Newsgroups: bit.listserv.slovak-l
Date:         Tue, 10 Nov 1992 05:19:03 EST
From:         Joe Pannon <76317.2023@COMPUSERVE.COM>
Subject:      First Vienna Awards

Dear Patrik:

If you decide to quote me, do it in context, please.

 >>...if you want to discuss something about 20th century history, let's do it
 >>but preferably citing Western sources.
 >>
 >>...Of course, knowing a little bit about Benes and Masaryk's effective
 >>propaganda in the West prior to WW I, I wouldn't be surprised if much of it
 >>still survives in EB.(Encyclopedia Britanica)
 >
 >        In the first statement you encourage me to use western sources, but in
 >the second one you express that even the western sources are affected by, in
 >this case Czech (since you mentioned Benes and Masaryk), anti-hungarianism.

You see, the Benes/Masaryk reference was specific to their pre-WW I writings
about Austria-Hungary on which you suggested the Encyclopedia Britannica as a
source.  But then, you also made veiled references to some sinister Hungarian
doings between the 30s and the 50s on which I suggested a discussion,
preferably using Western sources.  Well, I'm glad you finally spelled out
what specific events you referred to during those years:

 >Probably the whole world is against Hungary. You put me into difficult
 >possition of finding a convincing source. But I found one : It is Collier's
 >Encyclopedia, last published in 1991 (I hope it is not to old for you, or
 maybe
 >affected by communism ????), Volume 12, Page 387, Word : Hungary.
 >        The author of this passage is ISTVAN CSICSEY RONAY. ( I hope the name
 >is convincing enough)
 >
 >        "... and during the Munich crisis it restricted (Hungary) its
 >claims to the ethnically Hungarian areas of Slovakia that it received by
 >the Vienna Award of 1938. In February 1939 Hungary joined the
 >Anti-Comintern Pact, but when Hitler marched into Prague in March 1939,
 >Teleki occupied Ruthenia against German wishes and secured a common
 >frontier with Poland."
 >                        (Istvan Csicsey Ronay, p.387, 2nd paragraph)
 >
 >There is also a map added to the text on this page describing the areas
 >occupied by Hungary with this legend : " Southern Slovakia- Occupied by
 >Hungary, 1938; returned to Czechoslovakia, 1945 "

First of all, try not to project onto Hungarians what you as a Slovak must
feel over the international public relations fiasco caused by the unilateral
diversion of Danube.  I think from the postings of the last few weeks here
it's obvious who are the ones feeling that the whole world is against them.
Hint: it's NOT the Hungarians.

Second, I find nothing wrong with the quote from Istvan Csicsey Ronay, except
that it does not give the background against which those things happened.
Therefore it could be misleading, though having done something against German
wishes at that time does not need much defending even today.

It's no secret that Hungary never considered the Trianon Treaties just and
was therefore seeking to redress her grievances at every forum it could.
What country would consider it fair if the new borders placed so many of her
nationals in neighboring states along the new borders as was the case with
Hungary?

With regards to the First Vienna Arbitration Awards, I checked most books I
could find in my local library, and they were from American, British and
French authors.  They pretty much agree with the following account that I am
going to quote from a French history professor, mainly because it's the most
concise.  The author's name is Henry Bogdan, and the book I am quoting from
is the 1989 American edition of the 1982 French original, entitled "From
Warsaw to Sofia, A History of Eastern Europe" (Pro Patria Publishing, Santa
Fe, New Mexico):

    "At the conference held in Munich on September 29, Hitler, Mussolini,
  Chamberlain and Daladier agreed to give Germany the German-speaking Sudeten
  territories of Czechoslovakia before October 10, in an agreement known as
  the MUNICH PACT.  In a document attached to the agreement, France and Great
  Britain pledged to guarantee the new Czech borders;  Germany and Italy did
  the same, BUT ON THE EXPRESS CONDITION THAT THE MATTER ON THE HUNGARIAN AND
  POLISH MINORITIES BE SETTLED WITHIN THREE MONTHS THROUGH DIRECT
  NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE CONCERNED PARTIES. (Emphasis mine -- JP)
  The terms of the Munich pact were then imposed on Czechoslovakia by the
  Great Powers, two of whom were allies who had taken part in its creation in
  1919. ...
    Just before the conference in Munich, Poland revealed the treaty signed
  with Czechoslovakia in 1925, and claimed the Teschen territory in an
  ultimatum addressed to Prague on Sptember 30.  Then on October 2, Polish
  troops moved in to occupy this 386-square-mile territory whose population
  of 200,000 was 70 percent Polish.  In Prague on October 5, Benes resigned
  in response to the Munich agreements, and left for London.  He was replaced
  as president by Emil Hacha ...  The pro-German Frantisek Chvalkovsky became
  head of foreign affairs.  The Czechs were bitterly disappointed in the
  attitude of their foreign "friends," but after a few protest
  demonstrations, anger gave way to resignation.  To stop the break-up of the
  country, Prague finally decided to grant the Ruthenians and Slovaks a
  measure of autonomy on October 6.  The Slovak diet at Bratislava chose
  Father Tiso to head the local government, and Father Augustin Volisin took
  over the function for the Ruthenians.
    The Hungarians thought that the moment had come to press for revision of
  the territorial clauses in the Treaty of Trianon.  IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE
  AGREEMENTS OF MUNICH, DIRECT NEGOTIATIONS OPENED (my emphasis, again - JP)
  on October 9 at Komarno between a delegation from the Hungarian government
  and a Czechoslovakian delegation led by Father Tiso.  The negotiations
  closed in failure on October 13.  The two parties both agreed to ask
  Germany and Italy to arbitrate.  In the First Arbitration of Vienna in
  November, 1938, Hungary regained 4670 square miles with 1,030,000
  inhabitants, 830,000 of them Magyar and only 143,000 Slovak, and the towns
  of Kassa, Komarom and Munkacs (Munkatchevo).  Between November 4 and 11,
  Hungarian troops marched into this territory and were universally welcomed
  as liberators.  The Hungarians had hoped for more, but Hitler, who wanted
  to take charge of the Slovaks, had not meant to grant more.  From a purely
  ethnic viewpoint, the new border was nearly perfect, with only 66,000
  Hungarians under Czechoslovakian rule. ...

    Ruthenia was jointly coveted by Poland and Hungary, both desiring a
  common border to fend off the German threat.
    In early march, 1939, tensions within Czechoslovakia brought another
  German intervention.  The pretext was renewed conflict between the central
  government and the Slovaks.  Prague took a dim view of Tiso's ardently
  defended calls for independence.  On March 10, President Hacha dismissed
  Tiso's Slovak government and declared a state of siege throughout the
  country.  In Bratislava, the people rected to these measures with violent
  demonstrations organized by German agents from Vienna.  A former leader of
  the Catholic party, Karol Sidor, formed a transition government, but Slovak
  agitation quickly overwhelmed the authorities.  The Germans were quick to
  act.  On March 13, they sent two emissaries to Tiso to persuade him that it
  was time for Slovakia to become independent.  The same evening, Tiso went
  to Berlin, where he met with the German foreign minister, Joachim von
  Ribbentrop, and then with Hitler, who advised him to declare Slovakian
  independence at once; ACCORDING TO THE GERMANS, HUNGARY WAS ONLY WAITING
  FOR THE RIGHT OPPORTUNITY TO INVADE THE COUNTRY (Note how Hitler played the
  Slovaks against the Hungarians -- JP). ...
    Slovakian independence marked the beginning of the end of the
  Czechoslovakian state, and the end came quickly.  Acting on the suggestion
  of Chvalkovsky, the Czechoslovakian minister of foreign affairs, Hitler
  called President Hacha to Berlin; during a dramatic and stormy interview on
  March 14, 1939, Hitler demanded that what was left of Czechoslovakia,
  meaning Bohemia and Moravia, be placed under the protection of the Reich.
  The German protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia was born.  On March 15,
  Czechoslovakia ceased to exist.  German troops immediately marched into the
  country and disarmed the Czechoslovakian army.  AT THE SAME TIME, HUNGARIAN
  TROOPS WERE MOVING INTO CARPATHIAN RUTHENIA, WHICH HAD BEEN PART OF THEIR
  TERRITORY FOR OVER A THOUSAND YEARS, thus establishing a common border with
  its ally, Poland."

That's enough of quoting for now.  From it the following picture emerges:

Hungary acted in accordance to the provision of the Munich Pact when it sat
down with the Czechoslovakian representatives to discuss border revisions.
It's not in the above citation, but I know it from other sources that in most
territorial adjustments the two sides already agreed among themselves, except
one small sticky area.  That's when they both agreed to German-Italian
arbitration to break the deadlock.  So why should the Slovaks now hold this
against Hungary when they also agreed to this?  For the Hungarian point of
view, this was not only about bringing back Hungarian populated areas into
Hungary, but also to keep the Germans out of as much territory as they could.
This was especially the case with Ruthenia which if not taken back by
Hungary, would surely have been invaded by Germans instead.  Reestablishment
of Hungarian-Polish border proved to be also a life saver for many thousands
of Poles a few months later for whom that became the only escape route from
the jaws of the German-Soviet onslaught.

I'm afraid I have to address the post-WW II Kosice Program at another time as
this message became long as it is already.

Regards,
Joe Pannon
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