Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XVII, Eastern Europe

103. Telegram From the Legation in Hungary to the Department of State¹

Budapest, March 11, 1964, 1 p.m.

547. Department’s telegrams 427, 428.² Our written response on President’s behalf to Cardinal’s letter of February 4³ was delivered March 11 as authorized 427. In course subsequent conversation, “statement” as modified 428 was gone over with Cardinal. He put statement in context past messages conveyed to him orally.

Cardinal professed to be satisfied with written response upon seeing clause “this refuge remains available to you so long as consideration for your personal safety and freedom requires such an arrangement”. Once having assured himself on availability of refuge, he did not appear to focus on contents of statement even though he did appear to read it.

In hour and half talk Cardinal made three principal points:

1. Preoccupied with position of five bishops in Hungary who not allowed in their diocese and with position of bishops in Slovakia, for which he says he is responsible, who may be in similar position. Fears reported church state negotiations will not protect interests of these old faithful members of clergy for whom he feels responsible. Vatican appears to him to be too disposed to arrive at accommodations with EE regimes.

2. As long as there is smallest percentage of chance of change in Hungary, feels he should hold himself available to play his constitutional role when appropriate time comes. Saying he did not know what lay in the future, he recalled that one of his predecessors, Yorgys Zechenyi, lived to be 107 years old.

3. Described attitude of Vatican and USG as two key factors in his position. Vatican’s plan to have him come to Rome would represent a “careless” attitude on his part toward his responsibilities here and to loyal priests for whose appointments he had been responsible. While he did not think GOH would arrest him now if he left Legation, to either return to his native village or be subject to living conditions of priests who had been faithful to him would be intolerable. He professed to find satisfication in nature of written response given him that asylum in American Legation continued to be available.

We took suitable opportunity to point out to Cardinal that, while we were sympathetic to humane considerations prompting his feelings, USG not competent to deal with problems involving church and primacy. We called his attention to relevant portions of statement bearing on these and expressed gratification that he would shortly be able to discuss these problems in depth with a representative of Vatican. With respect to availability of asylum, we called his attention to terms and conditions in statement and to our government’s hope that reasonable solution could be found to problem of refuge. He did not appear to really focus on statement as whole or on portions to which we called his special attention. At end he thanked us for letter and its “supplement.” Statement not left with him.

Jones

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, SOC 12–1 HUNG. Secret; Limdis.
2. Telegram 427, March 9, transmitted the text of a reply to Mindszenty’s letter to the President to be delivered by Jones. Telegram 428, March 9, provided instructions for delivery of the message. (Both ibid.)
3. In this letter, Mindszenty outlined his personal history, gave his view of his legal position, and explained the conditions he would set with Hungarian authorities as the basis for an agreement under which he would leave the Legation. (Ibid., Hungarian Desk Files: Lot 75 D 45, January–June 1964)