740.00119 E.W./11–1144: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 12—7:35 a.m.]
3900. ReEmbs 3816, October 6, 8 p.m. Molotov requested me to call on him this afternoon to discuss the Hungarian armistice terms. Eden24 and Clark Kerr were present. Molotov handed the British [Page 900] Ambassador and myself notes dated October 11, which read in paraphrased translation as follows:
The Hungarian Mission of which you are aware transmitted to me on the morning of October 11 the following reply of the Hungarian Government which has been received by radio:
“Hungary accepts the preliminary armistice conditions. It requests that the detailed armistice negotiations be initiated without delay and be carried on in complete secrecy in order that Hungarian forces may be sent from the front against the overwhelming German forces in Budapest, since there is danger of the Germans striking after which there will be massacres and pogroms which must be avoided.
The Hungarian Government requests, in order to effect the transfer of the troops and to make possible the execution of the armistice terms, that the advance of the Russian Armies toward Budapest be suspended.”
The Soviet Government having studied this reply considered it possible to grant the above mentioned request of the Hungarian Government. The Soviet Government in this connection deems it possible to authorize the representatives of the Soviet High Command to enter into negotiations with the representatives of the Hungarian command in order to establish the time of cessation of the advance of the Soviet Armies toward Budapest and also to determine exactly which Hungarian military units should be sent to Budapest for immediate tasks against the Germans.
The Soviet Government furthermore considers it necessary that the representatives of the Governments of the United States of America, Great Britain and the USSR immediately undertake to examine the Hungarian armistice conditions and that in the first instance they study the question concerning the despatch of a joint Allied military mission to Hungary under the chairmanship of a Soviet representative to verify and control the withdrawal of Hungarian troops from the territories of Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Rumania occupied by Hungary.
Please inform me as soon as possible regarding the reply of the United States Government to the proposals set forth above.
Molotov stated in explanation that the Hungarians had requested to be allowed to move military units immediately to Budapest to protect the Jewish population there from the Germans. He explained that the Germans had stated to the Hungarians that if they were forced to withdraw from Budapest they would exterminate the Jews numbering over 200,000 now in the city. The delegation stated that several weeks ago there were 4,000 to 5,000 members of the Gestapo in Budapest and two German divisions in the vicinity. He continued that the Soviet Government was anxious to prevent the massacre of the Jews and was prepared to agree to the Hungarian request. He consequently [Page 901] hoped that we would agree that the Soviet commander of Hungary might enter into negotiations with the Hungarian High Command over the withdrawal of the Hungarian units. He said that he had promised a reply to the Hungarian delegation within the course of the day. Eden stated that in his opinion it was appropriate to leave this question to the decision of the Soviet military authorities. I concurred. Molotov stated that the Soviet Government would thereupon issue instructions to the Soviet High Command to enter into negotiations with the Hungarians only on the question of cessation of the advance of the Bed Army to permit the withdrawal of Hungarian forces to Budapest. As the question of the armistice terms would be discussed in Moscow he stated that the Soviet draft terms would be presented to the British Ambassador and myself tomorrow. He stated that the draft terms would follow closely the Rumanian terms.
- Anthony Eden, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, was on a visit to Moscow.↩