The Wilmington morning star., 1944-03-25
Coup In Hungary
Nv ANNE O,HARE MCCORMICK

Heretofore Hungary has played a compare.
lively minor and passive role in the war.
This country that stands "in the middle OF
the middle of Europe, as Count Teleki, its
| geographer premier, used to say, was almost
forgotten until the wall of the German armies
broke to the east and the victorious Russians
appeared on the other side Of the Carpathians.
Until now Hungary has served as a route
and supply center more than as a military
aid to the Germans. All the satellites have
baked at supplying cannon fodder for the all
consuming Russian campaign, but the Hun
garians have been most successful in holding
the bulk of their forces at home. From the
beginning their one preoccupation has been to
save their army for last-stand battle in de-
Tense of their own territory.
A review of notes made in Budapest in the
first year of the war shows that even then
this thought was uppermost in the mind of
the governing group. Old Admiral Horthy,
like the country itself, was a paradox within
a paradox. Regent for a non-existent crown,
he stoutly opposed all legitimist attempts to
re-establish the monarchy. Admiral of non
existent fleet in land without an outlet on
the sea, he never DOTTED his sailors uniform
and never missed chance to proclaim to
all and sundry. especially the Germans, that
wars were always won by sea power. In those
days he boosted that he was the only head
of a State who had ever visited Hitler and
come back without giving anything away. He
boosted, too that the Council of State he had
called together when the Germans demanded
passageway through Hungary for the attack
on Poland lasted only five minutes. Without
discussion or dissent the Ministers voted
No.
At that time, however, the Hungarians were
thinking in terms of the last war. They were
''revisionists" to a man, more intent on the
recovery of their lost lands than on the larger
issues of the present struggle. They were too
astute not to realize that the old alliance
with Germany had proved "a national ca
tastrophe," as Count Michael Karolyi declared
in London yesterday. They had fewer illusions
about Hitler that any of their nelghbors. New.
ertheless, for the sake OF Pennsylvania and
their claims against the Czechs and the Yugo-
slavs they were willing to gain what they
could from his conquests.
Perhaps because their thoughts followed old
patterns, they were convinced that Russia and
Germany would clash before the end. The
eyes of Hungary are always on the Carpathl-
ans. On blizzardy night in 1910 the Regent
walled in by snow in his shabby study IN
the great empty palace which looked what
is was-the empty shell of dead empire
drew map to demonstrate the mountain
passes the Red armies would be likely to
breach It was the map of todays battlefield
LOOKING DdCk dI Tie LOpCS oIo ASoAS uAoe
obsessed Hungary when the war began, one
would have thought that this was the hour,
when at last the Russian armies actually are
nearing the gates, that the Hungarian troops
would fight willingly at the side OF the Ger
mans. Evidently Hitler knows better. Evident
lily the Regent and his government were not
ready even at the crisis to accede to de-
mands that the Hungarian Army be reorgan-
lied under German command. that the trans
port system be put under German control
and that all food reserves be put into gen.
eral pool
The Nazs have moved swiftly to put the
country under military occupation. The con-
fused reports from neutral capitals agree that
Horthy and his aides have, been kidnapped
A puppet government, probably headed by
Bella Imredy, is being set up in Budapest
The name Of Szalasy, fanatic head OF the
Hungarian Nazis. is once more in the news.
This underlines another paradox. for in this
state allied to Germany, Szalasy was impris-
oned and 1rnredy, once premier. was defeat