both cases begged the issue, and
was in fact a non-compliance with the request. |
| August 18th. A communication
was sent to the Roumanian Commander-in-Chief, requesting
that a Roumanian Liaison officer be in attendance at the
Royal Palace during the hours of session of the Mission
in case his services might be required. |
For two or three days there was a Roumanian Liaison
Officer in attendance at the Palace, but he never
arrived until after 11: A.M., and on the date of this
Memorandum did not show up at all, and towards the last
was reporting at 12: Noon, and immediately departing in
case there was nothing for him. |
| August 18th. A letter was sent
to the Roumanian Commander-in-Chief asking him to attend
the session of the Mission on the 19th, or send an
officer qualified to answer all questions relative to
the Mission’s letter of the 16th, and in particular in
regard to the requisitioning of telegraph and telephone
instruments and material from the Directory of Posts and
Telegraphs. |
General Holban, on August 19th, appeared before the
Mission in response to the request for attendance of an
authorized representative of the Roumanian
Commander-in-Chief. General Holban stated, however, that
he was authorized to cover only two points; namely the
questions of the food supply in the city of Budapest,
and the organization of the Municipal Police Force.
General Holban was then requested to advise the
Roumanian Commander-in-Chief that the Mission desired on
the following day to see some Roumanian representative
who could cover all the points of the Mission’s letter
of the 16th. On August 20th, M. Diamandi, accompanied by
Generals Mardarescu and Rudeanu, appeared before the
Mission, and General Mardarescu, after much dodging of
the issue, promised faithfully to comply with the
requests contained in the Mission’s letter of the 16th.
He stated furthermore that his force had made no
requisitions that were not necessary for his Army in the
field. This is known to be entirely contrary to fact. M.
Diamandi also at this time demanded that whenever the
Mission have interview on any importance subject with a
Hungarian official, that a Roumanian officer be present
at the time. |
| August 19th. A communication
was sent to General Holban requesting information as to
reported Bolshevist propaganda in Budapest
Factories. |
No answer ever received. |
[Page 670]
| August 21st. A communication
was sent to General Holban requesting that he report
daily through the Roumanian Liaison Officer attached to
this Mission, progress in police reorganization. |
This was done only once. |
| August 21st. General Rudeanu,
being present at a session of the Mission, was asked to
explain the necessity for the arrest and internment of
Hungarian officers. |
General Rudeanu replied that he would have the matter
investigated, and that there was no internment, but that
they simply had to report once a week. The Mission has
never received any information as to the result of
General Rudeanu’s investigation and it is known that
Hungarian officials are still being arrested and
interned away from their homes. |
| August 28rd. A communication
was sent to General Holban, informing him that the
Mission was of the opinion that the Police Force of
Budapest should consist of 6,000 men and be organized as
rapidly as possible. |
Receipt of this communication was never
acknowledged. |
| August 28rd. M. Diamandi and
General Mardarescu were told that there was no longer
any need for the Roumanians to make extraordinary
requisitions for their army in Hungary, because they had
already been here twenty days and the situation must
have returned to normal. |
Requisitions of all kinds of property have continued
without cessation. |
| August 25th. A communication
was sent to the Roumanian Commander-in-Chief stating
that in the opinion of the Mission there was no
necessity for Roumanian Forces to continue west of the
Danube, and requesting information as [to?] what was
proposed to be done by the Roumanian authorities in
regard to this matter. |
No attention ever paid to the communication of the
25th relative to Roumanian troops west of the
Danube. |
| August 27th. A communication
was sent to General Rudeanu to the effect that it was
necessary to have in Hungary an army in addition to the
police, that the nucleus for such an army was with
Admiral Horthy, that an army could be organized only in
territory not occupied by Roumanians, that the Roumanian
internment of Hungarian officers was interfering with
the organization of the army, that this question was not
only important, but urgent, that it would undoubtedly so
appear to the Roumanian Commander-in-Chief, and that his
opinion on each point was requested. |
August 29th. Receipt of this
letter was acknowledged by General Rudeanu who stated
that the present Roumanian line west of the Danube
(which extends nearly to Austrian territory) would not
be extended, but that it was necessary for the
protection of the Roumanian army; that the question of
the Hungarian Army should be discussed by the Mission
with Roumanian representatives and that when these
matters were cleared up the Roumanian Commander-in-Chief
would take suitable action as regards personnel and
arms. |
2. It will be seen from the foregoing that this mission has been
unable to make any progress whatever in the performance of the
duties expressly assigned to it by the Supreme Council. It is
difficult to
[Page 671]
understand
what motive can inspire the Roumanian Government in following its
long continued line of conduct, but whether same is due to
deliberate intent, to inefficiency of subordinates, or to any other
cause, the result is the same. It is recommended that the Military
Mission seriously study this matter and consider whether or not it
should at an early date telegraph the Supreme Council to the effect
that it is the unanimous opinion of the members that a continuation
of the Mission at Budapest can result in nothing but humiliation and
in a loss of prestige for our Governments.
