864.404/5–2148: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Legation in Hungary
secret
Washington, May 21,
1948—7 p. m.
522. We concur with you it is not advisable for US to intervene in current issues between Church and State. (Urtels 815 May 181 and 688 Apr 262) We do not of course underestimate importance of Catholic Church in current political scene in Hungary but believe Vatican can more correctly assess situation on which to advise Cardinal with whom it apparently has adequate communication.
We will continue give appropriate VOA treatment to church’s views based on factual reports available.
Marshall
- Not printed; it reported that Cardinal Mindszenty had appealed to the Legation to make diplomatic representations to the Hungarian Government in the interest of church schools threatened with secularization. Minister Chapin further reported that he had already indicated to the Cardinal that it was extremely unlikely that the United States could give any support officially to the Church in view of the well-known traditional American attitude on refusing state support to sectarian or private schools (864.404/5–1848).↩
- Ante, p. 326.↩