Budapest Legation File: 711.9 Allied Control Commission: Telegram
The Chief of the United States Military Representation on the Allied Control Commission for Hungary (Key) to the War Department 69
Z–1172. Regular meeting of ACC held last night, Marshal Voroshilov presiding. Principal subjects discussed were as follows:
(1) Reduction of Hungarian military forces (see my letter of 5 November): The Chairman stated that the directive issued by the Soviet military section on 22 October in the name of the ACC was not intended as an order but as a proposal for reducing the Hungarian Army. The Chairman, Soviet Military Section ACC, then read the proposals for reducing the army from approximately 35,000 to 25,000 and the Chairman asked for its approval. I stated that I was in favor of reducing the army but suggested that final action be deferred pending a conference between our respective military sections to analyze the figures and study the proposed directive. The British Representative concurred and stated that he believed his government would approve the reduction but that he would have to submit the plan to it for final decision. The Chairman disagreed with these suggestions and stated that he would strike the subject from the agenda since we were unable to agree on the matter. In answer to my question if that meant the proposed reductions would not be ordered he stated no, that he would issue the order tomorrow for the reduction of the army regardless of the attitude of the other two governments, that he didn’t consider it an important subject. I objected to this action and asked again that the proposed plan for reduction be submitted to me for study before final action was taken. The Chairman refused to discuss the matter further.
[Here follows a description of the other subjects discussed: (2) Hungarian war criminals; (3) sports flights of Hungarian airplanes and gliders; (4) recognition of French Representative;70 (5) surplus foodstuff for Austria; (6) Proclaimed List of firms and individuals [Page 910] in neutral countries; (7) deportation of Hungarian minorities from Czechoslovakia;71 (8) miscellaneous matters.]
- Message was directed to General of the Army George C. Marshall, for the War Department General Staff, Operations Division, and for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Information copies were sent to the United States Military Representation on the Allied Control Commissions for Bulgaria and Rumania.↩
- Telegram 694, November 17, 1945, 11 a.m. to Budapest, stated that the French Government through the French Embassy in Washington had informed the United States Government that it desired to send a “delegate” to Budapest to prepare for the subsequent arrival of a French representative to the Hungarian Government. Schoenfeld was instructed to request General Key to bring the matter before the Allied Control Commission (740.00119 Control (Hungary)/11–1745). At the November 16 meeting of the Allied Control Commission, Marshal Voroshilov announced that Paul Giraud had been designated as the “French Representative” in Hungary.↩
- For documentation regarding the interest of the United States in the expulsion of Hungarian minorities from Czechoslovakia, see pp. 928 ff.↩