Office of the Historian

661.6431/10–1845: Telegram

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

Washington, October 19, 1945—7 p.m.

569. Lengthy controversial article on Soviet-Hungarian economic collaboration agreement by MacCormac38 dated Budapest Oct 17 [Page 896] appeared in NY Times Oct 18 which, together with other articles currently appearing elsewhere apparently not excessively delayed, appears to indicate that review by Soviets is not onerous. However, if unusual delays encountered please ask Gen Key to bring question of censorship of correspondent’s despatches again before ACC (your 764 Oct 15). Key should point out this Govts belief that as armistice with Hungary was negotiated before conclusion of war it was natural to provide for censorship because of military considerations. However, agreement reached at Potsdam after defeat of enemy shows three Heads of Govts considered that purely military factors were no longer paramount since Communiqué40 (Section 10) stated “The three governments have no doubt that in view of the changed conditions resulting from the termination of the war in Europe, representatives of the Allied press will enjoy full freedom to report to the world upon developments in Rumania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Finland.” Gen Key should also point out that all censorship, both by Soviet military and by civil authorities has been lifted in Rumania (see M1888 Oct 16 from Schuyler) and request that in view of these considerations Voroshilov reconsider question in Hungary.41

Dept agrees that as commercial communications have been resumed Key should no longer make available use of his radio facilities to correspondents and does not believe (re your 785 Oct 1842) that you should accept pooled messages for transmission through Dept.43

Byrnes
  1. John P. MacCormac, New York Times correspondent.↩
  2. For text of the Report on the Tripartite Conference of Berlin, issued as a communiqué on August 2, 1945, see Conference of Berlin (Potsdam), vol. ii, p. 1499.↩
  3. Telegram 597, October 29, 1 p.m., to Budapest, stated inter alia that the Department felt that the decision reached by the heads of government at the Berlin Conference left no doubt that journalists should be free to enter Hungary and there would be no limitation on their number (740.00119 Control (Hungary)/10–2945).↩
  4. Not printed.↩
  5. Telegram 806, October 22, 11 p.m., from Budapest, reported that New York Times correspondent MacCormac had left Budapest and presumably filed his article from Vienna. American correspondents in Budapest had been apprised of the Department’s opposition to the transmission of news despatches through the Mission’s radio facilities (661.6431/10–2245).↩