Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, Europe, Volume IV

740.00119 Potsdam/8–1645: Telegram

The Representative in Hungary (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State

Budapest, August 16, 1945—4 p.m.
[Received August 16—2:05 p.m.]

427. My telegram 422, Aug 15.¹⁹ In my conversation today with Foreign Minister I asked him outright what was basis for reports that President Truman’s speech of Aug 9²⁰ had been suppressed here as to that part which dealt with Hungary.²¹ He told me Hungarian Govt’s position in such matters was most difficult and that he had issued general directive to press not to publish statements which betrayed differences of view between the Allies. President Truman’s statement that Hungary among other countries was not sphere of influence of any great power fell in this category of forbidden topics since passages in question were not published in Moscow.

I said to Gyöngyösi that action of Hungarian Govt in suppressing a formal statement of President of US would doubtless cause regrettable impression in Washington. He said he realized this but he again pointed to difficult situation of Hungarian Govt in such matters. He then suggested that now that full text of speech had been received through me and made available as it has been both to him and PriMin and local news bureau it might be possible to publish full text of speech including previously expurgated passages. He did not however promise as PriMin did previously that full text would be published.²²

Schoenfeld

19. Not printed; in it Schoenfeld reported that Prime Minister Miklos had stated that President Truman’s speech of August 9 would be given the widest publicity in Hungary (740.00119 Potsdam/8–1445).
20. For text of the report of President Truman to the Nation on the Berlin Conference, delivered by radio from the White House at 10 p.m. on August 9, see Department of State Bulletin, August 12, 1945, p. 208.
21. Telegram 418, August 13, 5 p.m. from Budapest, reported that portions of President Truman’s speech dealing with Hungary had been suppressed in the Hungarian press (740.00119 Potsdam/8–1345).
22. Telegram 444, August 18, 1945, 5 p.m. from Budapest, reported that only one Hungarian newspaper had printed the full text of President Truman’s speech (740.00119 Potsdam/8–1845).